Person centered therapy diverges from the traditional model of the therapist as expert and moves instead toward a nondirective, empathic approach that empowers and motivates the client in the therapeutic process. The therapy is based on the belief that every human being strives for and has the capacity to fulfil his or her own potential.
Who Might Benefit?
Imagine a young woman who views herself as uninteresting and a poor conversationalist even though other people find her fascinating and quite engaging. Because her self-perceptions are not congruent with reality, she may experience poor self-esteem.
Through the process of Person Centered Therapy, we can learn to adjust our self-concept in order to achieve congruence. The techniques used in the Person Centered Therapy are all focused on helping us reach a more realistic view of ourselves and the world.
Person Centered Therapy May Help Those Who Are Experiencing:
- Anxiety and Psychosis
- Dementia
- Depression
- Mood disorders
- Negative thoughts related to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
How does it Work?
Mental health professionals who utilize this approach strive to create the conditions needed for us to change. This involves a therapeutic environment that is conformable, non-judgmental, and empathetic. They use three techniques to achieve this:
✽ Genuineness and Congruence
Person Centered Therapy display genuineness and congruence with us, their clients. This means we always act in accordance with our own thoughts and feelings, allowing ourselves to share openly and honestly. This requires self-awareness and a realistic understanding of how internal experiences, like thoughts and feelings, interact with external experiences. By modelling genuineness and congruence, our therapist can help teach us these important skills. Displaying genuineness and congruence also helps create a secure, trusting relationship between us and our therapist. This trust contributes to a feeling of safety, which may help us engage with therapy more comfortably.
✽ Unconditional Positive Regard
Our therapist will show unconditional positive regard by always accepting us for who we are and displaying support and care no matter what we are facing or experiencing. They may express positive feelings to us or offer reassurance, or they may practice active listening, responsive eye contact, and positive body language to let us know that they are engaged in the session.
By creating a climate of unconditional positive regard, our therapist may help us feel able to express our true emotions without fear of rejection. This is often an affirming experience, and it may set the stage for us to make positive changes.
✽ Empathetic Understanding
Our therapist will also practice empathy during sessions, acting as a mirror of our feelings and thoughts. They will seek to understand us and maintain an awareness and sensitivity to our experience and our point of view.
The goal is to help us build rapport with our therapist and ensure that we feel fully understood. This may provide us with the environment we need to reflect on our own inner thoughts, perceptions, and emotions, which may offer unique insights we did not have access to previously.
By using these three techniques, therapists can help us grow psychologically, become more self-aware, and change our behaviour via self-direction. In this type of environment, we feel safe and free from judgment.
The Person Centered Therapy View of Self and Change
Person Centered Therapy proposes that people naturally move toward growth when provided with the right relational climate. Many difficulties arise when there is a gap between how we see ourselves and how we experience life—what Carl Rogers called incongruence. We adopt “conditions of worth” (for example, “I’m lovable only when I succeed” or “My feelings are acceptable only when they’re pleasant”), and then edit or suppress parts of ourselves to maintain approval. Therapy invites us to notice these conditions gently, loosen their grip, and reclaim disowned experiences.
As congruence increases, our inner and outer lives align. We become more flexible, less defensive, and more able to respond to the moment rather than to rigid rules. Instead of chasing a perfect self, we cultivate a real one—one that includes nuance, vulnerability, strength, and choice.
What to Expect in a Session
Sessions are collaborative conversations rather than directives or assignments. Your therapist’s stance is curious and respectful. You set the pace and the focus; the therapist tracks feelings, meanings, and bodily cues, reflecting them back with precision and care. You might hear responses like, “It sounds like a mix of pride and fear right there,” or “As you talk about your dad, your shoulders tighten—does that fit your sense of this?”
Over time, you may notice a growing capacity to name subtle emotions, tolerate complexity, and choose actions that fit your values. Where you once felt stuck—people-pleasing, perfectionism, numbing—you may find yourself experimenting with honest conversation, compassionate limits, or restorative rest without the old backlash of shame.
Person Centered Therapy Across Concerns
Depression and low mood. Gentle, accurate empathy helps de-shame sadness and reveals needs hiding beneath withdrawal—rest, connection, meaning. As self-criticism softens, energy often returns for small, nourishing steps.
