Explore Carl Rogers core conditions and how these effect the personality change in a client using the Person Centred Approach.
CARL ROGERS. CORE CONDITIONS.
In this essay I will explore Carl Rogers core conditions and how these effect the personality change in a client using the Person Centred Approach.
For clients beginning therapy the most important fact initially is the entry of a new person (the therapist) into their psychological environment. It is the building of this relationship between therapist and client, which will facilitate change in the client. This relationship is at the forefront of the therapeutic process. For this to occur it is necessary that these 6 conditions to exist.
. That two persons are in psychological contact.
2. That the first person, whom we shall term the client, is in a state of incongruence, being vulnerable or anxious.
3. That the second person, whom we shall term the therapist, is congruent in the relationship.
4. That the therapist is experiencing unconditional positive regard toward the client.
5. That the therapist is experiencing an empathic understanding of the client's internal frame of reference.
6. That the client perceives, at least to a minimal degree, Conditions 4 and 5, the unconditional positive regard of the therapist for him, and the empathic understanding of the therapist. Kirschenbaum and Henderson 1990:221.
Rogers determined that 3 of the six conditions were core to the therapeutic process. These 3 core conditions I will focus on in this essay those being, Empathy, Unconditional Positive Regard and Congruence. When a person seeks counselling they are incongruent, not true to themselves they have lost their Organismic-self their true self, this can happen for various reasons. People place conditions of worth upon us; introject their own values and beliefs upon us. This usually results in the actualising tendency becoming thwarted by these 'conditions of worth.' We all need positive regard and the acceptance of others if this is not present then we are unable to value ourselves (positive self regard). Our self concept will then become distorted and prevent us being a fully functioning person this can lead to the need for therapy.
I can relate to this in my own life. My ex wife was having an affair for several years during this time I was totally incongruent. Out of synch with my own self. I knew the affair was happening but couldn't and wouldn't face up to the problem. I would take into my self-concept what my wife was telling me, that she was not having an affair. I would be constantly told I was "being stupid" everything I said I was humiliated. I was given no positive regard at all and this destroyed any self worth I had (positive self regard). I truly believed that what she told me to be the truth. (Introjects) I didn't want to believe this was happening so I would deny and distort the facts, thinking things like "she would never do this to me, its my imagination." This led to a total loss of my self-esteem, causing me anxiety and depression, at this stage I was referred to a counsellor.
My first session came as quite a shock, I was used to being judged, never listened to, and constantly lied to. Now this person (the counsellor) appeared to really care and listen to me (empathy), she never gave her opinion or judged me (unconditional positive regard) She seemed transparent and genuine with me and on the same level, she didn't seem to put up any front or façade, (congruence). At the beginning of my therapy I was very suspicious but over the next few months I began to feel some self-worth. The way in which the counsellor used ...
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My first session came as quite a shock, I was used to being judged, never listened to, and constantly lied to. Now this person (the counsellor) appeared to really care and listen to me (empathy), she never gave her opinion or judged me (unconditional positive regard) She seemed transparent and genuine with me and on the same level, she didn't seem to put up any front or façade, (congruence). At the beginning of my therapy I was very suspicious but over the next few months I began to feel some self-worth. The way in which the counsellor used the three core conditions allowed my trust to develop and grow over the following three years. Thus enabling me to explore and own my inner most feelings and thoughts and to begin to self-actualize realizing my Organismic-self. Rogers states that, "A self-directed growth process would follow the provision and reception of a particular kind of relationship characterised by genuineness, non-judgmental caring, and empathy." Raskin and Rogers. 1989:155.
For me Empathy is something that is felt on a very deep level and is the counsellor's ability to sense the client's world the way the client does and to convey that understanding. "When a counsellor is empathic it means that she is capable of understanding in the very deepest sense." Hough. 2000: 34. An empathic therapist is so much inside the world of the client that he or she can clarify not only the feelings of which the client is aware but even those they are not aware. An empathic therapist must try and step into the shoes of the client and gain a deep understanding of what they are feeling and experiencing, they must try and enter the client's frame of reference. If this is achieved this should allow the client to explore their inner most feeling and thoughts.
This can be a very difficult thing to achieve; the counsellor needs to put aside his or her own frame of reference, beliefs, and values yet still be in control and aware of their own feelings. Empathy is achieved at different levels. The counsellor may have blocks to empathy these include prejudices and beliefs and could have an impact on their ability to empathise with the client. I feel I would have a block if the client were a child abuser. I have two daughters of my own and the thought of them being violated in any way horrifies me. I know I would show more empathy to the victim rather than the abuser. My beliefs are so strong on this issue I would consult my supervisor and refer the client to an appropriate counsellor who could apply the three core conditions and therefore help the client during their therapeutic process.
"Every counsellor is human and fallible and therefore must have some 'personal limits' that might be exceeded by her client. However, the person centred counsellor is likely to be 'less conditional' than most other people with whom the client will relate." Mearns and Thorne (1999:66).
I feel it is important for the therapist to identify their own boundaries and be able to work within these. If the counsellor has had similar issues as the client they may begin to identify their own feelings with how they think the client should feel. This would be very detrimental to the client and directive, not person centered. Good empathic responses that could encourage the client may include, "Can you tell me more about that," or "I am curious about that".
