Picking A Therapist For Client Centered Therapy

Treatments in the field of psychotherapy are many and different, and depending on the result you want to accomplish, combined with the means you’d be most comfortable with, there are many options that you can choose in order to improve your mental status. One of the very popular types of therapy is known as client centered psychotherapy. What makes it different from all of the rest ? That is a good question , since it’s hard for most people to spot the unique and defining characteristics in this therapy, even though they are fairly obvious, once you know where to look.
The defining element in this therapy is based in the theoretical postulates of one of the founders of humanistic therapy – Carl Rogers. According to him , and many other specialists, the key to a successful therapy is the mutual understanding between patient and therapist and the common knowledge that every human has potential for doing better for himself – anyone can progress and improve, as long as that becomes their main objective. Making it so requires the help of the therapist himself.
So what are some factors that a psychotherapist in client centered therapy should have ? We’ll start with one of the most important things – genuineness of the relationship between patient and therapist. Some of the therapists in different fields try to put on a mask of professionalism, which only leaves their patient more troubled than enabled to share his problems. While with a good therapist trained in client centered therapy , it is more likely for you to develop a friendly relationship, if not even a friendship with the person treating you. That will allow you to share your problems more easily and with less hassle
Empathy is another important factor in all sorts of therapy, and particularly in client-centered therapy since it presents the person with the opportunity to share his problems in depth with his psychotherapist. Empathy is defined as not only listening, but providing a little input about the patient’s problems and restating issues in such a way , as to provide the patient with more positive influence. Empathic listening is a good quality for people in general ,but it can be defining for the quality of a psychotherapist and that is partly the reason why you should look for it when seeking professional help. A therapist who is not empathic can make you more uncomfortable and reluctant to share your problems, and obstruct the openness that you need to have in order for your therapy to work.
In any case, whether client-centered therapy is your choice or not, it’s good to look out for these qualities in your future therapist (or as we Danes say - professionelle psyko terapeut), because they will allow the therapy sessions to go easily and with less problems . Finding out whether your therapist behaves like this or not, however, depends strongly on your judgment , so you may have to switch therapists until you reach one who can handle the task you present him with enough skills.