Person-Centred Therapy

Psychodynamic approaches or psychoanalysis was first introduced in the nineteenth century (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2016). Psychoanalysis may be defined as the set of therapeutic techniques and theories which attempt to analyze and study the unconscious mind (Prochaska & Norcross, 2018). There is a plethora of mental health disorders which was first developed as a legitimate mode of treatment in the 1890s. The basic aspect of psychoanalytic therapy would be the fact that a person’s emotional development is largely dependent on the events of one’s childhood (Fonagy, 2018). Human cognitive development and behavior is conditioned or shaped by the irrational drives which emerge from a person’s unconscious. Ever since the first ideas of psychoanalysis, there have been numerous theories, like the person centered therapy and the cognitive behavioral therapy, which are two of the most commonly used counseling approaches. Person centered therapy or person centered psychotherapy is a technique which was developed in the first half of the 1940s by Carl Rogers (Cohen et al., 2017). As the name suggests, this kind of therapy comprises a study of an individual’s self actualizing tendencies which are inclined towards fulfillment and personal growth. On the other hand, the cognitive behavioral therapy is a psycho – social interventional form of therapy which seeks to treat cognitive distortions and irregular emotional behaviors, thus improving the overall quality of mental health (Neenan, 2018). The essay compares the two modes of therapy, underlining the similarities and differences between the two.

One of the major tenets of person centered therapy, which distinguishes it from other modes of therapy, would be the humanistic approach adopted by psychoanalysts in this case. In simple terms, such an approach would deal with the way individuals perceive themselves or those around them (Barbosa et al., 2015). It deals with the conscious mind, rather than the unconscious and repressed thoughts or emotions. In this kind of counseling approach, the therapist would seek to unravel the patient’s mind through an analysis of his subjective account of his experience. Based on the latter’s account of his emotions or experiences, the therapist would be able to arrive at a definite conclusion, while simultaneously maintaining an open mind. Through such a counseling method, the patient would gain a deeper understanding of his own emotions and would be able to develop a sense of self worth as well. As mentioned earlier, the main purpose of a person centered therapy is to work on every individual’s ability to self actualize – or grow to his fullest potential (Stokes, 2017). Such an approach would facilitate the personal relationships and growth of the patient and help them grasp their own identity better. The counselor is expected to aid this process of self nurturing and help the client realize his full potential. Unlike the cognitive behavioral therapy, a person centered counselor is not the sole authority in the room. He acts as a companion; he is not the expert, instead, the client is the expert who strives to understand himself.

Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy

As part of the self actualizing theory, there are several aspects that must be discussed. For instance, sociability refers to the ability of an individual to react with the people around him and his capability to develop social relationships. This is an integral aspect of psychological environment, which determines the effect of psychoanalysis and the extent of its influence on the patient. There are three principles which shape the psychological environment – congruence, empathy and positive regard. The patient should deduce that the therapist is genuinely concerned, which constitutes congruence. The therapist should carve out a warm and empathetic environment for the client and he must be non judgmental. Adherence to these three principles would rid the client of any inhibitions or apprehensions and result in a free and emotionally charged psychological environment (Morin et al., 2017). People opt for person centered therapy for a variety of reasons – lack of self confidence, low self esteem or even a stunted ability to flourish or grow. Such an approach to therapy claims that a human being is shaped by the personal relationships he shares and thus, the nature of such relationships would affect the aforementioned aspects. Hence, the approach of a person centered therapist would be such that the patient is able to understand his own shortcomings and come up with solutions to the problems as well. Since the therapist would be providing a safe and secured environment to the client, the latter would be able to open up without fear of judgment. He would be able to express his own viewpoints about himself or his capabilities and take requisite measures to better himself. The benefits of a person centered approach to psychoanalysis are multifaceted. The patient would be able to find more harmony between his actual self and idealized self. He would gain better self understanding and also awareness about his own emotions. He would be able to get to the bottom of feelings of guild remorse, insecurity or defensiveness. He would regain trust and faith in himself and those around him. He would be able to express himself better. By the end of the therapy, he would be more capable of forming better relationships.

On the other hand, cognitive behavioral therapy is more directive in nature as compared to person centered therapy (Davis et al., 2015). It is a goal oriented and usually short term therapy which deals with problem solving in a more practical and hands on manner. The purpose of such a mode of therapy is to get to the bottom of emotions and feelings in human beings which shape behavioral tendencies. It analyses the thought processes and thinking patterns that underline problems of people and accordingly change the way they feel about the same (Ehde, Dillworth, & Turner, 2014). Various kinds of mental health disorders, like relationship problems, sleeping difficulties, drug abuse, depression or anxiety can be treated using cognitive behavioral therapy. The underlying principle behind such a therapy is simple. It emphasizes on the beliefs, attitudes, images and thoughts of people and changes their behavioral patterns and attitudes in order to yield favorable results. In most grave cases, medications would not suffice. In such cases, CBT would be the only option. Similarly, people unable to cope with personal grief and loss or excessive emotional trauma emanating from abuse and violence or chronic physical ailments would be treated using cognitive behavioral therapy.

