Counseling Theories Outline

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Hi student,

I have provided you with some information and several references to help you to develop your answers for this post. Hopefully, I can offer you some guidance in understanding the three theoretical orientations in generating your outline. Hope this helps. Good luck!

(1) Person-centered
The person-centered approach was popularized by Carl Rogers (1979), who emphasized the centrality of the therapeutic alliance (i.e. the relationship between the client and the therapist). He was one of the first psychologists to emphasize the need to recognize the concept of self in therapeutic interventions. From this perspective, Rogers developed the concept in repudiation of psychoanalysis. Rogers (1951) renamed the approach client-centered therapy to emphasize the client over the nondirective method. He held that the human person had an actualizing tendency to develop the capacity to become self-reliant.

A good source for viewing Roger's client-centered therapy is offered by Truscott (2010) who discussed Roger's approach factors in client-centered therapy; it places the responsibility upon the client to search for a solution to his or her problem. In addition, to Rogers' emphasis on the concept of self, he stressed the "unconditional positive regard for others" (i.e., respecting the integrity and rights of others). Rogers maintained that in the development of self, individuals would naturally develop a respect for the integrity and rights of others.
Thus, from this perspective, he based his counseling approach upon the following core concepts: (a) self-actualizing tendency, (b) Organismic valuing process [born with the ability to make determinations], (limits to self-actualization [growth can be blocked], and (d) and the self and ideal self [we relate to the outside world] (Archer & McCarthy, 2007, p.101). The client and therapist's role was to be equally in a therapeutic relationship. Basic tenets in client-centered therapy that embrace humanistic theories include: (a) striving toward an inner goal, (b) acceptance as significant in human life, and (c) the ability to change the course of one's life.

Rogers is credited with being the first person to use this approach, thus he would be considered to be the key theorist. The dignity and self-worth afforded the client in client-centered therapy has roots in ...