Carl Rogers on Person-Centered Approach to Counselling

Carl Rogers on Person-Centered Approach to Counselling

His ideas originated in 1940. His work popularly called Rogerian, was personally disliked by the author. He would prefer Person-Centered Approachinstead. 

Roger’s posited that his experience in childhood came from a reaction to his upbringing of being unheard and being judged. He wanted to create an environment where the client felt heard, listened to and cared.

During his childhood, being exposed to his father’s farm, he began to appreciate the need for scientific enquiry and research. 

Paradoxically, his person-centered approach is the exact opposite to science. Initially, he began with Clinical Psychology. As he began to get into treatment interviews, he discovered a few new things: 

For one, he discovered that there were no ‘problem child, just problem parents’, there was a great problem with parents. He discovered working with the mother that she was ‘rejecting’ the child all the time. On deeper enquiry, the mother poured out a case history, quite different to what was shared earlier. He came to the insight that rather than show he had expertise, he should focus on deep listening and understanding the source of the pain. To continue to stay in the process with curiosity.

Soon, Carl Rogers began to articulate a few principles that were new and radical at that time.

Carl posits that the role of a counselor is to be a ‘midwife’ to the personality. He advocated the need for ‘unconditional positive regard’If one can be genuinely understanding, be oneself, listening deeply and well, that’s a deep commitment that the Coach brings to the conversation. if that situation can emerge, not forced, but deeply authentic. This is quite different than say, friendship, where the focus is on the friend. Counselling is a far more intense relationship than friendship: while friendship is valuable it is different to the sharp focus of psychotherapy.  

In group therapy, other members become facilitative as well. 

The process is somewhat the same: individuals revealing data about themselves. Instead of feeling ‘awful’ about revealing, it feels accepted. Groups tend to, given the time that they have, to bring ‘closure’. They try and commit to whatever they can do, in the time available. This social support is hugely helpful. It is to be remembered that age, backgrounds, gender make no difference to effectiveness of groups. Groups have a ‘wisdom’ that emerge naturally. Selection of group is overrated, says Roger.

A goal that most people seek to attain, the good life as described by Rogers is achieved by the person fulfilling certain principles. In his studies Rogers found that there are commonalities among those people who are fully functional. These are:
An acceptance of all experiences including those that are new.
An existential lifestyle, in which each moment is appreciated and lived to its fullest.
A trust level with one’s own decisions.
Increasing freedom of choice
Creativity and adaptability without necessarily conforming.
Reliability and constructiveness in their dealings with others.
A preference for living a rich, full life.


These traits are fluid in their expression with the person being capable of self-actualizing them.