Key Features and Strengths

The main point of difference between the two modes of therapy is the therapeutic techniques used. Unlike PCT, CBT focuses on solutions and results. On the contrary, a person centered approach to therapy would probe prior childhood trauma or wounds which could be a cause of behavioral disorders as adults. Since CBT is not a prolonged procedure, it would focus simply on finding solutions to the existing problems. Cognitive therapy combines principles of both behavioral therapy and psychotherapy. While psychotherapy focuses on personal meanings bestowed on things, behavioral therapy studies the link between thoughts, emotions, personal relationships and human behavior. CBT is more invasive in nature than person centered therapy because it does not simply take into account positive aspects (Resnick et al., 2018). CBT realizes that negative thoughts are just as important. Therapists using this mode of therapy believe that negativity is subjective in nature and largely depends on the meaning an individual offers to something (Cherkin et al., 2016). For example, certain items of day to day life might provoke negative thoughts in a human being. Such negative thoughts would affect how a person acts or behaves. In psychology, this is known as dysfunctional assumption. Such dysfunctional assumptions would lead to automatic thoughts which are a direct consequence of negativity that fills the mind. Cognitive behavioral therapy would help the bewildered person understand the root causes of such emotions and behaviors. For example, a person who is suffering from severe depression would be encouraged to share his thoughts with others, to get an objective account. This would clear the person’s mind and reduce chances of clouded judgment. CBT realizes that negativity is all pervasive and cannot be avoided. Yet, it is man’s own assumptions and predictions that worsen his situation. Once the problem is recognized, the therapist would attempt to change the perspective and the negative attitude of the person over duration of periodic sessions.

It is equally important to study the similarities between the two modes of counseling and the therapeutic techniques used by them. Both approaches to psychoanalysis assume that people are not a by product of their past experiences. They do have some say in their future and a modification of their behavior would help them in achieving that. Both modes of therapy deal with the conscious mind, since behavior is usually intentional. Both therapeutic techniques are collaborative in nature and require open lines of communication between patient and the therapist. Additionally, both inculcate a healthy coping mechanism in the patients to reduce disharmony, chaos and psychological pain in their life. However, in the case of cognitive behavioral therapy, the therapist assumes that behavioral tendencies are learned responses. On the other hand, person centered view stresses on the concept of self actualization. CBT views human beings as a combination of cognition, behavioral tendencies, physiology and emotion. According to such therapists, a person’s emotions and feelings would largely depend on how he or she views and structures his or her experiences. On the contrary, in person centered view of counseling, it is believed that a person’s varied experiences in the past and his subjective responses to them shape his personality and behavior. Moreover, the person centered therapy is non directive in nature; as mentioned earlier, the therapist does not hold supreme authority. He is not expected to be driven by goals, like a cognitive behavioral therapist. In the latter, the patient would be equipped with necessary skills and tactics which can help him deal with future experiences in a better and more fruitful way. Such methods would eliminate anger, repressed emotions and emotional angst. That is precisely why a patient may choose to continue seeing his therapist in PCT over months and years, whereas in CBT, the therapist specifies the number of sessions at the very beginning of the therapy.

Limitations

Another major point of difference between the two modes of counseling is with respect to the mode of counseling adopted by the therapist in the counseling process. In the cognitive behavioral therapy, the relationship between a therapist and his patient would like that of a teacher and his student (Silk et al., 2018). The counselor would be expected to provide certain therapeutic recommendations to patient who would be expected to listen and use the recommendations to his benefit. Directive structures would be used by the counselor in this case and that would guide the change in behavior of the patient. The therapist’s effect on the client is extensive in this case and he would be influencing his future behavioral patterns. A Socratic dialogue may be employed by the therapist, where he identifies assumptions, values, norms and other aspects of psychological functionality of the patient. A process of disciplined and carefully outlined probing method would be used by the therapist to help the patient open up. This would be more methodical in nature and would help in generating results sooner. Critical principles, the client’s perception of reality, their personal beliefs and meanings of thoughts and emotions would form the focal point of such an approach. After thorough analysis of the data obtained, the therapist would come up with the best and most effective ways of acquiring changes in behavior and attitude of the patient. In CBT, unlike PCT, a person would be given more instructions by the therapist. In the former, the therapist might even set some home assignments where the client could be asked to reflect on his session or on certain feelings or situations. Based on these home assignments, the therapist would arrive at a conclusion as to how to proceed with the therapy. However in PCT, the mode of therapy is collaborative in nature. The therapist and the client are supposed to work in accordance with each other. That can be done during the session itself and not at home where the therapist would not be present. This is one of the reasons why some therapist prefer CBT over PCT. The former is more invasive and all encompassing and delves deep into the psyche of the individual. On the other hand, in person centered therapy, the therapist is more like a friend to the patient. Warmth and acceptance form the underlying principles of the client and therapist relationship. The therapist is supposed to guide the patient on a path to self discovery. Hence, he has to maintain empathy, open mindedness, honesty and respect towards his client. Communication would be crucial in such a relationship. The client should be able to trust the therapist and confide in him. The different roles of the counselor are instrumental in determining the quality of therapy the client. It would also decide the results of the therapeutic technique. Nevertheless, both modes of therapy are based on a policy of hearing and listening and also clarification of ideas and thoughts.

