feeling and the accompanying acceptance are them-
selves reassuring. Reassurance is also conveyed by
the therapist’s tone of voice, choice of words, facial
expression, and general demeanor. Providing inter-
pretation and giving advice or information are
avoided because these imply that the therapist
knows what is best for the client. In general, how-
ever, the idea is to place the responsibility for ther-
apeutic progress on the client’s shoulders rather
than on those of the therapist. Similarly, to interpret
is to tell clients why they behaved in a given
fashion. Interpretation means that the therapist has
preempted responsibility for progress rather than
waiting for clients to arrive at their own
explanations.
In the case of acceptance, this is less a tech-
nique than an all-pervasive attitude. The durable
belief is that the client is capable of reaching a
satisfactory solution to problems in living. Accep-
tance provides the atmosphere in which the cli-
ent’s potential for growth and self-actualization
can be asserted. By responding to the client’s feel-
ings and then accepting them, the therapist pro-
videswarmththatleadstothefeelingofbeing
understood.
Client-centered therapy sessions are usually
scheduled once a week. More frequent sessions,
extra sessions, and phone calls are discouraged
because these can lead to a dependence that will
stifle any sense of growth. The general sequence
or process of therapy has been described by Rogers
as involving a series of seven stages that the client
undergoes (Meador & Rogers, 1984). We present a
highly condensed version here.
First stage:Unwillingness to reveal self; own
feelings not recognized; rigid constructs;
close relationships perceived as dangerous.
Second stage:Feelings sometimes described, but
person is still remote from own personal
experience; still externalizes heavily, but
begins to show some recognition that
problems and conflicts exist.
Third stage:Description of past feelings as unac-
ceptable; freer flow of expressions of self;
begins to question validity of ownconstructs; incipient recognition that
problems are inside rather than outside
the individual.
Fourth stage:Free description of personal feel-
ings as owned by the self; dim recognition
that long-denied feelings may break into
the present; loosening of personal con-
structs; some expression of self-
responsibility; begins to risk relating to
others on a feeling basis.
Fifth stage:Free expression of feelings and
acceptance of them; previously denied
feelings, although fearsome, are clearly in
awareness; recognition of conflicts
between intellect and emotions; accep-
tance of personal responsibility for prob-
lems; a desire to be what one is.
Sixth stage:Acceptance of feelings without
need for denial; a vivid, releasing sense of
experience; willingness to risk being one-
self in relationships with others; trusts
others to be accepting.
Seventh stage:Individual now comfortable with
experiencing self; experiences new feel-
ings; little incongruence; ability to check
validity of experience.Diagnosis
In general, diagnosis or assessment is deemphasized
or avoided in client-centered therapy. Most Roger-
ians believe that formal assessment is not only
unnecessary but actually detrimental. According to
these Rogerians, assessment places the psychologist
in a superior, authoritative role that can impede the
development of autonomy and self-actualization.
The abandonment of assessment seems to imply
that client-centered therapy is so potent and effec-
tive a method that it works on all clients, regardless
of their problems or of the particular circumstances
in which they find themselves. Needless to say, the
utility of this assumption has not yet been ade-
quately demonstrated (Greenberg et al., 1994).
What is important in client-centered therapy
is the feelings, not whether they are wrong or376 CHAPTER 13