Person-centered therapy, now considered a founding work in the humanistic school of psychotherapies, began formally with Carl Rogers. Rogers identified three ‘core conditions’ which are needed to produce personality changes in clients: Therapist congruence: the therapist him- or herself is deeply involved — they are not "acting" — and they can draw on their own experiences (self-disclosure) to facilitate the relationship; Unconditional positive regard: the therapist accepts the client unconditionally, without judgment, disapproval, or approval, thus facilitating increased self-regard in the client as the client begins to become aware of experiences in which their view of self-worth was distorted by others; and Empathic understanding: the therapist experiences an empathic understanding of the client's internal frame of reference, that is, the therapist truly understands the client’s worldview. Accurate empathy on the part of the therapist helps the client believe the therapist's unconditional love for them. Although this technique has been criticized by behaviorists for lacking structure, it has proven to be an effective and popular treatment. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person-centered_therapy.)

I engage in person-centered therapy whenever I work with clients: whether solving a specific problem, doing yoga therapy, teaching DBT coping skills or mindfulness practices, or making meaning in the face of grief and loss. A person-centered focus is foundational to the work I do.