The Core Conditions Associated - Essay Example

?Discuss the Core Conditions Associated With Person-Centered Therapy The traditional realm of psychiatry was the first in which the field of psychology developed. The first practitioners who became fascinated with the concepts of human reasoning and development were deeply rooted in the biological and neurological sciences. It was not until Sigmund Freud, the father of modern psychology, developed his technique of “talking theory” that theories into the area of counseling began to appear. One of these counselors was named Carl Rogers. Rogers lived a very humble life deeply influenced from his roots and families. Later on when he moved into the profession of counseling, his experiences and autobiographical history shaped the core values by which he conducted counseling. Carl Rogers was born on January 8, 1902 in Oak Park, Illinois; he was the fourth of five born to Walter A. Rogers and Julia M. Cushing. Growing up as a child, he had an introverted personality and was deeply religious. This belief went so deep in him that he thought about attending a seminary school to become a priest. After attending a conference, he decided that he wanted to help people in other ways besides through religion, so Rogers deviated from his religious upbringing (Thorne 1992). It was at Colombia University where he earned his masters and doctorate. Rogers specialized on working with children and began mastering his client-centered approach. He originally referred to it this way because he wanted to give importance to the phenomenology and the perception by which the client viewed the world (Rogers, 1951). Later, he transitioned to person-centered therapy because greater emphasis was placed on the healing in which the person accomplished within himself or herself (and so will be referred to person-centered for the rest of the paper). When he became a professor of clinical psychology at Ohio State University, he continued to refine his work in this type of therapy. At the end of his life, he focused on conflict management and applying his theoretical approach because he believed that based on the core values that they encompassed all of which was required for therapeutic growth. The three main core conditions that Rogers thought were most effective in counseling are: unconditional positive regard, empathy, and congruence. Unconditional positive regard is where the therapist is able to accept the client for everything they are without any bias or judgment. Empathy is being able to grasp and understand the views of another person. This is important in developing the therapeutic relationship in that the therapeutic relationship. Lastly, congruence is essential in that it promotes genuineness in the client. The therapist accepts the client for who they are. This is especially important because a component of Roger’s underlying theory is in that people’s real and idealized selves do not match up, therefore they will reject apart of themselves. By being genuine, it allows the client to be him or herself, which promotes greater integration. Rogers believed these were the three important features in counseling; however, he expanded these into the definitions of his therapeutic relationship to include six conditions, “The necessary and sufficient conditions of Therapeutic personality change”. The first condition is that both the therapist and the client must be in psychological contact. This means that the talking relationship must exist between the client and the therapist. This is essential fundamental at the beginning because it is through all three of the fundamental conditions: unconditional positive regard, empathy, and congruency to take place. The second condition was that the client is in a state of incongruence, and therefore is suffering from anxiety. As stated, the incongruency is the result of some person’s perception of their real life not fitting with their idealized life. The incongruency leads to vulnerability and anxiety in the client. Because the therapist expresses all three main core conditions, it provides positive reinforcement, which increases the client’s positive self-regard. The third condition states that the therapist is congruent and is integrated. This genuineness is extremely important because it allows for the client to express who they are and can move toward a state of integration. This encourages growth in the client (Mearns, 2003). The fourth condition is that the client experiences unconditional positive regard from the therapist. Unconditional positive regard helps the client the showing that the therapist is supportive and accepting of the beliefs and actions that he/she takes. This is especially important in the client’s growth because it will help foster self-confidence and personal self-regard. The fifth condition requires the aspect of empathy in order for the therapist to establish the frame of reference from which the client is operating. This relates back to Rogers’s initial theory in counseling that the lives of the clients are phenomenological. By having empathy and gaining a better understanding of the congruency, the client can suggest better positive growth in the client. Lastly, the sixth condition is that the client will be able to assimilate and perceive the fact that the therapist is empathetic and is trying to show acceptance through genuineness and unconditional positive regard. This is the ultimate part in the growth of the client because the beginning of the client-therapist relationship focuses on the work of the therapist in guiding the client (Rogers, 1977). Originally, Rogers started out with three main conditions by which he developed his style of therapy. These were highly humanistic values and lacked some scientific concrete evidence to support them. The movement to six conditions also brings in basic assumptions, which can and should be made about the client. Rogers then goes on to show that the three main core values he initially hypothesized and established their role in the therapeutic process. The six conditions also give a framework of operating in which a client and a therapist can follow through, making the process more structured and standardized. The core values that Rogers mentioned are influenced by other humanistic and naturalistic principles. The first important one to mention is that Rogers believed that all organisms are empowered through energy to self-actualize. This is the motivation of which a person attempts to reach the highest level of which they are capable. In terms of Rogers counseling theory, the core conditions are important to have in cases in which a person is incongruent and unable to attain that level of actualization. Person-centered therapy is non-directional meaning that the growth and choices stem from the person, not from the therapist. The core conditions also become important when addressing the points of neuroticism. The neuroticism results from the incongruency of the real and ideal selves, and if unresolved can lead to a states of psychosis (Conte, 2009). The conditions of person-centered therapy encourage integration because the therapist is genuine and accepts the person for who they are. Once the client is able to realize this, then shunned and submerged parts of their identity will be able to resurface. When going through this, the person must be open and on some level want to make a change in their lives. The core conditions come