A Person-centered Foundation for Counseling and Psychotherapy

The focus of this new edition is on counseling and psychotherapy, and its goals are to renew interest in the person-centered approach in the U.S., make a significant contribution to extending person-centered theory and practice, and promote fruitful dialogue and further development of person-centered theory. The text presents and clarifies the following main topics: the rationale for an eclectic application of person-centered counseling, the rationale and process for reflecting clientsí feelings, the importance of theory as the foundation for the counseling process, the importance of values and their influence on the counseling relationship, the modern person- centered counselorís role, the essential characteristics of a person-centered counseling relationship, the group counseling movement and the person-centered perspective, the application of person-centeredness through play therapy, the difficulties and opportunities surrounding evaluation, a person-centered perspective on the process of counselor education, and therapeutic opportunities available outside the field of counseling. These discussions serve as a transition from traditional interpretation of personcentered to an eclectic application of the viewpoint. The process of person-centered counseling has evolved over the years and this comprehensive book contributes to that evolution. It represents the status of person-centered counseling while also identifying ideas which can influence its future.