Person Center Therapy Case Study Wilma

Wilma is a depressed adolescent emerging into young adulthood, for this case, I would use a person-center therapy approach. Wilma has been harvesting her emotions for years. She has never explored her emotions. As Wilma’s counselor, I would like to see Wilma grow and discover herself. Doing so, I would want Wilma to uncover the repressed emotions she holds deep inside herself. Carl Roger’s was a pioneer of his era, he innovated therapy and counseling through his person-center approach. He believed in a humanist approach that clients where capable of directing their own lives.

Roger’s believe people were capable of creating peace and that clients were capable of self-healing and directing. There are three core conditions that affect the attitude of a counselor are congruence, unconditional positive regard, and empathy.

The counselor should be genuine and sincere, accepting of who the client is and nonjudgmental, and able to understand and feel for their client’s according to George Corey in Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, (Corey, 2013, p. 178). According to Roger’s these where the three core attitudes counselors must adapt to in their practice, attitudes and understanding is a greater support than techniques. It is important for the counselor to be present during the session, being absorbent of the information the counselor hears. If the counselor gives a good presence, the client will feel comfortable and less reluctant. In addition, it sets up a welcoming environment filled with support where clients are able to become self-understanding, self-directed, and produce change in their lives. For example, if Wilma feels that I believe she can change than she will also believe she can change. She has trust in me, which I have in her.
According to Corey, person-center therapy is “to encourage clients to get closer to themselves, to feel more deeply and intensely, and to recognize and resolve the incongruity that exists within them” (Corey, Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 2013, p. 183). With this in mind, I would want the therapy session to be entirely subjective about Wilma’s emotions. My attitude would be warm, gentle, and understanding towards Wilma, it should not be a hostile environment where Wilma feels intimidated or threatened. I would use an approach where I am listening to my client rather than doing the talking. Using this theory, it would enhance Wilma’s perspective of her own self-concept. She is suffering from severe depression and the idea is for Wilma to self-discover why she is in this state.
I would show empathy at the same time guide the empathy. As a counselor I am not here to problem solve for Wilma. Person-center therapy is about the client uncovering who they are. I would not diagnosis Wilma as depressed or any disorder. According to the Case Approach to Counseling and Psychotherapy, Dr. David J. Cain states how a diagnosis “may create a false sense of security” and a diagnosis may not always be valuable (Corey, Case Approach to Psychotherapy, 2013, p. 91) . However, as a counselor, I may diagnose Wilma in my notes to help myself consider her case; the client should feel like the diagnosis defines them. I would want to build on our trust instead of discouraging her with a label. Person-center theory focuses on the relationship between client-therapist. Wilma should be in a setting where she is comfortable to be herself and discover who herself is. The idea is to get Wilma to become self-aware and self-motivated. I would first address why Wilma is with me. If she were reluctant to speak I would start with small talk, ask her about her day, her sisters and her mom. I hope that with the mention of her mom, there is a spark of emotion even for a second hopefully I will notice and can address it. For example, “Wilma, you seem as if you tensed up with the mention of your mother, would you like to talk about it?” There is no assessment for this theory, let the client express himself or herself in any way they want.
“Person-centered theory holds that the therapist’s function is to be present and accessible to clients and to focus on their immediate experience… clients then have the necessary freedom to explore areas of their life that were either denied to awareness or distorted” (Corey, Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 2013, p. 180). Having the therapist present to the client’s immediate experiences and concerns as well as showing an understanding attitude towards Wilma I am more likely to enter her world. Wilma needs a congruent figure in her life to help her, by showing her positive regard. Rogers believed through the therapeutic process and the client-therapist relationship “the capacity to use that relationship for growth and change, personal development will occur” (Corey, Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 2013, p. 181). He had a formulated six core conditions for the therapeutic process, they emphasized how this relationship is a shared journey, in which both parties partake in the experience. The client, Wilma will discover and reveal her true self through a psychological journey, whereas the therapist would invest in his or her own self-knowledge (Corey, Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 2013, p. 182). Person-center is a two way experience, the therapist has as much to gain, as does the client. This journey will trigger emotions in both and create depth in communication and openness between the mine and Wilma’s relationship. Wilma has not had a strong female figure in her life and in return to her experience I would be that figure, the light that can guild her. Wilma will help cultivate and help me have a better perspective of her life and culture.
Wilma has been repressing emotions from a young age; it will not be wise to explore her childhood.

