I use a person-centered approach to counselling. This approach came out of the humanistic approach to counselling and incorporates a non-judgmental and empathetic approach. I also utilise a transpersonal counselling approach that views the person as more than just the mind, body and the personality. Transpersonal means beyond the personal or beyond the ego, and I am a member of the Transpersonal Coaching Therapist Network. 

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During sessions, I may guide clients towards inwardly focusing, somatic aspects may be explored (with somatic approaches the body is viewed in many ways as being intertwined to our mind and emotions), embodiment practices such as guided imagery, mindfulness, affirmations and exploration of emotions can take place during sessions. 

 

Regarding somatic approaches - soma is a Greek word that means "the living body." Nowadays people may refer to it as the mind-body connection. Through acknowledging this, there is an intention to restore balance to the physical, emotional, mental and even spiritual parts of ourselves.

 

I tailor each session to each particular client, while always staying focused on the best outcomes in relation to his or her goals and challenges. 

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Why do people book counselling sessions?

For many reasons including:

Support work for building capacity for social participation

Relationship difficulties (romantic relationships and family tensions especially)

Juggling the stress of every day living during Covid

Support in coping with health problems

Work stress

Depression and anxiety

Exploration of the mind-body-spirit connection in relation to health conditions

Stress of caring for elderly parents

To help achieve goals

To gain clarity and make decisions (I guide people to find answers within)

To address emotional upheavals that they are experiencing

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Person-Centered Counselling and Coaching... Different, and Yet the Same?

According to Professor Stephen Joseph, Carl Rogers "introduced the term 'counselling' but he might equally have used the term "coaching" because in person-centered practice these terms are  interchangeable. The current use of these two terms reflects the prevalent medical model ideology (Joseph, 2006)."

 

He goes on to write: "The development of different terminology, such as counselling versus coaching, to describe people at different points on the spectrum of psychological functioning reflects the pervasive medical model conception that helping people in distress is different from helping people achieve well-being. It must be emphasized that the way in which professional organizations have developed to deal with people at different points on the spectrum ultimately reflects a a social construction of human functioning that is grounded in a medical model and ideology of illness. From the person-centered perspective, there is no boundary between coaching and counselling. Thus, person-centered coaching is the same activity, requiring the same theoretical base, the same skills and a high level of personal development as those required for person-centered counselling. There is no theoretical distinction from the perspective of person-centered approach between the process of coaching and that of counselling."

 

And also: "If the public understanding is that counselling is about looking back in life at what has gone wrong, whereas coaching is about looking forward to what can go right, different people with different issues will be attracted to counselling rather than to coaching."

 

He also states, "it may be that the coach chooses to use the term "coaching" deliberately to provide a platform for clients who are embarrassed to meet with a counsellor. An example is a case where police officers were offered counselling sessions in the aftermath of a critical incident. Few took up the opportunity. Following the next critical incident, the officers were offered coaching, which was taken up. What they were being offered was person-centred in both cases, but the term "coaching" was less stigmatizing than the term 'counselling.' For person-centrered practitioners, where the terminology is interchangeable, which term is used is likely to reflect the context of employment."
 

From the book The Complete Book of Coaching 2nd ed., Chapter 4, pp 61 - 62

Professor Stephen Joseph is a registered coaching psychologist with the British Psychological Society. He is also a senior practitioner member of the British Psychological Society's register of psychologists specialising in psychotherapy, and an HCPC registered health and counselling psychologist.

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