Person Centered Approach In Counseling

Person-Centered Approach to Addiction and Recovery Person-centered therapy is an egalitarian relationship. The client and counselor are equals. However, the therapeutic process is largely client led. The person-centered counselor believes that clients are the best authority on their lives and have all the resources they need within them to improve their life situation. The counselor acts as a sounding board, refrains from judgment, and trusts that the client knows what is best for them. The client needs only support, not direction. This non-directive approach enables the client to find solutions to their own problems.
Person-centered therapy promotes the idea that there are core conditions in therapy that are necessary for rapport building and more importantly client change. First, the therapist should display empathy. In trying to understand what a client is feeling and where they are coming from, the client feels understood and cared about. Second, the counselor should have unconditional positive regard for their client. Accepting a client and their situation enables the client to view themselves more positively. Finally, the counselor should show congruence. Being genuine and real in the relationship allows the client to start building a trusting relationship with the counselor. The goal is to create a safe space for the client to be able to able to examine their wants, needs, and move towards healing and growth. Within the context of addiction, a person-centered approach would look at each client ideographically. …show more content…
By focusing on human individuality, the counselor can address the complex multifaceted etiology of the addiction. The interaction of genes, developmental history, and multicultural influences an individual’s likelihood to engage in high risk behavior, thrill seek, and the process of acquiring and living with an addiction. Looking at the individual’s unique collection of biopsychosocial factors that influence the etiology, expression, prevention, and treatment helps the counselor to more holistically assess for and address addiction. It is important to note that person-centered therapy often avoids labeling and diagnosing. Also, a person-centered counselor would follow the pace set by the client. The therapeutic process is usually long-term and comprehensive. The counselor would emphasize the client’s strengths, avoid power differentials, negotiate treatment goals, and emphasize the client’s personal responsibility for change. The counselor is able to relay back to the client what values they have expressed so that the client can identify changes they would like to make. This allows the client to engage in a journey of self-actualization and self-discovery. As the motivation for change originates from the client is more likely to produce change. Enhancement of self-esteem through expression of the core conditions, especially unconditional positive regard, improves a client’s self-reliance. Existential Approach to Addiction and Recovery Existential counseling is …show more content…
It espouses that the essence of being human is the process of searching for meaning and purpose. The challenge of creating meaning and continuing to build your identity is the personal responsibility of every individual. Existential Therapy focuses on contextually exploring challenges and paradoxes of human experiences. Humans continually change and transform. The approach emphasizes freedom to choose what we make of our circumstances. The intention is to live authentically and deliberately, in harmony with their ideals, priorities, and values. This responsibility comes with angst and struggle. However, without purpose and meaning an individual lives in an existential vacuum, the malaise of