Similarities Between the Two Approaches

As a matter of fact the very goals underlying the process of Person-Centered approach differ from those of the Cognitive-Behavioral Theory approach. Essentially there are four major goals of Person-Centered approach which are – making sure that the patient opens up to new horizons and challenges in life, is able to perform self-analysis and evaluation through efficient retrospection, is able to ensure that henceforth growth and evolution are maintained and prioritized in life and at the same time is able build stronger self-confidence and trust themselves more. These goals holistically ensure that the patient’s mental health is bettered as compared to before and the individual is ready to build greater potential which in turn will help increase the amount of productivity. The purpose of the person centered therapy being only to ensure greater self-retrospection and reflection, as mentioned before helps in building a stronger mental basis on which the individual can develop further on. However, the major goal underlying the cognitive-behavioral approach is very different and comprises of measures to change the ways and patterns of thinking for an individual, helping the individual in building reflex thoughts which help in better handling of stressful situations and also changing and altering the base of behavior of the patient so that there is greater conjunction of the emotional and behavioral aspects of an individual (Meichenbaum, 2017). This process unlike the person-centered process is focused on measuring the accuracy of each response to an unexpected situation and improving this accuracy so that the patient’s thought processes pertaining to adverse reactions are altered to the maximum possible extent. Further, it is crucial to note in this regard that the major focus and importance of this therapy is to change the dysfunctional thoughts with more pragmatic and viable thoughts and cognitions.

Further, another major point of difference between the person-centered approach and the cognitive-behavioral approach is the average time taken for the two methods to work on the patient concerned. It has been observed that the mean time taken for the cognitive-behavioral approach are weekly sessions occurring over a total period of twenty weeks with each session lasting for a period of around thirty to forty minutes. However, the time required inevitably varies from person to person depending upon the circumstances and the growth of accuracy of the responses of the patient over the weeks and how fast the patient is able to replace the dysfunctional thoughts with more pragmatic ones. However, the average time range required for a basic person- centered approach cannot be estimated. It depends upon the understanding of the counselor of the patient concerned and if the patient is new or accustomed to the ways and methods employed by the counselor (Neumann, Vitacco & Mokros, 2016). Depending on all these factors and other variables like the seriousness of the issue being faced by the patient a contract is developed between the counselor and the patient. This contract can be extended on the basis of the factors mentioned herein but essentially people come for periods shorter than the time range required for cognitive-behavioral therapy counseling procedure, lasting for an average of six weeks.

It is extremely crucial to mention in this context that the duration of time required for the two approaches is different from the fact that while one is a long term therapy process, the other is a short term process. Effectively, studies have asserted that the person-centered approach of therapy is a long term approach because getting the patient to construe that his notions of the world and his thoughts are dysfunctional and then help him replace the same with more pragmatic thoughts by analyzing the outcomes of each only through discussion sessions will require a series of sessions as the accuracy is not maintained and checked and it is not essentially a scientific approach as mentioned before (Dobson & Dobson, 2018). However, on the other hand, the cognitive-behavioral approach is a short term method which is extremely scientific and outcome oriented. In this method the outcomes are measured in each session and the improvements are recorded. Further, the patient is required to carry out assignments which empirically help both the patient and the counselor in reflecting the practical progress and the extent to which the patient is being able to overcome dysfunctional cognition (Farmer & Chapman, 2016). The small achievements of the patient are given recognition which in turn helps in speeding up the process of mental healing by boosting self-confidence. There is an absence of the concept of evaluation of results in between the processes that essentially differentiates them.

In conclusion, it can be stated that the two approaches though aiming at the very same problem and aiming to better the mental health of people are different in a number of ways. The basis of difference between the two methods lies in the seriousness and the methods of evaluation of results followed in case of the two different approaches. In fact, the very method in which the patient is dealt with in case of person-centered approach differs from the way in which the patient is supposed to behave in case of the cognitive-behavioral approach. In the former, method the patient is allowed to freely interact with the counselor and the counselor is in no aspect considered more important than the patient. However, in the latter method, the counselor is considered to be much more important and whatever is suggested by him is to bee blindly followed by the patient. Again, the methods and approaches employed by the two methods differ and the essential goals underlying the two methods also differ. As mentioned in the paper earlier, even the time range and the frequency of the two procedures widely differ. While one process aims to focus on self-evaluation and boosting of potential, the other focuses on replacing dysfunctional tendencies with practical ones. However, the two processes are similar on grounds that they both aim to better the lives of patients and helps them live with a stronger and better mental health.

References:

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