Person Centred Approach

What is the Person Centred Approach?

The Person Centred Approach was developed by psychologist Carl Rogers in the 1950s. At its heart is a profound respect for the individual — a belief that each person, given the right conditions, has within them the capacity for self-understanding, growth and healing.

Rather than the therapist being an expert who diagnoses and prescribes, this approach places you at the centre of the work. Rogers identified three core conditions he believed were necessary and sufficient for therapeutic change to occur:

Unconditional positive regard — genuine, non-judgmental acceptance of you as a person, regardless of what you share or how you feel about yourself.
Empathy — a deep, active effort to understand your experience from the inside — not analysing it from a distance, but entering into it with you.
Congruence — the therapist being genuine and authentic rather than hiding behind a professional role or presenting a false front.

Rogers believed that when these conditions are genuinely present, people naturally begin to move towards greater self-acceptance, openness and wellbeing.

How I use this in my practice

The Person Centred Approach forms the foundation of the therapeutic relationship I aim to offer — regardless of what other frameworks or techniques we draw on. Whatever else we are doing in our work together, I always come back to these core conditions as the basis from which everything else grows.

In practical terms, this means:

You set the direction of our work — there is no agenda I am trying to move you towards
Your feelings and experiences are always valid, however confusing, contradictory or difficult to put into words they may seem
I will not tell you what to do, how to feel or what conclusions to draw about your life
I aim to be genuine with you — present, honest and human rather than detached or clinical
You are the expert on your own experience; my role is to help you access and trust that expertise more fully

Many people come to therapy having spent years feeling misunderstood, judged or unheard — whether by others or by themselves. The Person Centred Approach offers something different: the experience of being genuinely met, accepted and taken seriously, which in itself can be profoundly healing.

What is the Person Centred Approach?

How I use this in my practice

Looking for a space where you can just be yourself?