Carl Rogers introduces the session and talks about his theory. He explains that in a proper climate; relationship; and under the right conditions, therapeutic movement in the client takes place.

The conditions he talks about are:-

Being real in the relationship and that to be real he would need to be genuine or congruent. I would take this to be having a rapport within yourself, or, as Rogers phrased it “in one piece”; to be transparent. If he is real, then the client can be real within themselves

He explains how he will find himself praising, caring and prizing his client; he doesn’t want to pretend, but he nurtures a degree of acceptance about his client; a non-possessive love. If the client is prized by him, then they will prize themselves more.

He needs to understand their inner world; to know what its like to be them. If he understands their emotions then they will be able to have a clearer understanding of their own emotions and express themselves more freely.

I know these conditions as genuineness or congruence, unconditional positive regard, and empathy respectively.

The session

Gloria is newly divorced and adapting to a single life. She is worried about how having men to the house may affect her daughter who’s nine. Gloria has lied to her daughter about having a man to the house and Gloria is worried about who would most diversely affect her daughter; the fact that Gloria had a man stay over or whether Gloria had lied.

Gloria is keen to have a straight answer from Carl Rogers as to what would be best – tell her daughter the truth or to carry on the lie.

Carl Rogers explores this keeping the core conditions (as outlined above) and uses the following skills:-
• Working in the here and now (client takes more responsibility rather than blaming the past)
• Active listening
• Appropriate eye contact
• Paraphrasing (repeating