Person-centred therapy (PCT) is a concept that places the individual being treated at the centre of decisions in health, social care and education. It emanates from the work of Carl Rogers who developed his theories in person-centred psychotherapy from the 1940s onward. His theories have shaped care in almost every part of the health, social care and educational systems with many abridged concepts stemming from his concepts. The purpose of person-centred therapy it to support each person to self-actualise connected as it is to other humanist theories of psychology. In PCT each person is seen as the expert of themselves leaving the role of an STH practitioner in this guise to enable the person to aspire to the change they would like to make to move from current self to ideal self (a journey Rogers saw as never-ending).
A person-centred practitioner tries to utilise 3 core components to support this:
Rogers also emphasised the importance of psychological contact, that is that the practitioner and client connect with a degree of rapport, where the client is able to share and be honest with the practitioner because of the trust developed and that PCT is aimed at those currently incongruent, i.e. their behaviours and principles do not align.
It aligns with STH in the way that practitioners although often working towards specific outcomes are working with a holistic medium and not usually working in clinical care but supporting recovery. Additionally, it supports the practitioner in supporting the client in the different relationships that occur in STH.
Original reference- Rogers, Carl R. (1951). Client-centered therapy, its current practice, implications, and theory.
Updated reference- Rogers, Carl R (2003) Client Centred Therapy: Its Current Practice, Implications and Theory ISBN: 9781841198408