Client Centered Therapy

Carl Rogers, the founder of client-centered therapy, referred to it as “revolutionary.” Rather than focusing on diagnoses, strategies, and techniques, Rogers emphasized the importance of the therapeutic relationship itself. He advised therapists to focus on three main qualities in order to best acknowledge clients as the experts of themselves and to tap into their inherent drive towards personal growth. These important qualities are unconditional positive regard (never judging the client); genuineness (openness and vulnerability); and empathetic understanding (acting as a mirror for the client so they can see themselves more deeply). He made listening and relating the core of therapy rather than techniques, trusting clients to find their own best answers in the safe environment created by the therapeutic relationship. Rogers believed in the autonomy of every individual as a unique being, and his therapeutic philosophy involved being with clients as they take the lead in their own healing. The therapist becomes a fellow human being and guide rather than an “expert.”

This focus of therapy can be taken as an approach to treatment in itself, often referred to as supportive therapy. It can also be used to inform any therapeutic approach and keep it focused on the most important thing: the non-judgmental connection between client and therapist, the space in which magic of real healing takes place.