For example, in the Casebook, the therapist is not exploring why Ruth left her church or why she does not have a great relationship with her parents but he wants her to explore her future and her present. Exploring how it is this going to affect her marriage and her relationship with her children. In addition, exploring how she is dealing with this situation at hand. If the therapist were to use psychotherapy then he would address Ruth’s childhood experiences. Rogers’ thought it was unnecessary to explore the unconsciousness unlike Freud. If Wilma wanted to explore her past, I would be open to it but would not press the matter. Alternative, I would praise Wilma for living and empathize for her struggle for the last 18 years. As her counselor I might say, “Wilma it must be a struggle every day and I cannot imagine what you have gone through but every day you go through your day you make me feel like you are one step closer to helping yourself”. A follow-up comment I might say, “Wilma you show great strength in yourself by going on with life

everyday”.
Wilma has disclosed her upbringing during the initiate meeting. Since there are limited amount of sessions, I would want Wilma to focus on what her concern is. It seems Wilma’s mother blames Wilma for her father abandoning them. Perhaps, Wilma’s mother does not want to accept becoming pregnant with Wilma helped show the real mask of her lover. As Wilma’s counselor, I would explore any theory about her mother that Wilma has. However, as the counselor, I will not impose my opinions and emotions on to Wilma, I will reflect back on her emotions. Most of my response will be reflections of Wilma’s own words, thought and body language. Pain always expresses itself on the physical body and reflecting Wilma’s expression can help her understand her emotions. By reflecting Wilma’s thoughts and not interpreting them this will help Wilma understand herself and look profoundly into herself and instead of feeling that I am enforcing these emotions and thoughts on to her. A person-center counselor will guide the client to look for answers in themselves. The counselor is helping the client figure out their own methodology for solving problems. Wilma is capable of her own solutions; and therapeutic goals (Corey, Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 2013, p. 179) she only needs the methodology to guide her there.
The process of therapy is for Wilma to understand herself and become the best judge for her. The purpose of a humanistic approach is to increase the individual’s emotions of self-worth, while reducing their levels of incongruence to help an individual become a fully functioning person (Corey, Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 2013, p. 183). The theory seams into Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the core of his theory was that self-actualization blends with freedom, honesty, trust, and autonomy (Corey, Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 2013, p. 177). First as a counselor, I have to must make sure Wilma is receiving her basic needs for survival. Second, I want Wilma to feel protected while making sure she is no harm to herself or others. Wilma cannot reach self-actualization without meeting the needs of belonging and esteem. Wilma spent her life being last for her mother’s love and affection. She spent her entire young life not feeling any compassion or love from her mother. She is isolated at home and feels like an outcast at school.
Wilma needs to know she is not alone, in order for Wilma to become self-directed; she will need to explore her current emotions about her mother and sisters. In the intake, she states her sisters are better socially and academically. These emotions are influencing Wilma on how she interacts with other peers. She feels she incongruent, she lacked love her entire life, in addition, she lacks a strong male figure in her life and never knew how to cope with it. Wilma in a way raised herself. The most appropriate methodology that may work with Wilma is motivational interviewing. Motivational interviewing “stresses self-responsibility and promotes an invitational style for working cooperatively with clients to generate alternative solutions to behavioral problems” (Corey, Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 2013, p. 191). The healthiest response to Wilma will be empathic, vigorous responses. Listening responses will also be helpful, minimal encouragements, paraphrasing, checking for understanding. These responses will also help Wilma hear what she is saying and give her an understanding of her own emotions and thoughts. Through the process of free association, Wilma will speak out her thoughts and issues and in a way self-explore what is really bothering her.
Carl Roger developed the person center therapy in the 1940s-50s. Through this humanist approach, counselors are able to treat their clients better. With free association and the three core conditions clients are able to build trust and confine it in the counselor. By reflecting on what the client say’s the counselor is able to help the client self-heal and direct him or herself. The client is capable of self-recovery and self-understanding. Having a strong client-therapist relationship will help the therapeutic process because it is a shared journey. By understanding and being empathic towards the client, the client is able to reflect and develop therapeutic goals for him or herself.