Person-Centered Therapy

Person-centered therapy, also known as client-based therapy, utilizes a cooperative approach that assumes the client is the authority in his or her life. Person-centered therapy was developed by Carl Rogers in the 1940s, and diverged from the traditional model of therapy, which typically assumes the therapist is the expert.

The approach views each person as a unique individual. The idea is that each person has the capacity to arrive at the most optimal solutions for themselves. With person-centered therapy, the therapist takes on the role of a compassionate facilitator who acknowledges the client's experience while keeping the focus on what he or she believes to be important in their life.

A person-centered therapist strives to recognize and reinforce the potential in the client as one of the most effective ways to bring about the change the client longs for. A person-centered therapist refrains from directing the trajectory of the client's therapeutic process by trusting the client's understanding of what is important to him or her. In person-center therapy, the therapist primarily plays a supporting role of a guide and may provide structure in a manner that is conducive to the client's well-being.