Person-Centered Therapy and Existential Therapy

Person-Centered Therapy and Existential Therapy

  1. Person-Centered Perspective from a Biblical and Christian viewpoint

There are some aspects of person-centered therapy that relates well with biblical and Christian point of view. According to the Bible, there are teachings on loving others as we love ourselves. During this therapeutic session, the client must disclose all the information to oneself. This self-reflection is critical to loving others as we love ourselves. Nevertheless, there are elements of this perspective that conflict with biblical and Christianity. Person-centered therapy can lead to selfishness. The exercise involves self-actualization, and this is against biblical teachings. It is also imperative to understand that this perspective involves seeking answers to our problems. This is against the biblical provisions that require us to seek divine intervention. We are encouraged to rely on the power of Holy Spirit and teachings of the Bible for us to be healed and sanctified.

  1. Is person-centered therapy success?

From my opinion, I don’t think that person-centered therapy can be successful. This is because there are numerous limitations to this approach. For instance, it is difficult for the individual to create a therapeutic relationship with oneself. This calls for a reflective session of the person that is not an easy task. Congruence and realism may not always be achieved in such a setting since the concept of interaction is greatly missed. The session may also be very empathetic rather than facing the challenge as another therapeutic session would reach. Self-critics are at times difficult to achieve thus making person-centered therapy unsuccessful. Another important reason I think the session cannot be a success is the fact that individuals may lack essential skills and competencies necessary for a therapy session.

 

  1. Main points important to Roger’s person-centered therapy

Person-centered therapy is also referred to as client-centered therapy. It is based on a friendly relationship between the client and the therapist. According to Rodgers, person-centered therapy can only succeed if the following important points are considered;

  • The therapist is congruent with the client: this usually calls for genuineness during the therapy session.
  • There is unconditional positive regard from the therapist: the therapist must show great value to the client to ensure growth and fulfilling one’s potential. The therapist must readily accept the client with a positive attitude.
  • The therapist must show empathetic understanding to the client. The therapist must be able to understand the client’s feelings and act accordingly.
  1. Existential perspective from a Biblical and Christian viewpoint

Existential therapy has some elements that align with biblical and Christian point of view. For instance, existential therapy has great respect for the person and his capacity to find the meaning of life. Somme of the issues of concern in this therapy such as death, isolation, meaninglessness, and freedom are also of concern to Christian faith. Nevertheless, this therapeutic perspective also conflicts with biblical and Christian teachings at a large extent.  For instance, pro existentialists are of the opinion that existence precedes essence. This is against the Christian beliefs where they believe that a person’s essence is by Gods design and precedes existence. The claim that the world is absurd, hopeless and meaningless is also against the biblical teachings where we understand that God provides answers and hope to those who trust in Him.

  1. client-therapist relationship in existential approach

Client therapist relationship is essential in existential approach. This is because the therapist must help the client expand self-awareness and create meaning to the meaningless world. It is important to have a close relationship to have a better understanding of the client’s values, ideals, and assumptions. The relationship must encourage participation from the involved parties. The therapists should be open minded and free of pre-conceptions for him to be able to help the client realize their objectives. The existential approach calls for some naivety in the therapeutic relationship to understand the clients themes with clarity. Open-mindedness is of great importance since the therapist can deduce as much information as possible from the client.

  1. Existential therapy from a multicultural perspective

Existential therapy is concerned with understanding the human conditions. It is, however, imperative to understand that unlike other therapies, the existential approach is not technique oriented. It is for this reason that therapists can adopt this therapy in different perspectives. The technique has been used to help clients of all cultures to find meaning and harmony in their lives. Existential therapy has provided answers to various issues of concern such as anxiety, death, isolation, love and suffering that are inevitable across cultural divides. One of the advantages associated with multicultural perspective is the ability to help clients understand how their behaviors are influenced by the family, social and cultural conditioning. Nevertheless, there are drawbacks to multicultural counseling. For instance, individualism is a great hindrance to multicultural therapy. There is the tendency of clients to ignore social factors that cause human problems.   This setting also provides the clients with limited choices to choose from.

 

Reference

Corey, G. (2013). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth.

 
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