Compare the three humanistic therapies of client-centered therapy, existential therapy, and Gestalt therapy, including the major techniques used in each

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer will include that client-centered therapy, also called person-centered therapy is nondirective and based on insights from conscious thoughts and feelings. Carl Rogers, who originated client-centered therapy, believed that what is right or valuable for the therapist may be wrong for the client. Thus, in client-centered therapy, the client determines what will be discussed during each session and must actively seek to solve his or her problems. The therapist's job is to create a safe "atmosphere of growth" by providing opportunities for change. Rogers believed that effective therapists maintain four basic conditions. First, the therapist offers the client unconditional positive regard. Total acceptance by the therapist is the first step to self-acceptance by the client. Second, the therapist attempts to achieve genuine empathy by trying to see the world through the client's eyes and feeling some part of what the client is feeling. As a third condition, the therapist strives to be authentic, that is, being genuine and honest and not hiding behind a professional role. Rogers believed that phony fronts destroy the growth atmosphere sought in client-centered therapy. Fourth, the therapist does not make interpretations, propose solutions, or offer advice. Instead, the therapist reflects (rephrases, summarizes, or repeats) the client's thoughts and feelings. This allows the therapist to act as a psychological "mirror" so clients can see themselves more clearly. Rogers theorized that a person armed with a realistic self-image and greater self-acceptance will gradually discover solutions to life's problems. Existential therapy focuses on the problems of existence, such as meaning, choice, and responsibility. Like client-centered therapy, it promotes self-knowledge. However, while client-centered therapy seeks to uncover a "true self" hidden behind a screen of defenses, existential therapy emphasizes free will, the human ability to make choices. Accordingly, existential therapists believe you can choose to become the person you want to be. Existential therapists try to give clients the courage to make rewarding and socially constructive choices and to discover self-imposed limitations in personal identity. To be successful, the client must fully accept the challenge of changing his or her life. A key aspect of existential therapy is confrontation, in which clients are challenged to be mindful of their values and choices and to take responsibility for the quality of their existence. An important part of confrontation is the unique, intense, here-and-now encounter between two human beings. When existential therapy is successful, it brings about a renewed sense of purpose and a reappraisal of what's important in life. Gestalt therapy is based on the idea that perception, or awareness, is disjointed and incomplete in maladjusted persons. The German word Gestalt means "whole," or "complete.". Gestalt therapy helps people rebuild thinking, feeling, and acting into connected wholes. This is achieved by expanding personal awareness; by accepting responsibility for one's thoughts, feelings, and actions; and by filling in gaps in experience. Gestalt therapists believe that we often shy away from expressing or "owning" upsetting feelings. This creates a gap in self-awareness that may become a barrier to personal growth. The Gestalt approach is more directive than client-centered or existential therapy and it is less insight-oriented and instead emphasizes immediate experience. Working either one-to-one or in a group setting, the Gestalt therapist encourages clients to become more aware of their moment-to-moment thoughts, perceptions, and emotions. Rather than discussing why clients feel guilt, anger, fear, or boredom, the therapist encourages them to have these feelings in the "here and now" and become fully aware of them. The therapist promotes awareness by drawing attention to a client's posture, voice, eye movements, and hand gestures. Clients may also be asked to exaggerate vague feelings until they become clear. Gestalt therapists believe that expressing such feelings allows people to "take care of unfinished business" and break through emotional impasses. Gestalt therapy is often associated with the work of Fritz Perls, who believed that emotional health comes from knowing what you want to do, not dwelling on what you should do.