People can Change

Carl Roger believed that, “the therapist must be willing to be real in the relationship with clients. By being congruent, accepting, and empathic, the therapist is a catalyst for change” (Corey, p. 171). The text points out that the therapist does not take on the normal role of a therapist, because they do not ask normal “Intake” questions or probe into the client’s life. The therapist is there for the client at that given moment, and their role is to be “without roles.”

            Roger’s believed that people, clients, have their own empowerment and that they can change without intervention. They can do this with the help of the therapist; the therapist is a spring board that they bounce ideas off of. The therapist will then pay attention to the client’s frame of mind and references. The client will more than likely show “themes” and these “themes” can be discussed in sessions. Rogers’s theory “rest on the assumption that clients can understand the factors in their lives that are causing them to be unhappy” (p.187). This approach allows the client to take responsibility for the changes that they make or the lack of changes that they make based on what they do: their actions.

Corey, G. Theories and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. (8th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole