Person Centered Theory

Person Centered theory that is also called Client Centered theory has three main attributes. The first very important aspect of Person Centered theory is “Unconditional Positive Regard” That means, the counselor values and accepts the client irrespective of issues they may struggle with at any given moment in life. Second very important aspect of the theory is “Empathy” and according to this, the counselor must understand the client’s position so that the client understands himself better and the whole process becomes easier for the client as well as for the counselor. This helps the client to change their view of themselves and also their beliefs about the world. The third and the last requisite of Client Centered theory is “Genuineness” which preaches honesty between the counselor and the client. So the counselor should not only hold the first two values, but also make sure that they are real and true in their relationship with the client.

There is an internal force (the actualizing tendency) in each individual which is the motivational force for change. This force is always constructive and directed towards developing the potentialities of the individual. This force is promoted by the therapist’s congruence, and by the client’s perception of the therapist’s experience of unconditional positive regard and empathic understanding of the client’s frame of reference.

The statement above makes it clear that there is a total absence of directive intentions to instruct or guide under this therapy. The therapist generally creates an atmosphere of freedom in the relationship with the client by trusting the natural development made by the client and giving them time to get back to their world. However, there might be a problem of Maladjustment in this therapy, the problem crops-up when the values that are inherited by the client fall inconsistent with the actual outside world. These values come from parents, other important people around, and society as a whole, and are uncritically taken in and accepted by the person, when in truth, some of them fit very poorly, but this after all is a part of socialization, which can not be avoided. Person centered therapy is designed to overcome these problems so that the crisis can be resolved. The therapy believes that people can review and revise values, beliefs, and their self-concepts if provided a therapeutic environment that includes all the three requisites mentioned above. In such an environment that is free of threat and counselor judgments of right or wrong, which is described above as “Unconditional Positive Regard”, they can explore themselves with relative safety.