What is person-centred therapy?
Authentic, compassionate, and empathetic.
Person-centred therapy (also referred to as person-centred counselling) is an approach to therapy that is based on the observation that human beings are inherently (psychologically and biologically) social beings, and so we are often more able to be and know ourselves within a supportive relationship. The person-centred therapist’s primary role is therefore to offer a safe, genuine and caring relationship in which a person can relax, be themselves – even when that means being in pain or distress – and start to examine their own internal and external world.
What should I expect from a person-centred therapist?
A person-centred therapist will aim to be fully present with you in each moment, working to understand your experience as deeply as possible. Your therapist will aim to be genuine, warm and empatheticin their acceptance of you and your experiences. They will not push you into talking about painful feelings or experiences if you do not feel ready to do so, and nor will they hold you back from doing when you want or need to. They will aim to be there for you unconditionally.
Whilst the therapists on this site have all received significant training in, and demonstrated competent understanding of, psychological theory, they will not be attempting to analyse, diagnose, or fix you based on a specific model or conception of mental health. This is because we find that such an approach is reductive – psychological models are always simplifications and so can only ever capture part of what is happening within a human experience.
As such, their application can be counter-productive as often as it is helpful. We also observe that most people don’t need to be told what they are experiencing as they already know, better than anyone else, what is happening for them. They are thus best placed to explore their experience and choose their own ways of moving forward.
Of course, if a person wants to explore a certain psychological theory or concept that feels relevant to themselves with their therapist, bringing this into your sessions is totally welcome and fruitful. (Your person-centred therapist will be guided by you in initiating this).
Some people, understandably, begin therapy hoping for their therapist to provide answers to their problems. We do not offer this and are sceptical of those who suggest they can, but if you do want your person-centred therapist to give you an opinion on something specific that you are experiencing you are completely welcome to ask. They might tentatively give you an opinion, or explain to you honestly why they cannot.
How does it help?
Every person and every therapeutic relationship is unique, so it is not possible to say exactly how therapy will help every person.
However, typically, the relationship provided by a person-centred therapist is one in which a person feels they can be as honest as possible about their thoughts, feelings and experiences, both with the therapist and themselves. The therapists compassionate and empathetic presence can also support people to go deeper into difficult aspects of their experience than they could on their own. Under such conditions people often identify thoughts or beliefs that they did not realise were holding them back, and grow to accept and appreciate themselves as they already are. It is also not uncommon for people to reassess their life situation and to make significant changes that they had not previously imagined making, but which reduce stress and bring joy.
In all, it is typical for pain, distress, anxiety and depression to, over time, reduce, and for feelings of empowerment and joy to become more prevalent, as a result of high quality person-centred therapy.
Ethical and anti-discriminatory practice
All the therapists on this site are members of professional bodies (such as UKCP, BACP or NCS) and so are committed to working within a code of ethics. Clients are entitled to complain to the professional body if they are treated unethically by a therapist.
An important part of a therapist working ethically is to treat everyone equitably and with respect and to commit to being actively anti-discriminatory in their work. Therapists are committed to continually educating themselves about groups with different experiences to their own, whilst at the same time holding in mind that each person is also an individual and their experience cannot be reduced to an average of that of the groups with which they may be identified.
The therapists on this site also work to understand and come to terms with their own privileges and oppressions, based on their own identities, in an effort to cultivate the ability to work in a more informed and sensitive way with all clients.
If you do experience any treatment that you feel is discriminatory, please contact the professional body that the therapist belongs to (although we very much hope this will not be necessary).
How does person-centred therapy compare to other approaches to therapy?
Most other approaches to therapy work, to a greater or lesser extent, on the assumption that the therapist will use their knowledge and technical expertise to guide a person to what the therapist conceives to be the solution to their problems. At some level there is usually a sense that the client ought to be, in some way, different from how they are, and the therapist will help them to get there. In contrast, person-centred therapists aspire to accept each person exactly as they are from the outset, which most people tend to find supports them to venture into their own process and resolve what they need to for themselves, in their own way.
Whilst some commentators question the value of an approach that divests the therapist of their expert position, our experience tells us that this is usually the most helpful thing we can offer our clients. (It is actually very challenging to do this deeply and consistently – hence the need for significant training).
This is not to say that other approaches to therapy cannot be helpful, but perhaps rather to say that person-centred therapy runs a little deeper than most other approaches.
How many sessions do I need?
This is totally down to you. Some people start person-centred therapy and find it so helpful they continue for many months or years. Others just want help getting through a particularly stressful, worrying, sad or challenging period and may only have a few sessions.
Whilst the longer a person stays in therapy the more change they are likely to experience, it is possible for some people to find relief from acute distress within a short course of therapy of between one and six sessions. Some people have a therapist who they will return to from time to time over a number of years, rather than having continual therapy.
Of course time and money are also important factors in how many sessions people choose to have. Some of the therapists on this site may offer reduced rates under certain circumstances so it may be worth asking if money feels like a barrier to accessing therapy.
Why are you offering online rather than in-person therapy?
We are a group of therapists spread out across UK and so collectively we advertise an online service. However, some of the therapists on this site do also offer in-person therapy – some therapists say where they practice on their profile – so you might be able to find someone near you if you would like to work in-person.
Where can I find out more about person-centred therapy?
The following links might useful if you are hoping to find out more about person-centred therapy: