6 amazing things Carl Rogers gave us

[David Baxter PhD]

6 amazing things Carl Rogers gave us
by Stephanie Sarkis
Saturday, January 8th, 2011

Here are 6 amazing things that Carl Rogers gave us:

1. Person-Centered Therapy
This is the big one, Rogers' therapy raison d'etre. Person-Centered Therapy advocated for Unconditional Positive Regard, use of a reflective technique, and a more egalitarian counseling relationship between counselor and client. Here's Rogers talking about Person-Centered Therapy:



2. Unconditional Positive Regard
This is the concept that we should have Unconditional Positive Regard for clients, even if our world views are drastically different than theirs, and even if we find their behavior morally repugnant. It's a real growing experience when you have been taught to have Unconditional Positive Regard for all people.

3. Egalitarian counseling relationships
In previous counseling theories, the therapist was automatically in a "one-up" position in the therapeutic relationship. Think of a see-saw where the therapist is higher up than the client. There's an inherent "expert" in the counseling relationship. Rogers promoted a more egalitarian, or equal, relationship between counselor and client. Now the counselor and client on the see-saw could look at each other directly. Rogers was also one of the first therapists to use the term "client" rather than "patient".

4. Reflection as a therapeutic technique
It's amazing how just saying "So you're feeling really angry"can be a powerful therapeutic tool.

5. One-third of the 'Gloria' treatment team
Watch Rogers in action, then watch Fritz Perls (Gestalt) and Albert Ellis (REBT).

Here's Rogers talking with Gloria:



There's something so warm about Rogers' technique. Gloria later corresponded with Rogers and his family until her death at the age of 50.

6. A counseling theory to train on
When I did my training at the University of Florida, we first learned, then used, Person-Centered Therapy techniques. It's such a pure form of therapy — the techniques are the fundamentals you need to learn before you delve into other theories and therapeutic techniques.

Rogers' 19 propositions of Person-Centered Therapy, along with Rogers' bio, can be found at Carl Rogers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[ailsa]

This is enlightening. If nothing else, I will receive a good introductory education in therapy and psychology here.

---------- Post added at 04:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:41 PM ----------

My response to Dr. Rogers approach:

Gloria seems to be an intelligent, perceptive and motivated client, who asks for a professional opinion about a decision she wants to make, is conflicted about making, and wants to fob off the responsibility to the therapist.


He begins talking with her and parrots back much of what she says. She notices, this and sometimes seems a bit annoyed and corrects him, and sometimes agrees with him.

Basically her dliemna is in regard to the age-old madonna/whore paradox regarding sexuality, and the double bind and resultant guilt endured by working women of that era and still today. It was a dilemna I faced myself, so I was very interested in what he would say.


Gloria seems to be confused by the dichotomy between her feelings and desires and society's mores, i.e., that moms aren't supposeed to act on their natural sexual feelings, so she's trapped in that dilemna.

She feels she perhaps should not give into her desires which contradict her own standards and is sick of feeling guilty. She asks for a direct answer again regarding what harm can come to her child, and he evades her again, handing back the responsibility to her (where it belongs).

What she really wants it seems is for society's standards to be more fair and relaxed about female sexuality. She continues to ask him for his professional opinion whether her child is ready to handle this information and he continues to evade it. (It is not his decision to make).

He continues to parrot back or reword her answers. Even I am getting annoyed at this.


Then she starts comparing the therapist to her father (that was quick) for some reason - and probably feels she is letting him down by having sex.

In the end they connect in some way that seems healing for her - he tells her she is a nice daughter and she tells him she would be a good father. Hmmm.

At the end, Dr. Rogers warns against intellectualizing the relationship, and instead keeping it to Buber's "I - thou" sort of relationship, a deeply respectful and intimate regard of the other and focusing on the 'god' nature of the other, looking beyond human frailties and failings and finding the pure core. Not many therapists can really pull that off, I would think.

His own experince of it is an emotional one and he says he will evaluate it intellectual only later. He regets the relationship 'cannot continue' but doesn't say why - maybe it is just an experiment.

Likes and dislikes about his approach:

I like: the egalitarian relationship. It's more comfortable, like talking with a good friend.

I don't like the parroting back. The reflective response may work for some people, but would irritate me to no end.

I am of two minds about the positive regard; it would work only if absolutely genuine, since if I even suspected it was a posture, I would become annoyed and probably stop seeing him.

He did seem genuinely warm, because it is probably in his nature to be, and he did lean toward her so his body movements backed it up. He kept his voice soft and modulated. This is important for a client who is noise sensitive and many depressed and anxious people are.

When I am feeling better and my mind is not so clouded with drugs and sadness, I think I will learn more about his approach.


I will now look at the others and comment later.