At KJS I provide an approachable attitude in a positive and comfortable environment to help my clients develop genuinely beneficial and life-changing results.
“He who knows others is wise: he who knows himself is enlightened.”
Lao Tzu
Before the introduction of the person centred approach to support, most therapy consisted of looking at behaviour or how past experiences shape our personality, and most ‘clients’ were called ‘patients’, often provided with a probing assessment and a clinical solution.
Person centred therapy follows a more humanistic approach as pioneered by Carl Rogers in the mid 20th century. This approach identifies that the client, with the right support, is often best placed to identify where their problems lie and in which direction they need to go in order to progress.
“People only seriously consider change when they feel accepted for exactly who they are”
Carl Rogers
This approach is less about the therapist demonstrating their knowledge moving away from traditional clinical relationships, favouring a more equal approach which enables people to realise their full potential and bring about positive, lasting change in their lives instead of trying to ‘cure’ them.
For the person centred therapy to be effective it is vital that support is provided in a non-judgemental way and that the therapist accepts the client for who they are; emphasis is on enabling the client to develop their own understanding of themselves and establish goals that they realise are valuable, not labelling the client according to the opinion of the therapist and administering a list of things they must achieve.
There are three key elements that are required for a therapist to be effective:
- Unconditional Positive Regard – The therapist must support the client by accepting them as they are and no matter what they are going through.
- Genuineness – The therapist feels equal to the client, not above them. They must be willing to share their own feelings and remind clients that everyone can feel vulnerable.
- Empathetic Understanding – Therapists must have empathy and use this trait to help the client reflect on their own thoughts and feelings to better understand them.
KJS Counselling 