Personal Psychotherapy Model

As a counseling psychology student, we are offered many approaches to psychotherapy. Every single therapy has its own characteristics and specialties which are highly correlated to the journey of life of the founder. We cannot deny that personality and life experience contributes to the theory and technique in psychotherapy. For example, Victor Frankl’s experience in Nazi concentration camps has leads him to develop logotherapy.

At the very first time I read psychoanalyst and behaviorist techniques in Corey’s book, Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, I got overwhelmed because the list of technique was so long. Of course, it is impossible to be understood in only one time reading. Moreover, I am not a person who like dependant on the technique. In my opinion overly being stick to the technique make us become stiff whereas psychotherapy is not like engineering, it is an art to facing and dealing with human beings.

After finishing psychoanalysis and behaviorism, I moved to other approach named person-centered therapy by Carl Rogers. I began with a brief biography of Rogers and got interested in his history of life. It says that his family atmosphere characterized by close and warm relationships but also by strict religious standards. Rogers also was an introverted person, and he spent a lot of time reading and engaging in imaginative activity and reflection. When I was read this section, I realize that I have some similarity with him.

Ilustrasi Modifikasi Perilaku (sumber : blogpsikologi.blogspot.com)

Then my interest in person-centered therapy continues to the therapeutic process. Rogers is not a psychologist who emphasize the techniques during the therapeutic process. In contrast, he makes the client be psychologist itself. Rogers believes that client is the person who most understands himself. It means they know their problems as well. Rogers also being convinced that client has the capacity to solve their problem.

So what is the therapist roles? As Rogers said, therapist needs three attributes to create a growth-promoting climate in which individuals can move forward and become what they are capable of becoming: (1) congruence (genuineness, or realness), (2) unconditional positive regard (acceptance and caring), and (3) accurate empathic understanding. According to Rogers, if therapists communicate these attitudes, those being helped will become less defensive and more open to themselves and their world, and they will behave in prosocial and constructive ways.

In my perspective, these attributes make therapeutic process become less stressful, for both client and therapist. It also makes therapist pay his full attention to the client instead of the techniques. I myself like this approach because it places the human in their nature as a human being, not like an animal.

#Ditulis untuk memenuhi tugas matakuliah Psychotherapy and Behavior Modification"(al-'ilaj an-nafsi wa ta'dil as-suluk) di semester lalu. Ditulis dengan bahasa Inggris karena deadline yang sudah sangat mepet.

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