The Core Conditions for Change

We all understand that we go into a therapeutic setting in order to achieve change, and many of us know that it does not always happen, so just what are the core conditions for change? Carl Rogers provides us with some of the answers.

Carl Rogers was one of the pioneers of person-centred or humanistic therapy in the 1940s. He was instrumental in laying the foundations and theory for the practice of counselling by non-medical practitioners. His approach recognised an inbuilt tendency of humans toward 'self-actualisation', a positive view of human psychology that accepts our innate desire to grow and engage in a meaningful self-exploration of feelings, beliefs and behaviour and to facilitate the client in a growth process, empowering them to face current and future challenges. [1]

"It is that the individual has within himself or herself vast resources for self-understanding, for altering his or her self-concept, attitudes and self-directed behaviour - and that these resources can be tapped if only a definable climate of facilitative psychological attitudes can be provided"

Carl Rogers [2]

Rogers believed that to create the conditions for change for the client; the counsellor should be warm, genuine and understanding. Above any techniques, the humanist approach to counselling prizes the relationship between the client and the therapist. It is considered an equal partnership, in which the therapist is aiding the client to find their solutions and is, therefore, empowering for the client. [3]

Given the importance of this relationship, Rogers identified three core conditions that would enable this relationship to work in a therapeutic setting:

1. CONGRUENCE or Genuineness

Congruence is the primary attribute of the effective therapist. The congruence refers to the balance between their inner experience and outward expression. By being congruent, these two states match and therefore the therapist is authentic: There is no façade for the presented to the client. This allows the building of trust in the relationship, while also serving as a model for the client. The counsellor is setting an example of being themselves, expressing their thoughts and feelings honestly and without wearing masks.

2. UNCONDITIONAL POSITIVE REGARD - Acceptance

For the client to grow and realise their potential, Rogers believed that it is vital that they are valued as themselves. This entails an acceptance of the client by the therapist, without judgement. Even more than that it requires that the therapist genuinely cares about the client, and even when they might disapprove of an action of a client, they still maintain a positive attitude to the client.

3. EMPATHY

The ability of the therapist to accurately understand the feelings and experiences of the client in a sensitive way. Rogers believed that we have a tendency to resist change, but through working to understand life through another person's perspective, we invite change in ourselves. Rogers described it,

"to sense the client's private world as if it were your own, but without ever losing the "as if" quality - this is empathy, and this seems essential to therapy." [4]

Rogers goes on to add list the benefits of applying empathy as observed through the research of Fiedler [5]:

• The therapist is well able to understand the patient's feelings.
• The therapist is never in any doubt about what the patient means.
• The therapist's remarks fit in just right with the patient's mood and content.
• The therapist's tone of voice conveys the complete ability to share the patient's feelings.

If the therapist can genuinely step outside of their own limiting beliefs and prejudices, and see life through client's eyes, 'walk in their shoes', then they allow the possibility that both client and therapist can 'truly blossom and grow in that climate'.

Professor Jeanne Watson of The University of Toronto noted that with 60 years of research, empathy has consistently been proven to be the most potent factor in client progress in therapy;

"Therapists need to be able to be responsively attuned to their clients and to understand them emotionally as well as cognitively. When empathy is operating on all three levels - interpersonal, cognitive, and affective - it is one of the most powerful tools therapists have at their disposal."[6]

References:

1. Pierce, Molly (20 Feb 2016). 3 Core Conditions for Therapeutic Change. Retrieved from: http://trueselfcounseling.com
2. Rogers, C. (1986). Carl Rogers on the Development of the Person-Centered Approach. Person-centred Review, 1(3), 257-259.
3. McLeod, Saul (2008 rev 2015). Person Centred Therapy. Retrieved from: www.simplypsychology.org
4. Rogers, C. (1957). The Necessary and Sufficient Conditions of Therapeutic Personality Change. Journal of Consulting Psychology, Vol. 21
5. Fiedler, F. E. (1950) A comparison of therapeutic relationships in psychoanalytic, non-directive and Adlerian therapy. J. consult. Psychol. 14, 436-445.
6. Watson, J. C. (2002). Re-visioning empathy. In D. J. Cain (Ed.), Humanistic psychotherapies: Handbook of research and practice (pp. 445-471). American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.