Which of the following techniques is consistent with person-centered therapy?

Rather than viewing people as inherently flawed, with problematic behaviors and thoughts that require treatment, person-centered therapy identifies that each person has the capacity and desire for personal growth and change. Rogers termed this natural human inclination “actualizing tendency,” or self-actualization. He likened it to the way that other living organisms strive toward balance, order, and greater complexity. According to Rogers, "Individuals have within themselves vast resources for self-understanding and for altering their self-concepts, basic attitudes, and self-directed behavior; these resources can be tapped if a definable climate of facilitative psychological attitudes can be provided."

Person-centered therapy was at the forefront of the humanistic psychology movement, and it has influenced many therapeutic techniques and the mental health field, in general. Rogerian techniques have also influenced numerous other disciplines, from medicine to education.

Six Factors Necessary for Growth in Rogerian Theory

Rogers identified six key factors that stimulate growth within an individual. He suggested that when these conditions are met, the person will gravitate toward a constructive fulfillment of potential. According to Rogerian theory, the six factors necessary for growth are:

A person-centered approach looks and feels more like a conversation between friends, even though it’s not, explains Bennett-Heinz. In reality, the therapist is utilizing the following three essential techniques:

Genuineness and Congruence

There should be congruence (agreement) between what the person-centered therapist is feeling and what they show their clients, says Bennett-Heinz. An example of a lack of congruence would be if a client experienced a win at work, and the therapist just sat there without expression. One of the goals of this type of therapy is for therapists to model congruence for clients, so clients learn to be congruent in what they show others when it comes to their emotions.

Genuineness is another important element of person-centered therapy, as genuineness and congruence increases trust and comfort in the relationship between client and therapist.

“If I were to feel bored in a session, I would never say, ‘Hey I’m bored,’” says Peter H. Addy, Ph.D., a psychotherapist in Portland, Oregon. “But I could say, ‘I’m having a hard time following what you’re saying. Do you have a hard time following your thoughts, too?’ Or ask if the person sometimes has difficulty feeling a connection with other people, when they [the therapist] appear to have trouble following what the client is saying.”

Giving another example, Dr. Addy says if a depressed client is having trouble sharing anything at all, he might say, “We’ve been sitting in silence for 10 minutes now. I’m not sure what to do with that; what do you think we should do?”

Unconditional Positive Regard

It’s important for person-centered therapists to not judge their clients and to be a consistent source of positive reinforcement. “We can separate a person’s choices and behavior from their worth as a person and not judge them for it,” says Bennett-Heinz. “It’s not my role to judge your choices or tell you [that] you did something wrong. I’m a partner in this journey of your life.”

Empathic Understanding

A third important factor is for people-centered therapists to express understanding about what the client is experiencing and feeling, which requires empathy. Therapists mirror clients’ emotions and express understanding about their thoughts and feelings, explains Bennett-Heinz.

These techniques, or elements, of person-centered therapy help clients grow in the relationship with themselves over time, allowing them to change their behavior via self-direction, she adds. Although clients in person-centered therapy lead, or direct, the sessions, a therapist might bring something up to the client now and then, particularly once the relationship has been established.

Clients in person-centered therapy have a responsibility to say, for example, that they don’t know where to start or what to talk about in their sessions. It’s then the therapist’s job to help them figure it out, according to Bennett-Heinz. For example, a therapist could say, “Let’s figure out some language to get you started,” or ask, “Would it help if I bring up a topic? Or simply ask ‘how are you?”

“It’s not like as a person-centered therapist, you can never stop and ask a question,” she says. “But you’re not directing what the topic will be. You’re not going to bring up the client’s mother, or won’t say something like, ‘This has everything to do with your childhood trauma.’”

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