into play by allowing the client to experience growth without the fear of judgment and the support needed to acquire self-actualization. Rogers’s theory was also influenced by other aspects in his life, which played a role in his development of the core values. He based much of his theory on hard science and often subjected his theories to scientific scrutiny. People who knew him, such as Howard Kirschenbaum, held Rogers in a high regard commenting that he was a “complex individual” who wanted us to get to know him and his many viewpoints that he applied to his therapy (Kirschenbaum 2007). Another big factor, which played a role, especially in the concepts of empathy and unconditional positive regard, was his religion. It focused on universal acceptance and the love that every human being should have for one another. The humanities and philosophical training also played a part in the development of these core conditions, such as the ability and want to self-actualize. This also included peak experiences, which due to Rogers’s therapy was achievable due to his core conditions. Peak experiences were periods in which a person is integrated and has transcendental understanding (Jarvis, 2000). By being unbiased and nurturing, a person is able to reach this level of existential understanding. Like in all types of therapeutic counseling, the therapist and the client relationship is defined by the theory being applied. Rogers’s view on the therapeutic relationship between the client and the therapist was, “If I can provide a certain type of relationship, the other person will discover within himself or herself the capacity to use the relationship for growth and change, and personal development will occur” (Rogers 1961). By creating a dynamic environment using the core values, growth within the individual can occur. This is facilitated by the core conditions in that the Roger’s lays out the way in which therapy should function and that these conditions alone are all what is required in order to facilitate therapeutic growth. As in any type of counseling theory, it must be applicable to the client and the situation. This is what makes some theories good for practice and some not. Each theory also has its own critiques and limitations. The first major criticism against person-centered therapy is the lack of scientific evidence. Rogers himself was a firm believer in having his theories brought up for scientific scrutiny. This is due to the lack of ability to empirically test the core conditions because of their highly abstract and humanistic nature. Another critique on the counseling style itself is that it is too simple. Some argue that based on biopsychosocial factors that Rogers’s core conditions are not enough alone to facilitate growth. In contrast, the advantage of this lack of complex techniques makes it an easy technique for students to learn. Many counselors also feel that the components of communication and empathy are techniques, which are becoming lost in traditional counseling, therefore person-centered therapy, can help to nurture these attributes. This encourages students of counseling to further develop these techniques in the light of many systematic and diagnostics taking over the field of counseling. Lastly, greater empathy, unconditional positive regard and genuineness can promote greater transference in a counseling relationship. This allows the therapist to get a greater view at the client’s worldview and allow them to become more integrated and self-actualize (Carducci, 2009). As a student in the area of counseling, I have my own views, which contribute to the outlook on Rogers’s theory that I have. My view on Rogers theory is that the core values are extremely valuable in helping set the base skills as a therapist and developing them; however, the basis that Rogers set is not enough alone to account for every type of problem which occurs in daily life. I think that the genuineness is an extremely therapeutic tool, which is used in person-centered therapy because it allows the client to feel welcomed and make better decisions. This fits in with the core belief that the reason the client is coming into therapy is due to the fact that there is incongruence; they themselves are unwilling to make this acceptance in their lives. By showing genuineness, it empowers them to be accepting of themselves because others are accepting of them. The caveat to this powerful tool is that it can also be detrimental in the hands of an untrained therapist. Saying the wrong thing or trying to be authentic to the point where it becomes harsh can damage the health of the relationship, which can lead to further incongruency in the client (Mearnes, & Thorne, 2000). I also think that this type of therapy is extremely helpful in helping develop a therapist’s communication and empathetic skills. These are the necessary and essential skills for all therapy to be conducted. Over time many of the theories of therapy that are used in counseling have developed and evolved in order to become more current with the times. Person-centered therapy does not leave much room for growth in that it relies on a terminal philosophy and an easy-to-follow pattern of counseling, which can serve either as strength or as a weakness to therapy. Many of the philosophies are still applicable in today’s society, which explains why it is a common form of treatment. The humanistic influences that Roger’s weaved into his core conditions allow the freedom of the client to be what she/he wants to be, which compounds the idea of individuality that our culture supports. Even though there are limitations and other arguments for/against the theory, it was still fundamental and had influence in the development of other therapies that were developed after it. There are also societies, such as the Association for Humanistic Psychology, which do seminars and training for counselors who are interested in initiating this type of therapy. “The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn - and change.” As Rogers pointed out and demonstrated through his core values, the process of change and personal growth is required in order to help others. This concept is interwoven in all of the theories and clinical aspects of person-centered theory. References Carducci, B. (2009). The psychology of personality: viewpoints, research, and applications. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. Conte, C. (2009). Advanced techniques for counseling and psychotherapy. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company. Corey, G. (2001). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Jarvis, M. (2000). Theoretical approaches in psychology. Philadelphia, PA: Taylor & Francis Inc. Kirschenbaum, H. (2007). The life and work of carol rogers. Trowbridge, UK: PCCS Books. McMillan, M. (2004). The person-centred approach to therapeutic change. London, UK: Sage Publications. Mearns, D. (2003). Developing person-centered counseling. London, UK: Sage Publications. Mearns, D, & Thorne, B. (2000). Person-centered therapy: new frontiers in theory and practice. London, UK: Sage Publications. Rogers, C. (1951). Client-centered therapy. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. Rogers, C. (1961). On becoming a person. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. Rogers, C. (1977). Carl rogers on personal power: inner strength and its revolutionary impact. New York, NY: Delacorte Press. Read More