From the Foreword `It is an honour to be asked to write a foreword for
this new book by Michael McMillan. I have been excited about this book
ever since I read early drafts of its first two chapters some time ago
at the birth of the project. At different times thereafter I have read
other parts and my consistent impression has been that this is an
author who has both a sophisticated academic understanding of the
material and a great skill in communicating that widely. Those two
qualities do not often go together! The book is about change. After a
first chapter in which the author introduces us to the person-centred
concept of the person, chapter two is devoted to the change process
within the client, including a very accessible description of
Rogers′ process model. Chapter three goes on to explore why and how
change occurs in the human being, while chapter four introduces the
most up-to-date person-centred theory in relation to the nature of the
self concept and its changing process. Chapters five and six explore
why change occurs in therapy and the conditions that facilitate that
change, while chapter seven looks beyond the core conditions to focus
on the particular quality of presence, begging the question as to
whether this is a transpersonal/transcendental quality or an intense
experiencing of the core conditions themselves. This is an intensely
modern book particularly in its postmodern emphasis. Rogers is
sometimes characterised as coming from modernist times but he can also
be seen as one of the early post modernists in his emphasis on process
more than outcome and relationship more than personal striving. The
modern nature of the book is also emphasised by a superb analysis of
the relationship between focussing and person-centred therapy in
Chapter five, linking also with Polanyi′s notion of indwelling in
this and other chapters. In suggesting that in both focussing and
person-centred therapy the therapist is inviting the client to
′indwell′ himself or herself, the author provides a framework for
considering many modern perceptions of the approach including notions
such as ′presence′ and ′ relational depth′. Also, the link
with focussing is modern in the sense that the present World
Association for the approach covers a fairly broad family including
traditional person-centred therapists, experiential therapists,
focussing-oriented therapists and process-guiding therapists.
Important in this development is the kind of dialogue encouraged by
the present book′ - Dave Mearns, Strathclyde University The belief
that change occurs during the therapeutic process is central to all
counselling and psychotherapy. The Person-Centred Approach to
Therapeutic Change examines how change can be facilitated by the
counsellor offering empathy, unconditional positive regard and
congruence. The Person-Centred Approach to Therapeutic Change outlines
the main theoretical cornerstones of the person-centred approach and
then, applying these, describes why change occurs as a result of a
person-centred therapeutic encounter. The author explores the
counselling relationship as an environment in which clients can open
themselves up to experiences they have previously found difficult to
acknowledge and to move forward. Integral to the person-centred
approach is Carl Rogers′ radical view that change should be seen as
an ongoing process rather than an alteration from one fixed state to
another. In Rogers′ view psychological health is best achieved by
the person who is able to remain in a state of continual change. Such
a person is open to all experiences and is therefore able to
assimilate and adapt to new experiences, whether ′good′ or
′bad′. By focusing explicitly on how change is theorized and
facilitated in counselling, this book goes to the heart of
person-centred theory and practice, making it essential reading for
trainees and practitioners alike.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781446232576
Publisert
2015
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
SAGE Publications, Ltd. (UK)
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter