Carl R. Rogers (1902–1987)

This work, I feel, answers the criticism that the person-centred approach is too focused on the individual. Whilst, obviously, the group is composed of individuals, Rogers emphasises the relational aspects of change engendered by the encounter group experience, at the personal, interpersonal and community/organisation levels. The book is written from his American, white, middle-class cultural perspective, but he clearly acknowledges this and I, as a British, white, (reluctantly acknowledged) show more middle-class (with working-class roots!) perspective don't believe that this invalidates the principles. It just means that application and focus will vary in different cultural contexts, leaving the elements of freedom of expression and increasing openness to direct experiencing intact.

I've yet to read a book by Carl Rogers that isn't fascinating. show less

I'd read bits and pieces of this book over the last 12 months in order to get references for essays. Having those snippets of Rogers' thoughts was useful, but I felt a duty to read from cover-to-cover the foundational work of the person-centred approach if I was serious in training to be a counsellor. So, during the summer break, that's what I've done and found it definitely worthwhile.

It took me a while to get through, not because I found it difficult or boring, but because it was show more thought-provoking and challenging. Many times I've had to put the book down to work through a chain of thought, to reflect upon my own values and ways of being. If I had some of the bricks of the edifice of a person-centred way of being (forgive the in-reference), I think this provides the mortar. Now all I need to do is build something! show less

Interesting perspectives on how to be effective with person-centred counselling in brief and time-limited settings.

Being a novice counsellor, my initial stance in relation to brief counselling was an unaccepting one as it did not fit my conception of the person-centred approach, being one that gives autonomy and power to the client. Therefore, the duration of counselling should, insofar as reasonably possible, be determined by the client and not imposed by the counsellor or (much worse!) an show more organisation or agency. However, one of my placements is in an NHS, time-limited clinic and I now have experience of the therapeutic change a client can achieve in a relatively short time (notwithstanding that some would have preferred to extend the number of sessions). I found of great help Isabel Gibbard's insightful comparison of the limited resources available within the health care to that faced by the human race on a global scale, the world's resources being finite and cannot be exploited as if they are limitless. Also, Keith Tudor's pointed reminder that life itself is time-limited.

So, with a new-found preparedness towards acceptance of time-limited therapy, I found much to inform my practice in this book. Much of it relates to experiential therapies, and piques my interest in reading more about Gendlin's Focusing-Oriented Therapy. There's a couple of chapters on Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR), which I found very interesting from a training perspective, but somehow still too directive for me (at this stage) to comfortably use with clients.

Much of the book is in the form of practitioners relating how they apply brief therapy in specific settings, such as primary care, a Young Offenders' Institution, student counselling, employee assistance programmes, etc. Being able to see how brief therapy works in real-life settings was, I found, very helpful.

So, not an integrated approach to brief person-centred counselling, but an examination of how some of the tribes making up the PC nation work in a time-limited setting. show less

This short book, originally penned in 1957, addresses an important topic that’s become an expected leadership competency today. Active listening is a core expectation for managers in almost every field. Although it sounds easy to do, the practice actually requires a great deal of discipline and mental acuity. Fortunately, by encouraging the self-worth of the speaker, it unleashes a world of creative energy that can multiply any team’s accomplishments. As the authors contend, it simply show more produces better business results.

Psychotherapists like the authors pioneered active listening, but this book deliberately makes the case that this practice should be applied to the business world. Its case has succeeded wonderfully over the last 70 years. It does contain some antiquated material, particularly around gender roles. The reader should not let this small lapse distract them because the central message is so powerful.

This book is the classical statement on the matter for the general public. Recent books have expanded this foundation into more contemporary applications. Still, exploring the seminal work, as short as it is, can add value to any reader. In today’s team-oriented world necessitating big, diverse projects, active listening represents an invaluable skill for any leader and distinguishes those who will have the most impact. show less