There are many different types of humanistic counselling and while they have in common concerns for the conscious and the here-and-now, the differences in technique within the humanistic therapies are vast. For the purpose of this paper, I am going to focus on Carl Rogers, the 'father' of Humanistic Person-Centered therapy (belmonthouse.co.uk), and Gerard Egan, Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and author of "The Skilled Helper".
             The Person-Centered model was developed by Carl Rogers in the 1950's, and is based on the assumption that the client is seeking help to resolve a problem they are experiencing. This type of counselling offers a non-judgmental relationship between client and counselor, in which the client can explore what they need and want, and how they can achieve their goals. He believed that the client should not be 'lead' but allowed time to deal with what they consider important and to work at their own pace. His counselling model is called "non-directive" as he believed that the counselor should not offer the client advice, but rather to help them to uncover and express their true feelings. He felt that the client, with the help of the therapist, should come to their own conclusions and solve their problems.
             The person-centered approach maintains that three core conditions which Carl Rogers considered essential for effective counselling are: Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR); Empathetic Understanding and Congruence. "The person-centered approach, then, is primarily a way of being that finds its expression in attitudes and behaviors that create a growth-promoting climate". (Rogers, p.138)
             However, in his paper "The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change" he lists six conditions in total. According to Rogers, for constructive personality change to occur, it is necessary that these conditions exist and continue ...