Congruence: An integrative five-dimension model.

Cornelius-White, J.H. - Missouri State University

Article | From volume/issue: 6.4 | Pages: 229–39

Keywords: congruence, awareness, organismic integration, ecology, theory

Abstract: There have been numerous discussions of the concept of congruence. This paper presents a five-dimension model that brings different aspects together, clarifying their similarities and differences. It articulates various characteristics of congruence, including what it means to be a person, relationships with other person-centered and experiential theoretical concepts, historical and conceptual contexts, and appropriate synonyms inherent in these discussions. The paper explores the different dimensions separately with the understanding that congruence in practice is a unified experience.

In Search of Flow in Counseling and Psychotherapy: Identifying the necessary ingredients of peak moments of therapy interaction.

Soti Grafanaki, S., Brennan, M., Holmes, S., Tang, K., Alvarez, S. - St Paul University, Ottawa, Canada

Article | From volume/issue: 6.4 | Pages: 240–55

Keywords: flow , psychotherapy process, peak moments

Abstract: Flow is a key concept in the study of peak moments of human experience and performance (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975, 1988, 2000, 2003). During moments of flow, creativity is enhanced, meaning is created, and well-being grows. Flow has been investigated mainly in business, sports, and creative activities. The aim of this paper is to review the ingredients and conditions of flow and identify the necessary aspects of a flow experience in therapy. Based on a comprehensive review of the flow literature and examination of its relevance to counseling (especially during highly influential, positive moments of therapy), we considered the following five elements as important in capturing the essence of flow during peak moments of therapy: experience of bonding and connectedness, intense concentration on a challenging task/topic, immediate/ongoing feedback, altered sense of time, and growth promotion.

The Boundaries of the Client, the Therapist and their Interaction.

Süle, A. - Center for Mental Health Service, Brussels, Belgium

Article | From volume/issue: 6.4 | Pages: 256–70

Keywords: therapeutic relationship, boundaries, therapeutic spaces, reflective process

Abstract: This article explores the function of boundaries in the therapeutic relationship, seen from a person-centered experiential point of view. It states that the boundaries can be flexible depending on the client and on the therapeutic process. But to change the boundaries we need a theory about their function in the therapeutic relationship that allows us to justify these changes. The function of boundaries can be seen as creating three spaces where the reflective process in therapy develops: the internal spaces of both client and therapist and the interactive space between them. The three spaces have different roles in the process of reflection but the experience of the client is the focus in all of them. Understanding the function of boundaries in this way can offer a frame of reference to operate with boundaries in a person-centered way.

Two Rogers, Congruence and the Category Error:The change from client-centered therapy to we-centered therapy.

Frankel, M., Sommerbeck, L.

Article | From volume/issue: 6.4 | Pages: 286-295

Keywords: congruence, Rogers-1, Rogers-2, client-centered, we-centered

What kind of universe? Rogers, Whitehead and transformative process.

Neville, B. - La Trobe University, Australia

Article | From volume/issue: 6.4 | Pages: 271–85

Keywords: formative tendency, process psychology, self-realization, person-centered counseling, transformation

Abstract: This article focuses on the image of the universe which supports Rogers’ notion of the formative tendency as a foundation of the person-centered approach. Rogers locates his thinking within the paradigm of the new science and lists a number of key figures who support his notion of an organic, evolving universe. Among them is the mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead. We may speculate that Rogers was introduced to Whitehead’s process philosophy during his tenure at the University of Chicago, which was at the time a major center for Whitehead’s thinking. Whether or not Rogers was directly influenced by Whitehead scholars, his psychology is essentially a process psychology, and his reflections on therapy in A Way of Being (1980) make most sense when viewed in the context of Whitehead’s process view of cosmology.