Compare and contrast the person-centred and cognitive-behavioural approaches to understanding and working with fear and sadness. Both these counselling models could be said to be “talking cures” but in order to compare and contrast them, it is necessary to look at a number of different factors which play an important part in the therapy process. Both models seek to improve the circumstances of their client’s lives, but each model relies on different approaches in order to achieve this improvement. The factors that need to be considered are the theories which underpin both approaches, the therapeutic relationship, the nature of the individual therapy sessions, and the qualities of the therapist. Person-centred therapy is based on the ideas of Carl Rogers who had an optimistic view of mankind in that people will strive in a positive direction as long as they are developing within the right environment and within conditions that are conducive to growth.
The person-centred approach does not diagnose people with disorders such as “anxiety” or “depression” because Rogers saw this as a process which would be harmful to the therapeutic relationship. Within this relationship, both client and therapist are on an equal footing. According to Rogers the client is the expert on his personal experiences, and therefore able to direct the therapy in the direction that they want to go. Client driven therapy is a key element of person-centred therapy. Cognitive behaviour therapy, is an amalgamation of behaviour and cognitive therapy and cognitive behaviour therapy owes much of its theories and techniques to Beck. Basically the theory proposes that it is not the event that causes distress, but the meaning a person attaches to that event that may be the cause of the distress. Although the client and the therapist work together in a collaborative relationship and as in person-centred therapy, the client has to place…