Anxiety. Naming feared outcomes in a safe, non-judgmental relationship reduces urgency. Clients learn to make room for uncertainty while staying in touch with values like courage, kindness, or creativity.
Trauma-related reactions. Pace and choice are central. The therapist follows your lead, reinforcing agency and safety while honouring what feels too much. Grounded presence can make formerly overwhelming feelings tolerable in bite-sized pieces.
Psychosis and serious mental health challenges. A Person Centered Therapy stance supports dignity, autonomy, and partnership with medical care. Rather than arguing with experiences, the therapist validates the person behind them and collaborates on practical supports and goals.
Dementia and cognitive decline. Emphasis shifts to moment-to-moment connection, identity, and comfort. Unconditional positive regard helps preserve personhood beyond memory or language.
How It Differs from Directive Therapies
In skills-based approaches (for example, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)), the therapist teaches techniques to modify thinking and behaviour. Person centered therapy instead trusts that when we feel deeply understood and accepted, we tend to choose healthier behaviours on our own. Many clients combine approaches—using skills to stabilise acute symptoms while person centered therapy sessions deepen authenticity, self-compassion, and sustainable change.
Micro-Skills You’ll Experience
- Reflecting feelings and meanings to help you hear yourself more clearly.
- Summarising to organise complex experiences and highlight choice points.
- Checking accuracy (“Did I get that right?”) to ensure the therapy stays aligned with your inner sense.
- Silence and pacing so insights can unfold without pressure.
Building Self-Compassion and Agency
When acceptance replaces self-judgment, we are freer to experiment. You may practise saying a kinder inner line when mistakes happen, or try asking for support directly. You might explore how “No” can be a caring answer. Rather than forcing change, you cultivate conditions where different choices feel natural.
Working with Identity, Culture, and Values
Because person centered therapy prioritises your lived experience, it adapts to cultural and personal contexts. Conversations may include how identity (gender, race, sexuality, language, faith) shapes safety and belonging. The therapist follows your definitions, honours your communities, and helps align change with your values—not someone else’s template.
For Teens, Adults, and Couples
With teens, authenticity and respect are essential; the therapist offers a judgment-free space where feelings can be named and choices considered. Adults often use the space to untangle perfectionism, burnout, or relationship patterns. In couples work, a person centered therapy stance supports honest disclosure and receptive listening; partners practise empathy and unconditional regard for each other’s inner worlds while negotiating shared boundaries and goals.
Between-Session Ideas (Optional)
Person centered therapy does not rely on homework, but some clients enjoy gentle practices:
- A daily “check-in” where you name three sensations, two feelings, and one need.
- A self-compassion pause when you notice harsh inner talk.
- An honest conversation you’ve been postponing—planned with care for timing and tone.
Myths and Realities
Myth: “It’s just being nice.” Reality: The core conditions are precise, disciplined skills that create measurable change in defensiveness, emotional tolerance, and flexibility.
Myth: “No goals.” Reality: Goals exist, but they are co-created and values-led: feeling more yourself at work, repairing a friendship, sleeping without dread, speaking up kindly.
Myth: “Too slow.” Reality: Many clients experience quick relief as shame lifts and permission to be honest increases. Depth unfolds at your tempo.
Measuring Progress
Signs of progress include easier access to words for feelings, a kinder inner voice, reduced people-pleasing, and decisions that reflect values rather than fear. You may notice quicker recovery after stress, increased spontaneity, and relationships that feel more mutual. These are markers of growing congruence.
Safety, Boundaries, and Collaboration
The person centered therapy frame—time, confidentiality, roles—protects safety. You choose what to share and when; you can slow or redirect anytime. If additional supports are needed (medical care, crisis services, skills training), your therapist will collaborate to match care to your needs while maintaining a person centered stance.
Getting Started with Us
At Psychology Blossom, we bring a warm, respectful presence to every session. We believe you are the expert on your life, and our role is to offer a relationship where your experience is heard with accuracy and compassion. From that ground, authentic change becomes possible—one honest moment at a time.
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