Person-Centred Therapy: 100 Key Points

Book Preface

Person-centred therapy, based on the ideas of the eminent psychotherapist Carl Rogers, is widely practised in the UK and throughout the world. It has applications in health and social care, the voluntary sector and is increasingly relevant to work with people who are severely mentally and emotionally distressed. This book offers a comprehensive overview and presents the core theories, advances and practices of the approach in a concise, accessible form.

Person-Centred Therapy: 100 Key Points begins with a consideration of the principles and philosophy underpinning person-centred therapy before moving to a comprehensive discussion of the classic theory upon which practice is based.

Further areas of discussion include:

· the model of the person, including the origins of mental and emotional distress
· the process of constructive change
· a review of revisions and advances in person-centred theory
· child development, styles of processing and con®gurations of self
· the quality of presence and working at relational depth.

Finally, criticisms of the approach are addressed and rebutted, leading readers to the wider person-centred literature. As such this book will be particularly useful to students and scholars of person-centred therapy, as well as anyone who wants to know more about one of the major therapeutic modalities.

Paul Wilkins is a person-centred academic, practitioner and supervisor currently working for Manchester Metropolitan University.