Skills in Person-Centred Counselling & Psychotherapy

`Overall this both is accessible and useful... a very readable book' - The Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy `Skills in Person-Centred Counselling and Psychotherapy is not just an academic guide; it is a valuable tool-kit for the therapist regardless of the level of expertise. It provides, at times, an almost visual insight to the therapeutic process by drawing on the emotional and reflective resources of the reader through the use of the simplest languages' - Sheila Hawkins, Counselling Psychology Review `Janet Tolan has drawn on her extensive knowledge and experience to produce an accessible and imaginative introduction to the skills of person-centred therapy. Her excellent book is enlivened by useful, informative exercises and examples from practice, which convey the heart and methods of the approach to the reader. She demonstrates the practical power of Rogers' necessary and sufficient conditions, explains clearly the person-centred notion of process and also deals with structural and professional issues. She even shows how the therapeutic conditions can be applied to working with organizations. This book is a 'must' for both beginning and experienced person-centred practitioners' - Paul Wilkins, Co-Editor of British Journal of Guidance and Counselling `What is also valuable in this book is the way that the author places person-centred working within the professional context, demonstrating its practical application under the chapter headings of "beginnings and endings", "professional issues" and "managing the work in an organization". Janet writes in a very accessible style. Skills in Person Centred Counselling and Psychotherapy will certainly be of great value to the person seeking to grasp the fundamental principles of person-centred working.... Paul effectively tackles a range of issues, under chapter headings that convey some of the challenges made towards the person-centred approach, for instance, "Self-Actualisation: A Culture-Bound, Naïve and Optimistic View of Human Nature?" and "Non-Directivity: a Fiction and Irresponsible Denial of Power?" Chapters are subtitled with further affirmations that question person-centred working: "How Can Anyone Guarantee Unconditional Positive Regard?", "Empathy - an Illusion of Shared Consciousness?", "Congruence - an Impossible Way of Being?", questions which he responds to head on, describing the truth concerning the theoretical nature and application of person-centred therapy, drawing on a range of key theoreticians and practitioners within this discipline' - Richard Bryant-Jefferies, Healthcare, Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal `[Skills in Person-Centred Counselling & Psychotherapy] is logically ordered and deals with the central tenets of psychotherapy from a person-centred perspective.... This text is a good, solid read and will bring an opportunity for clear thinking and practice for many in the field of mental health and not only counsellors. It will be valuable for teachers and educators alike as well as anyone who is concerned with personal interactions with others' - Tom Mason, Mental Health Care Skills in Person-Centred Counselling & Psychotherapy is a step-by-step guide to counselling practice using the person-centred approach. The book takes the reader through the counselling process, providing advice on how to structure and manage therapeutic work in ways which are thoroughly grounded in person-centred principles. The book describes all aspects of the therapeutic relationship - from the initial meeting and assessment, right through to ending the relationship well - and demonstrates how the skills and attitudes of the person-centred practitioner are used effectively in a range of counsellor-client interactions. Psychological contact, congruence, empathy and unconditional positive regard - central tenets of the approach - are defined, not only as the basis of counselling, but also of the practitioner's wider role within their organization or agency. Skills in Person-Centred Counselling & Psychotherapy is an ideal introduction for beginning practitioners and for more experienced therapists who want to extend their range. The subtleties of the person-centred approach are fully explored and examples and exercises are used to aid understanding of theory and the development of skills.