Question

Assume the role of one noted Personality Theorist Carl Rogers. Carl (you) is going to counsel a client in response to this situation:

Someone has come to you expressing a number of problems: the person's marriage is a mess, they hate their job, they cannot complete work on time, they feel overwhelmed and cranky much of the time, and even their dog doesn't like them much of the time. While working from the Humanistic (client centered) perspective, you will need to inform your fictional "client" what you believe the client can about the problems the client is having. Using Rogerian theory, how might you tell them to set things to right again? After you have completed adequate research on Rogers, and how he envisioned both problems and solutions, counsel your fictional client. Your letter should display clear evidence (such as textbook terms) that you understand what the theorist considers a healthy, well-adjusted personality, and how to help someone build one. No direct quotes of the textbook or other source is permitted.

Answer 1

Carl shall be called to attend a counselling session. For the counselling session, he will be asked to wait in a room that do not favor a comfortable environment for a human being. He shall be offered a few minutes of counselling in the same room. He shall be asked to deliver all the problems that is making his life miserable. Empathy will be shown and utmost care will be taken in observing his responses. The therapist shall share some of the personal experiences or share constructed miserable experiences and the same shall be shared with the client. This shall establish the congruence. The client shall be asked if he really wants to move ahead and put an end to his problems. With the affirmative answer from the client he shall be gradually shifted to another room and his problems shall be discussed in detail. This room shall have ambience required to relax and stay comfortable at longer period. Every single problem stated by the client such as problem in marriage life, anxiety that prevents him from completing jobs etc. shall be talked and rationalized again. The client shall be offered a hot or cold drink and made much more comfortable. Then the unconditional positive regard shall be implemented by asking about the things which he wants to start first and then about the things he wishes to abandon at the earliest. Then one or two problems shall be considered and a home work – a routine shall be prepared for the client. The routine shall include, waking up, listening to music, meeting people, calling the therapist, etc. The client shall be advised that these shall improve the personality as well as boost the self-confidence levels. The client shall be asked to follow the same, until the next sitting. With the new refined personality and selfconfidence of moving ahead, the next sitting shall focus on the next stage of congruence, empathy and unconditional positive regard.

The most important part in this first sitting is, offering the most important lesson to the client that if he want to turn into a new leaf, he just has to make a beginning and progress with it and the things around shall become comfortable at the earliest. This is stressed by the Rogerian Way as well as through the room 1 and room 2 set up. Based on his improvement the second sitting shall be continued. In a couple of more sitting, he shall be brought back to normal.