Counselors face increased responsibility for the client’s decisions, views, and actions, as they significantly influence the client due to their vulnerability. To properly conduct therapeutic sessions, psychologists must use specific techniques that provide for a successful session. Facilitative conditions are viewed as critical to initiate change within the client (Walsh, 2013). In the therapy session with Gloria, Carl Rogers demonstrates excellent use of the Humanistic style of counseling, vividly using the facilitative conditions to uncover personal issues of the client. The further essay will identify and assess the use of conducive conditions in Rogers’ session.
Carl Rogers – a founder of Person-Centered Therapy, looked beyond the conventional psychoanalytic approach, seeking to establish a human connection between the therapist and a client. Based on his path, Rogers proves the feasibility of establishing a positive relationship in facilitating a better climate to resolve personal issues of an individual. In his theory of a unique approach, psychologists identify conditions that enable practical sessions, including empathy, positive regard, congruence, and genuineness (Walsh, 2013). In the video of a brief therapy session with Gloria, such intervention allowed to unveil the deepest fears and desires through an empathetic attitude of a therapist.
In the therapy’s objectives, Rogers identified a goal to intricately connect with the client to adequately heal her. In the session’s objectives, the therapist outlines that with specific interventions, he is expecting the client to explore her feelings and attitudes more deeply, which is only possible through her vulnerability (esherborne3, 2008a). Gloria, who was dealing with personal acceptance problems, managed to deeply explore her desires through the feeling of being heard because Rogers showed understanding and empathy, which facilitated comfortable sharing.
The acceptance of Gloria’s feelings and choices as a part of favorable regard conditions allowed the client to fully open up about the grievances she is expecting. One instance of such behavior was expressed when a client was talking about hardships of self-expression, to which a therapist kindly answered: “If you cannot accept it within yourself, how can you be comfortable with telling her the real sides of you” (esherborne3, 2008e, 5:02). Such a nonjudgmental attitude reflected the client’s inherent dignity, which was released by reassuring her positive traits.
Rogers is great at using verbal techniques to deeper explore the client’s feelings, which is one of the critical factors in the Humanistic style of counseling. The culmination of therapy with Gloria was the discovering of her attitude to the father, where the psychologist successfully identified and reassured the problem. He says, “she looks like a pretty nice daughter,” resulting in a long silence where Gloria’s eyes face down, perhaps in emotional contemplation (esherborne3, 2008b, 8:10). Such approached was a part of a congruence condition, where verbal and nonverbal communication aligned, conveying sincerity, manifesting deeper emotional trouble, an issue which may not have presented without Roger’s statement.
Genuineness is another factor of facilitating conditions that depend on the therapist’s sincerity to help the client and willingness to engage in appropriate self-disclosure. When talking about a fear of acceptance and taking responsibility, Rogers participates in an active conversation with a client, thriving to explore the root of her problems. In one of the moments, he advises: “taking responsibility for being who you want to be is a frightening responsibility” (esherborne3, 2008d, 8:21). He gives the tools and space to find Gloria’s own answers through his great active listening skills.
Roger’s Humanistic approach to counseling allows for a highly effective therapy, which explores and opens deep fears and emotional experiences. As Gloria’s session demonstrated – fully listening to the client and letting a patient see their problem from a distance offers a much clearer perspective than when having to deal with their abstract thoughts (esherborne3, 2008b). The usage of Roger’s conditions in therapy will undoubtedly create a deep connection with a person empower the client through guiding them to find the answers. Therefore, by using the core facilitating conditions, the client would feel safe enough to access their own potential.
References
esherborne3. (2008a). Carl Rogers & Gloria counselling – Part 1. Web.
esherborne3. (2008b). Carl Rogers & Gloria counselling – PT 4. Web.
esherborne3. (2008c). Carl Rogers & Gloria counselling – PT 5. Web.
esherborne3. (2008d). Carl Rogers & Gloria counselling – PT 3. Web.
esherborne3. (2008e). Carl Rogers & Gloria counselling PT 2. Web.
Walsh, J. (2013). Chapter 5. The relational theories, with a focus on object relations. In Theories for direct social work practice (10th ed.). Australia: Wadsworth Cengage Leaning.