Humanism Accepting or “prizing” the client “no matter what” and without
Carl Rogers was a leading figure judgment
Abraham Maslow was another Genuineness
Humanism was a reaction against Freud’s approach Honesty toward client, rather than playing a role
Assumed that human nature wasn’t so bad (e.g., id-driven)
Overlapping terms for humanism include “nondirective,” “client- Necessary and Sufficient?
centered,” and “person-centered” Rogers boldly argued that empathy, unconditional positive regard,
and genuineness were necessary and sufficient for successful therapy
Humanistic Concepts: Clinical Implications with any client
People have an inborn tendency toward self-actualization No other techniques needed for anyone
People also have a need for positive regard— warmth, acceptance, A controversial claim
“prizing” Research is inconsistent; generally supports necessary, but not
Sometimes, people are forced to sacrifice self-actualization in order to sufficient
obtain positive regard from important others (e.g., parents)
Therapist Attitudes, Not Behaviors
Goal of Humanistic Psychotherapy Rogers emphasized that empathy, unconditional positive regard, and
Primary goal of humanistic psychotherapy is to foster self- genuineness are attitudes, not specific behaviors
actualization Therapy should not be mechanical or formulaic
Problems stem from stifled self-actualization or growth Attitudes, not specific techniques or skills, should be emphasized
Therapist’s task is to create a climate in which the client can resume
their natural growth toward psychological wellness Reflection: An Important Therapist Response
In humanistic therapy, there are no conditions of worth on the client Reflection of feeling is one therapist response that humanists do
Clients’ real selves can match their ideal selves emphasize
This match is known as congruence, and is the root of psychological Reflection takes place when a therapist responds to a client by
wellness rephrasing or restating the client’s statements in a way that highlights
Mismatch between real and ideal selves is known as incongruence, the client’s feelings or emotions
and is the root of psychopathology Communicates all three key ingredients
Should be done with humility and not mechanically
Three Essential Therapeutic Conditions
Empathy Alternatives to Humanism
The therapist is able to sense the client’s emotions just as the client Historical alternatives
would Existential psychotherapy
A deep, nonjudgmental, compassionate understanding of the client’s Rollo May, Victor Frankl, Irvin Yalom
experiences Address anxiety of inescapable solitude of life
Unconditional Positive Regard Gestalt therapy
Fritz Perls
Holistic approach to enhancing current experience (“the now”); often How Well Does Humanism Work?
uses role-plays Carl Rogers was a pioneer of psychotherapy outcome research,
despite inherent problems in defining and measuring humanistic
Motivational Interviewing concepts
Contemporary variation of humanistic therapy However, in more recent years humanistic outcome research has
William Miller—leading figure decreased
Address clients’ ambivalence or uncertainty about making major Recent meta-analyses suggest it is beneficial, at about the same rate
changes as most other major therapies
Help clients see the discrepancy between their behavior and their Extent to which empathy, positive regard, and genuineness are
own values present correlates significantly with success of therapeutic relationship
Elicit motivation to change from client; don’t impose it on client and ultimately the therapy
Much empirical data supporting its efficacy with many problems
Consistent with positive psychology movement
Central principles of MI
Expressing empathy
Developing the discrepancy
Avoiding argumentation
Rolling with resistance
Identifying “sustain talk” and “change talk”
Supporting self-efficacy
Positive Interventions and Strength-Based Counseling
Positive psychology
Emerged in 1990s
Martin Seligman
Emphasizes human strengths
Bolster strengths to prevent and treat psychological problems
Therapies: positive interventions, strength-based counseling
Other Contemporary Alternatives
How Clients Make Therapy Work: The Process of Active Self-Healing
Arthur Bohart and Karen Tallman
Therapist’s role is a collaborator
Goes against symptom-focused, manualized approaches to therapy
