Directive versus Non-Directive Helping Styles Source: Clipart Library Based on observational work, the Social Scientist John Heron came up with six styles of helping that enable us to determine the most appropriate type of help required at a given time. He… Read More ›
Family Treatment for Eating Disorders The causes of eating disorders are both complex and difficult to determine. There are recognised hereditary factors and dynamics within families that contribute to the onset of an eating disorder such as Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia… Read More ›
Counselling as a Process Counselling has been described as a journey whereby the client and counsellor undergo a joint process of exploration and reflection (Thorne, 2007). The idea of a process, however, requires at least some notion of beginning and… Read More ›
Configurations of Self in Person-Centred Counselling The concept of ‘Configurations of Self’ in person-centred counselling was developed by David Mearns and Brian Thorne. It describes the philosophy that we develop various alternative personalities or configurations of self that come to… Read More ›
Touchstones in Counselling People visit counsellors to feel better about themselves and their lives. Carl Rogers, one of the most influential psychologists, once said “In my early professional years I was asking the question: How can I treat, or cure,… Read More ›
Negotiating the Therapeutic Contract in Person-Centred Counselling “No man has any natural authority over his fellow men.” – Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The social contract We live in times where the traditional ethic norms are shifting from desirable actions of… Read More ›
Ending Counselling Sessions Smoothly There is no particular hard-and-fast rule for ending a counselling session, but terminating a session does require skill, experience, and practice. It may be even more challenging when using a non-directive approach such as person-centered theory…. Read More ›
Counsellor Self-Disclosure As my reflections on training as a counsellor come to an end for Year 1, I would like to take this opportunity to tackle what may be one of the biggest controversies in the field of counselling: a… Read More ›
Carl Rogers’ Organismic Valuing Process Sometimes, we set goals on the basis of the expectations of friends, family or society. Achieving such goals fails to give us satisfaction. Carl Rogers, one of the founders of the humanistic approach to… Read More ›
Relational Depth in Counselling “People are essentially trustworthy, can self-direct their growth, have the ability to understand the issues that plague their lives and find the appropriate solutions.” Carl Rogers, a prominent psychologist in his day, was the… Read More ›
Splitting: The Basics A lot of confusion is generated by the incorrect use of the term ‘splitting.’ It can be difficult to recognise and even more difficult to work with. So, what is it, how do you recognise it, and… Read More ›
The Shadow Self Carl Jung’s contributions to psychology remain relevant to this day and one of the phenomena he described is the ‘Shadow Self.’ In 1963, Jung wrote, “The shadow is that hidden, repressed, for the most part inferior… Read More ›
Counselling: Working with a Third Party Counselling is perceived as an intimate encounter between counsellor and client. Person-centred counselling, in particular, is based on a facilitating environment created by the counsellor, in which there is empathy, unconditional positive regard towards… Read More ›