Simple reflection is a way of being empathic simply by giving the clients words back to them this is telling the client that they have been heard and understood. Paraphrasing is an effective way of letting the client know you're with them. As the counsellor reflects to the client what the counsellor's understanding is, the client has an opportunity to hear him or herself in a new way. This kind of sensitive, active listening is very rare in our lives. We all think we listen, but very rarely do we listen with real understanding, true empathy.
Rogers believed that in order to help a client effectively they first have to be totally accepted. When a client feels accepted for who they are without any labels or conditions, a relationship is established between the counsellor and client which forms trust and creates an environment that enables the client to grow. Unconditional positive regard or acceptance is the communicating to the client a deep and genuine caring for him or her as a person. This caring is unconditional, in that it is not contaminated by evaluation or judgement of the clients feelings, thoughts or behaviour, be it good or bad. The message the counsellor conveys to the client is I accept you as you are. Unconditional positive regard is a communication by the therapist saying, "I believe that you are worthwhile, regardless of what you do." Upon receiving Unconditional positive regard a person's conditions of worth decrease and unconditional self-regard increases. In therapy the counsellor tries to provide Unconditional Positive Regard and total acceptance. Through receiving this from someone else (e.g. the therapist) the client can begin to self-actualise, (self-heal)."It means there are no conditions of acceptance, no feeling of "I like you only if you are thus and so" It means a prizing of the person." Dryden 2002:145. When therapy begins this may be the first time the client is experiencing genuine acceptance. This acceptance can be very difficult for the client and may in the beginning be distrustful of the therapist; hopefully as the core conditions are applied this trust will grow towards the therapist. The therapist shows respect and acceptance through verbal and non-verbal responses regardless of what the client says; e.g., nods, says, "Mm-hmm, I see."
In my own therapy it was a pleasant experience to be accepted and valued by the therapist, when my ex-wife rejected me. It felt good to feel worthy and on the same level with someone who cared about me, they accepted my issues without any judgment or conditions. This made me feel safe enabling me to voice my thoughts and feelings knowing that I was being accepted for who I am, with no "ifs 'or' buts"s. I feel the therapist was thinking what I was thinking, feeling what I was feeling and wanting what I wanted. I feel that the acceptance of the therapist is necessary to create self-acceptance for the client and thus allowing personality change to take place. Again as with empathy, the counsellor should be aware of his own limitations and boundaries and keep within them. I feel unconditional positive regard can be summed up in two words, total acceptance.
Congruence or genuineness as it is sometimes referred to, according to Rogers is considered to be the most important condition. Rogers stressed the importance of the therapist being-oneself, being real, open and aware of and honest about what he is experiencing and feeling. Congruence implies that the counsellor is real and genuine, integrated and authentic during therapy. What the counsellor is feeling on the inside is conveyed on the outside, i.e. the body language matches what the counsellor is saying and thinking. The therapist can openly express feelings and thoughts that are present in the relationship with the client. This facilitates honest communication with the client. This does not mean that the counsellor should share all feelings or self disclose but only those that will help the client move forward and self-actualise. The ability to remain genuine throughout the process takes great effort on the part of the counsellor. The counsellor must be aware at all times that congruent remarks are made with a view of caring for the client and not from their own negative feelings and thoughts. I feel the more the therapist is himself in the relationship, putting up no professional front or facade, the greater the chance that the client will change and grow in a constructive manner. Carl Rogers defines congruence, or genuineness as meaning:
"The psychotherapist is what he is, when in the relationship with his client he is genuine and without "front" or facade, openly being the feelings and attitudes which at that moment are flowing in him... the feelings the therapist is experiencing are available to him, available to his awareness, and he is able to live these feelings, be them, and able to communicate them if appropriate." Rogers. 1961:61.
I feel a major turning point happened two thirds of the way through my own therapy. I talked of a particularly very painful incident in my life. My therapist allowed me to talk, be angry, to be whatever I wanted to be. We kept constant eye contact. When I finished talking there was a long silence but we still had eye contact. The only way I can explain what I felt at that moment was a caring warmth between us. My counsellor seemed to understand me and the amount of hurt I was feeling. My counsellor began to cry, I also began to cry and sob. This was the very first time that I felt listened to and understood. I had explained this many times to my family but I felt I received only sympathy and pity-no real understanding of my hurt. I now realise this was my first experience of true congruence.
I feel that the ability of the therapist to be genuine, accepting and empathic is not something that develops over night. I feel the counsellor needs to have the commitment to integrate the core conditions into his own everyday life and be totally committed and believe in the therapeutic process. The therapist needs to be constantly seeking to broaden his own personal development and maintaining his psychological health. It is the quality of the relationship between therapist and client, which will facilitate the change process. This relationship is at the forefront of the therapeutic process. The success of the therapy depends on how well the counsellor can apply the core conditions; therefore the person centred approach is only as good as the individual therapist.
Bibliography
Hough, M. (2000) A Practical Approach to Counselling.
Longman, London.
Raskin, N. & Rogers, C. (1989) Person-Centred-Therapy
F.E. Peacock.
Kirschenbaum, H. & Henderson, V. (2002) The Carl Rogers Reader.
Constable, London.
Rogers, C. (1961) On Becoming A Person
Constable, London.
Dryden, W (2002) Handbook of Individual Therapy.
Sage, London.
Mearns, D. & Thorne, B. (1999) Person Centred Counselling in Action.
Sage, London.