Person-Centred counselling is a gentle, respectful approach to therapy that focuses on your feelings, your experiences, and what matters to you.

Also known as Client-Centred Therapy, Person-Centred counselling is a humanistic approach developed by Carl Rogers in the 1940s and 1950s. It is based on the belief that people have an innate capacity for personal growth and healing when given the right conditions. The crucial role of these core conditions in fostering a positive outcome in therapy has been scientifically tested and is now widely recognised as essential to the therapeutic process in most types of therapy.

 

A Person-Centred counsellor will endeavour to offer the following core conditions:

• Empathy – They will do their best to truly understand how things feel from your perspective.

• Unconditional acceptance – They will meet you without judgment, just as you are.

• Authenticity – They will be real and open with you, not hiding behind a professional mask.

 

In Person-Centred counselling — as in many other approaches — the therapeutic relationship is widely recognised and supported by research as being the main factor for change to take place.

 

The idea is that when a person feels truly heard and accepted, they can better access their own self-understanding, make decisions, or shift how they perceive aspects of their life — allowing movement toward greater psychological well-being.

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Person-Centred counselling may be helpful for:

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Low self-esteem

• Identity issues

• Grief and loss

• Relationship difficulties

• Trauma

 

What to expect in a session

• The therapist does not give advice or direction, but instead offers a supportive environment.

• The client leads the session, exploring whatever feels important to them.

• The counsellor’s role is to reflect, clarify, facilitate the exploration— helping the client connect more deeply with their own thoughts and feelings.

 

Key beliefs

• People are inherently good and capable of change.

• The therapeutic relationship itself is the main healing agent.

• Growth comes from within the client, not from the therapist’s input.