Person-Centred Counselling

Person-Centred Therapy (PCT) is used very widely and achieves strong outcomes for clients. 

 

PCT rests on three core conditions. Empathy, which means I work to understand your experience as you feel it. Congruence, which means I am genuine and not hiding behind a professional mask. Unconditional Positive Regard, which means you are accepted without judgement. These conditions are the responsibility of the therapist and they make depth possible.

Carl Rogers, who founded Person-Centred Therapy, believed that this form of therapy was only possible if the therapist carried a profound respect for the autonomy of individuals. Subject to the laws around confidential disclosures, the client should be able to say what they like, and the therapist should not get in the way of that expression, despite being active in the conversation. 

In Rogers’ own words “We cannot change, we cannot move away from what we are, until we thoroughly accept what we are. Then change seems to come about almost unnoticed.”

Our thoughts and feelings are like a tangled ball of yarn, it takes time and patience to tease them out and follow them to their origin.

This is not always a journey into childhood or a relentless discussion of feelings. Often in therapy, we find our minds drawn to small details or seemingly irrelevant stories, but if we are speaking our honest thoughts, then the path always leads back to progress.

Engaging with Person-Centred Therapy as a client takes enormous bravery, and the people who benefit most from PCT are honest, curious, and committed to getting better.

One of the main factors in the success of PCT is the rapport between counsellor and client, so if you have read this far and you think we would work well together, I encourage you to contact me for a quick chat.​​​