Important Questions for IGNOU MAPC MPCE023 Exam with Main Points for Answer - Block 3 Other Counselling Interventions Unit 1 Roger’s Client-Centered Counselling
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Block 3 Other Counselling Interventions
Unit 1 Roger’s Client Centered Counselling
1. Describe Roger's Client Centered Counselling:
- Client-centred counselling, also known as person-centred counselling, is a humanistic approach that focuses on the client's subjective experience and potential for growth. It emphasises the counsellor's attitudes as the primary drivers of therapeutic change rather than specific techniques.
- The core of this approach lies in the counsellor's ability to communicate congruence, unconditional positive regard, and accurate empathic understanding to the client. The goal is to help clients become more fully functioning individuals by creating an environment where they can explore their feelings, experiences, and values authentically.
2. How are Humanistic psychology and the phenomenological approach crucial to client-centred counselling?
Humanistic psychology emphasizes the inherent potential for growth within individuals and their ability to make choices that lead to self-actualisation. It focuses on the positive aspects of human nature, and it views humans as capable of change and growth.
- The phenomenological approach highlights the importance of the individual's subjective experience of reality. It suggests that each person's perception of the world is unique, and it is this perception that determines their behaviour.
- Client-centred counselling is rooted in these principles because it is not based on an objective assessment of the client, but on the client's unique view of themselves. The goal of client-centred counselling is to create a space for the client to explore their own phenomenological world without judgement.
3. Describe the concept of self in client-centred counselling and indicate how counsellor’s congruence can be ensured?
- In client-centred counselling, the self is a conscious perception of "I" or "me" within the individual's overall perceptual field. The self-concept is the individual's view of what they are like, what they should be like, and what they would like to be.
- Counsellor congruence means that the therapist is genuine, authentic, and aware of their own feelings within the therapeutic relationship. To be congruent, the counsellor needs to be honest with themselves, and not put up a façade. It also requires them to be aware of their own feelings and how these might impact the counselling process.
4. What is meant by unconditional positive regard? How is it important for client-centred counselling?
Unconditional positive regard means that the therapist communicates a deep and genuine caring for the client as a human being, accepting them without judgment or conditions on their acceptance. It involves valuing the client for who they are, regardless of their behaviours, feelings, or values.
Unconditional positive regard creates a safe and supportive therapeutic environment, enabling clients to explore their feelings without fear of judgment. When clients feel fully accepted, they can be more open with themselves, and work to become congruent with their true feelings.
5. What are the two defence mechanisms used by Rogers and why? How are these relevant to client-centred counselling?
Rogers proposes two basic defence mechanisms: perceptual distortion and denial.
- Perceptual distortion occurs when an incongruent experience is allowed into awareness but is changed to make it consistent with the person’s current self-image.
- Denial involves completely avoiding any conscious recognition of threatening experiences.
These defences are relevant because they can hinder the client's ability to fully experience their true self and move towards self-actualisation. In client-centred counselling, a person may express defensive behaviours, and the counsellor should create an environment where the person feels safe to remove these defences so that they can become more self-aware and congruent.
6. What are the important points to remember for effective client-centred counselling?
The conditions for effective client-centred counselling are:- Therapist-client psychological contact: A therapeutic relationship must be in place.
- Client incongruence: The client must be in a state of incongruence between their self-concept and their experience.
- Counsellor congruence: The counsellor must be genuine and integrated in the therapeutic relationship.
- Unconditional positive regard: The counsellor must offer this toward the client.
- Empathic understanding: The counsellor must have an accurate, empathic understanding of the client's internal frame of reference.
- Client perception: The client must perceive the counsellor's unconditional positive regard and empathic understanding.
When these conditions are met, clients are more able to experience changes and grow.
7. What do you understand by congruence of self? How is it associated with unconditioned positive regard?
- Congruence of self is a state of harmony that exists when there is no discrepancy between a person's experience and their self-concept. A congruent person is aware of their feelings and experiences, and they accept them as part of who they are.
- Unconditional positive regard facilitates congruence because it allows individuals to accept all parts of themselves without judgment or conditions. When people do not have conditions on their self-worth, they can be open to accepting all of their experiences, and the person's "true self" becomes more aligned with their self concept, allowing them to move towards congruence.
