Person-centred therapy emphasises the inbuilt capacity for personal growth within each individual, meaning we believe that each and every person we speak to already possesses within themselves the ability to overcome their struggles, or at very least, adapt to a more comfortable way of living with them. While it's a well-established and effective type of therapy, some common myths and misconceptions persist. To start with in this post, I’ll address one address one of them…

"The therapist doesn't do anything in person-centred therapy." This is a significant misconception rooted in the fact that person-centred therapists do not offer diagnoses, interpretations, or advice. But it’s not a counsellor’s place to do that - if a mental health diagnosis is what you want, it’s better to seek this from a GP or psychiatrist. If you’re looking for interpretations and advice, ask one of your friends or family members what they think of your situation. Most counsellors aren’t qualified to diagnose mental health problems - just like most doctors aren’t trained to provide counselling. 

Equally, a friend or colleague might be willing to give you their honest opinion, however helpful or hurtful it might be. But it’s likely a friend would find it difficult to keep their judgements to one side and simply accept your viewpoint, especially if it’s a negative one, without trying to change it. And when someone tries to change the way we feel, we feel dismissed and invalidated. The task of a person-centred counsellor is to avoid making you feel this way. Furthermore, imagine if a therapist gave you advice that if followed made your situation worse? In not being given the solution, you might find yourself developing your own solutions. Counselling helps you tap into your own inner resources and find your own answers to the challenges you face. 

Instead we want to and to empower you to explore your thoughts, feelings and experiences. Our aim is to provide you with a safe and supportive environment to do so - not to try and influence your situation to make it better or worse. We help you to reflect on your inner world with compassion and hear your own thoughts and feelings out loud - allowing you to develop a clearer understanding of the bigger picture for yourself. You are given the time and space to verbalise your internal dialogue, helping you to develop a clearer understanding of your own mind and process your feelings and experiences more effectively. This allows you to gain self-awareness; by exploring your experiences, you develop a deeper understanding of yourself and your motivations. And most importantly, through everything you tell us, we accept you for who you are, which challenges you to do the same with yourself. 

Ultimately, the client-centred approach to therapy is a powerful and effective one in that allows people to see that the ability to navigate and overcome their struggles already exists within themselves. By debunking these myths, we can appreciate the true value of this approach to therapy.