Introduction to Person-Centred Counselling

The person-centered counseling, person-centered therapy, or simply the humanistic approach founded by Carl Rogers in the 1940s, is a form of person-centered counseling.

Some fundamental principles of person-centred therapy include:

• Awareness of the client’s subjectivity rather than diagnosis or symptoms
• Or focus on the development of a therapeutic alliance between the therapist and the client, leading to the goal of mutual respect, honesty, and empathy between them.
• To achieve the purpose of the therapy, the therapist offers self-acceptance or positive non-judgment, communion, and authenticity.
• The perception is that the client is capable of positive change, given he or she is placed in the right therapeutic environment.

The Impact of Person-Centred Counselling in Addressing the Problem of Depression

Studies indicate that Person Centred Counselling can be suitable, to a certain extent, for treating depression by encouraging clients to be more self-directed and autonomous.

Currently, there is a lot of stigma associated with depression, and people suffer alone, trying to make others understand that they are indeed suffering. This can be achieved due to the emphasis on person-centered therapy on accepting and endorsing the client’s experiential reality. The therapist appreciates the client without demanding anything from the latter, and this reduces loneliness.

Building Self-Esteem

Depression entails having low self-esteem, and there is a UCLA study that shows this in their examples. Person-centered therapy can be described as focusing on the creation of the operative conditions that will enable the client to adopt a more constructive attitude toward himself and the world. Unconditional positive regard, along with this unconditional support from the side of the therapist, also plays a very crucial role in the process of building one’s own self-esteem.

Facilitating Insight

Depressed people may have even a diminished ability to understand why they are depressed or how to find help for it. This approach of embracing questions and paraphrasing is way different from interpreting for the client in person-centered counseling. This serves to educate, empower, and thus create long-term behavior change.

Getting Over the Feeling of Hopelessness 

Depression is characterized by hopelessness and also a disinclination to change things about one’s life. Person-centered therapy is characterized by self-actualization, meaning the person has the ability to make a decision for their own welfare. This assists in developing self-efficacy and enhances the client’s understanding that they can change something that is depressive in nature.

Providing Emotional Release

Some depressed persons have to work out past experiences or emotions that are evoking their state. This makes person-centered counseling effective; for instance, the way the practice entails a genuine outpour of emotions can help solve such hidden tensions.  

Possible Constraints of Quality of Services to Clients with Depression

While person-centered therapy has many strengths, there are some limitations to consider regarding its effectiveness for those with clinical depression, including:

• It might not be helpful for individuals who require more direction, guidance, and intervention from the therapist.
• Depressed suicidal and otherwise complicated clients may benefit from techniques that are assertive. 
• It involves active participation from the client, which most depressed persons may lack the energy to afford
• Adapting principles used in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• For some people, the lengthy process of self-discovery may not deliver the results swiftly enough to offer the relief they are seeking.
• Does not aid in the biological causes of depression, which might need treatment.

A Great Tool as One of the Elements of Comprehensive Strategy

However, person-centered counseling is most useful when used in combination with other methods of dealing with depression. The treatment combined with the message that targets self-development will be helpful when clearing depression other treatments can be effective, for instance, anti-depressing medication, coaching, etc. Individual patient treatment is the most important in severe conditions, and it combines suitable therapies.

Conclusion

Person-centred counselling is an effective method to listen to people with depression, foster personal reflection to achieve individual value and act in the pursuit of change. Again, this can be one of the most beneficial components in coming out from under long term depression. However, it has its drawbacks and should not therefore be effectual to all. Person centered tends to be most effective as part of other suitable psychological, medical, and lifestyle interventions formulated to suit the particular depressed patient. Also, the empathic and understanding relation between therapist and client in this approach can contribute to alleviate the client for the long-term relief.