8. What are the characteristics of a fully functioning person according to Rogers? How can a counsellor help a client to lead his or her life as fully functioning?
A fully functioning person is one who is:- Open to their experiences
- Trusting of their own organismic valuing process
- Able to live in the present
- Free in their choices
- Creative and constructive
A counsellor can help a client by creating a safe, supportive therapeutic relationship that fosters self-awareness, congruence, and self-acceptance. The goal is to allow them to use their own inherent resources to heal. The counsellor should be congruent, accepting, and empathetic toward the client.
9. How do you explain the concept of empathy and its significance in counselling?
Empathy in counselling is the therapist's ability to sense the client's inner world as if it were their own. It means that the therapist can understand the client's feelings, thoughts, and experiences from their perspective.
Empathy is significant because it helps the client to feel understood and validated. It is also essential to the therapeutic relationship, as it creates a bond of trust where the client can explore their feelings without judgement.
10. Explain with suitable examples the concept of phenomenology.
Phenomenology refers to the idea that each person's experience of reality is unique.
For example, two people may experience the same event (such as receiving a poor grade on an exam), but they might experience it in very different ways. One student might feel devastated, view themselves as a failure, and become withdrawn, while another may feel disappointed, but see it as an opportunity to learn and improve. These different experiences highlight how each individual's subjective perspective shapes their response. A counsellor who is phenomenological accepts and values these different responses, instead of judging them based on their own subjective view of the situation.
11. What are the specific roles of a counsellor who does client-centred counselling with the client?
- Provide a safe and non-judgmental therapeutic environment.
- Communicate congruence, unconditional positive regard, and empathy.
- Act as a facilitator rather than a director, encouraging clients to take ownership of their own growth.
- Help the client explore their feelings, experiences and values.
- Support the client to move toward self-actualisation, trusting in their inherent capacity to grow.
- Help the client become more congruent with their experience.
Important Points
1. A phenomenal concept deals with subjective experience of reality. A phenomenological position emphasises the individual's internal frame of reference, or subjective world, which includes everything they are aware of. This inner reality is the basis for their actions and behaviour, not objective reality.
2. A self-concept based on our actual feelings about our experiences is known as True self. Rogers believed that individuals have a "true self" based on their actual feelings and experiences. This contrasts with the social self, which is based on the evaluations of others.
3. State of harmony that exists when there is no discrepancy between the person’s experiencing and his or her self-concept is known as congruence. Congruence occurs when a person's self-concept aligns with their actual experiences, and they are aware of their feelings. This is a key concept in Rogerian therapy.
4. A fully functioning person utilises his maximum potentials. A fully functioning person is one who is moving toward the realisation of their potential, and is open to experience. They are able to live in the present, trust their own judgment, and are creative and constructive.
5. During counselling the counsellor tries to understand the client by putting himself In the client shoes This concept is known as Empathy. Empathy is the ability of the therapist to sense the client's inner world as if it were their own, understanding their feelings and experiences from their perspective.
6. According to Rogers all behaviour is energised and directed by a single, unitary motive which he calls the Self actualising tendency. Rogers believed that all behaviour is driven by the inherent tendency of the organism to develop its capacities to maintain and enhance itself.
7. A total caring or prizing of the person for what he or she is, without any reservations or conditions of worth in therapy is called Unconditional Positive Regard. Unconditional positive regard means accepting a person without any conditions, and valuing them for who they are. This is a core principle in client-centred therapy.
8. Rogers proposes the defense mechanisms of denial and perceptual distortion. Rogers proposes these as the two mechanisms that people use to defend themselves against experiences that are incongruent with their self-concept.
9. Incongruence of self-concept and experience may lead to anxiety and personality disorganisation. When there is a significant discrepancy between a person's self-concept and their actual experiences, they may experience anxiety, and their personality may become disorganised.
10. Roger’s client centered counselling is best applicable for well-integrated people seeking fulfillment in life. The humanistic approach of client-centred therapy is best suited to people who are relatively well-integrated and functional, and who are looking for greater meaning and fulfilment.
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