My approach
The person-centered approach
Person-Centered Approach (PCA) was conceived and developed by Carl Rogers around the 1950s. It is the culmination of numerous research projects conducted by his teams. It is aligned within the humanistic tradition , distinct from the analytical or cognitive-behavioral approach.
Carl Rogers considers his approach as a philosophy. Each person develops in a constant process of seeking to adjust to their own truth; they have within themselves the resources that allow them to transform themselves, and they have reasons for doing what they do, and these reasons deserve our trust .
The job of the PCA therapist is to create an atmosphere of trust so that a therapeutic relationship can take place.
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The therapist is non-judgmental :
Accepting the other person as they are, as they feel; it means accepting their strengths, weaknesses, doubts, and contradictions . It means accepting the person in their entirety. Carl Rogers speaks of unconditional positive regard. He emphasizes the importance for the client of feeling accepted as they are: "One of the elements of therapy (…) is, for the client , learning a full and complete, free and fearless acceptance of another person's positive feelings. (…) It is such a profound experience that we have been led to wonder whether this might not be a very important direction in the therapeutic process, perhaps occurring to some degree below the level of verbalization, but in all successful cases." (Carl Rogers and G. Marian Kinget - Psychotherapy and Human Relations - Volume 2: Practice - University Publications of Louvain - 1966).
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The therapist is authentic :
This means that the therapist becomes aware of their own bodily and inner experience while simultaneously being attentive to what the person in front of them brings to the table. This congruence can invite the client to develop this capacity for self-awareness and immediate feeling. What is happening for me when I speak to this person? The attempt to connect with an inner truth, with all the difficulties that may arise, will lead to a better internal and relational understanding . By having a more personal self-representation, the person can reclaim their personal power.
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The therapist is empathetic :
Human beings are fundamentally subjective; they live within their own subjectivity. Therapy is therefore an encounter between two subjectivities. The Person-Centered Therapy (PCT) therapist will not steer their client; they never know what is best for the other person. They will delicately enter the other's world , seeing as the client sees, feeling as if they were the other. The "as if" is very dear to Carl Rogers. This movement of empathic understanding allows us to better grasp the other's world without forgetting that we are other. The person can then feel understood, while also experiencing their own uniqueness.
The state of presence with which I work with my clients allows me to be with them, rather than doing something with them. I am in a state of openness and receptivity to their experience. I allow myself to be touched and moved by their life story, while remaining grounded in myself and attentive to their needs and experiences. My sense of humanity is then profound, and it is in this encounter with the other that I can experience what Carl Rogers so aptly put it: "What is most personal is most universal."
Why the term "client" (not patient) ?
The definition of the word "patient" states: "A person undergoing a medical examination." The notion of submission is antithetical to the person-centered approach. The work of humanistic therapists is based on absolute trust in the human being and their positive transformation, in their capacity to find strength, to become aware of their protective mechanisms, and to give form to their vital impulse through which they can fulfill themselves. Therapy is an encounter between two human beings united by a common goal : to explore their true self in order to make more fulfilling decisions.
Information about the sessions
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