This rather unusual type of therapy has its beginnings in the 1940s and it goes under quite a few different names over the years. Other names include Person-centered counselling, client-centred therapy and Rogerian psychotherapy (because it was first developed by psychologist Carl Rogers). As its name suggests this is a type of therapy that is not done in a group setting but instead is tailored to your own empathic understandings and realisations. While this form of therapy is not without its controversies it is still a form of therapy that you might want to consider when many others have failed. In this post, we will learn a lot more about it and why it is hardly ever heard of…
What is Person-Centered Therapy?
This form of talk-based therapy is designed to be much warmer and less rigid in its diversity to deal with the individual. The main idea of the therapy is for the therapist to fully understand the client, before making the right choices to help them move forward with their lives. While it can be harder for the therapist to deliver targeted help for the individual it does mean the client feels much more accepting of the treatment.
Does Person-Centered Therapy Work?
OK, I feel it is the right time to talk about the controversial side of this form of therapy. Many therapists simply refuse to do this form of therapy for two main reasons. The first is the lack of structure the therapist can follow leading them to put more time and effort into this form of therapy than they would with any other like CBT or DBT. The other controversial aspect is that it can cause a lot of people to become attached to their therapist (often called transference). This also happens the other way as well with therapists become more attached to their clients that they should.
Does it work? Yes, indeed there are thousands of people who have received this type of therapy and been rather happy with their results. In fact, lots of people have come to learn to live with their BPD thanks to this therapy but the success rate is a little hit and miss with less than 50% of BPD sufferers benefiting from it. But when other therapies have failed it might still be worth considering.
How Can I Get Person-Centered Therapy Here in the UK?
The good news is there are plenty of therapists still willing to perform this form of therapy, but sadly almost all of them are private due to the low success rate this type of therapy offers. With no set number of sessions and the average session price being £40 you can expect to pay out a lot for this form of therapy, but if you think it might work for you I still say it is worth looking into.
As with any of these BPD treatments before you might need to try a combination of them before you find that winning combination, but do stick with it. If you want any help or advice relating to BPD do drop me an email via the contact us page and one of our writers will answer it ASAP.
