Humanistic Psychotherapy (Clinical Psychology)

“Humanistic Psychotherapy” Chapter 13: Clinical Psychology ❖​ Humanism ➢​ Carl Rogers was a leading figure ➔​ Abraham Maslow was another ➢​ Humanism was a reaction against Freud’s approach ➢​ Assumed that human nature wasn’t so bad (e.g., id-driven) ➢​ Overlapping terms for humanism include “nomdirective,” “client-centered,” and “person-centered.” ❖​ Humanistic Concepts: Clinical Implications ➢​ People have an inborn tendency toward self-actualization ➢​ People also have a need for positive regard–warmth, acceptance, “prizing” ➢​ Sometimes, people are forced to sacrifice self-actualization in order to obtain positive regard from important others (e.g., parents) ❖​ Goal of Humanistic Psychotherapy ➢​ Primary goal pf humanistic psychotherapy is to foster self-actualization ➢​ Problems stem from stifled self-actualization or growth ➢​ Therapist’s task is to create a climate in which the client can resume their natural growth toward psychological wellness ➢​ In humanistic therapy, there are no conditions of worth on the client ➔​ Clients’ real selves can math their ideal selves ➔​ This match is known as congruence, and is the root of psychological wellness ➔​ Mismatch between real and ideal selves is known as incongruence, and is the root of psychopathology. ❖​ Three Essential Therapeutic Conditions ➢​ Empathy ➔​ The therapist is able to sense the client’s emotions just as the client would ➔​ A deep, nonjudgemental, compassionate understanding of the client’s experiences ➢​ Unconditional Positive Regard ➔​ Accepting or “prizing” the client “no matter what” and without judgment ➢​ Genuineness ➔​ Honesty toward client, rather than playing a role ❖​ Necessary and Sufficient? ➢​ Rogers boldly argued that empathy, unconditional positive regard, and genuineness were necessary and sufficient for successful therapy with any client. ➔​ No other techniques needed for anyone ➢​ A controversial claim ➢​ Research is inconsistent; generally supports necessary, but not sufficient ❖​ Therapist Attitudes, Not Behaviors ➢​ Rogers emphasized that empathy, unconditional positive regard, and genuineness are attitudes, not specific behaviors ➢​ Therapy should not be mechanical or formulaic ➔​ Attitudes, not specific techniques or skills, should be emphasized. ❖​ Reflection: An Important Therapist Response ➢​ Reflection of feeling is one therapist response that humanists do emphasize ➢​ Reflection takes place when a therapist responds to a client by rephrasing or restating the client’s statements in a way that highlights the client’s feelings or emotions. ➢​ Communicates all three key ingredients ➢​ Should be done with humility and not mechanically ❖​ Alternatives to Humanism ➢​ Historical alternatives ➔​ Existential psychotherapy ★​ Rollo May, Victor Frankl, and Irvin Yalom ★​ Address anxiety of inescapable solitude of life ➢​ Gestalt Therapy ➔​ Fritz Perls ➔​ Holistic approach to enhancing current experience (“the now”); often uses role-plays. ❖​ Motivational Interviewing ➢​ Contemporary variation of humanistic therapy ➢​ William Miller – leading figure ➢​ Address client’s ambivalence or uncertainty about making major changes ➢​ Help clients see the discrepancy between their behavior and their own values ➢​ Elicit motivation to change from client; don’t impose it or client ➢​ Much empirical data supporting its efficacy with many problems ➢​ Consistent with positive psychology movement ➢​ Central principles of MI ➔​ Expressing empathy ➔​ Developing the discrepancy ➔​ Avoiding argumentation ➔​ Rolling with resistance ➔​ Identifying “sustain talk” and “change talk” ➔​ Supporting self-efficacy ❖​ Positive Interventions and Strength-Based Counseling ➢​ Emerged in 1990s ➢​ Martin Seligman ➢​ Emphasizes human strengths ➢​ Bolsters strengths to prevent and treat psychological problems ➢​ Therapies: positive interventions, and strength-based counseling ❖​ Other Contemporary Alternatives ➢​ How Clients Make Therapy Work: The Process of Active Self-Healing ➔​ Arthur Bohart and Karen Tallman ➢​ Therapit’s role is a collaborator ➢​ Goes against symptom-focused, manualized approaches to therapy ❖​ How Well Does Humanism Work? ➢​ Carl Rogers was a pioneer of psychotherapy outcome research, despite inherent problems in defining and measuring humanistic concepts ➢​ However, in more recent years humanistic outcome research has decreased ➢​ Recent meta-analyses suggest it is beneficial, at about the same rate as most other major therapies ➢​ Extent to which empathy, positive regard, and genuineness are present correlates significantly with success of therapeutic relationship and ultimately the therapy.