Person-Centred counselling was developed by Carl Rogers who worked in the field of psychology and was interested in finding ways to support people and help them get through their difficulties.  He believed that one important factor in this was the relationship between the patient and the therapist (the therapeutic relationship).  He believed the relationship needed to be balanced in power.  He believed that the answers lie within the clients themselves.  This approach helps clients help themselves and find a strength within that for many reasons they were unaware of. 

 

Carl Rogers believed that humans have one basic motive: the need to self-actualise  i.e. to fulfill one's potential and achieve the highest level of 'human-beingness' that we can.  Like a flower that will only open if the conditions are right, but which can be constrained by its environment: people likewise will flourish and reach their potential if their environment is supportive.  Carl Rogers called his therapeutic approach client-centred or person-centred therapy because of the focus on the person’s subjective view of the world. 

​

The therapist and the client are equal partners in Person-Centred counselling.  Unlike other therapies, the client is responsible for improving his or her life, not the therapist.  This is a deliberate change from both psychoanalysis and behavioural therapies where the patient is diagnosed and treated by a doctor. 

​

Instead, the client consciously and rationally decides for themselves what is wrong and what should be done about it.  The therapist listens and encourages on an equal level, challenging when necessary but always providing unconditional, positive regard.