Person-Centred Therapy

In Person-Centred Therapy, the client leads the way and does most of the talking, while their therapist listens in a non-judgemental fashion, occasionally restating their words with the goal of achieving clarity around what is being said, while maintaining clear professional boundaries at all times. The very use of the term “client”, in preference to “patient”, is intended to highlight their leading role in the process.

Person-Centred Therapy starts with the premise that, because we are all different, we each need a unique approach to finding solutions and making changes in our lives. The therapist serves as a facilitator, but recognises that the client, rather than they, is the expert. Therefore, the therapist generally refrains from giving advice, but instead strives to create an environment in which the client will reach his or her own conclusions about what to do. By providing a safe space, acceptance, and empathy, and by engaging in active listening, the therapist creates a healing environment in which the client can work towards a more positive future, and better mental and emotional health.

The non-judgemental atmosphere created by the therapist is crucial to the success of this form of therapy: in other words, the client must feel completely comfortable talking about anything that comes to mind. In the process, a partnership is formed between the client and their therapist, in which both are working together towards a common goal or goals, which are determined and set by the client, and not the therapist.

Over time, this form of therapy results in a process of self-discovery, which can lead to self-acceptance and to lasting positive change, as the client steadily gains the skills they need to engage in ongoing personal growth and development.

When a client is self-motivated and their therapist is actively engaged and empathetic, Client-Centred Therapy can lead to dramatic change, including much greater levels of congruence between the client’s idea of themselves, and their actual behaviours, greater personal understanding, fewer feelings of guilt and insecurity, greater levels of self-trust, and generally better mental health.

If you would like to talk to someone about Person-Centred Therapy in Ireland, please get in touch with the Private Therapy Clinic on Whatsapp message at: 7511116565 email, chat bot or book online to arrange an appointment.

Arnold, Kyle (2014). ‘Behind the Mirror: Reflective Listening and its Tain in the Work of Carl Rogers’. The Humanistic Psychologist, 42 (4): 354–369

Hazler, Richard J., Counseling and Psychotherapy Theories and Interventions. 6th Ed. 2016. American Counseling Association.

Rogers, Carl (1980). A Way of Being. Boston: Houghton Mifflin