Review of Eric H. Chudler's The Little Book of Neuroscience Haikus

This is a complete and corrected version of Dr. Kahn's article.

This article aims to explore the changing process of a bereaved father who lost his daughter out of the 1999 Taiwan Earthquake. Initially, this father, whom I will call John, greeted me formally and politely, though with implicit distrust. However, in a period of 16 months in which I continually paid visits to the family some long conversations also took place, and John gradually' was willing to trust me. Beyond a recorded in-depth interview with John, I sensed his intense emotions over the loss, and thus invited him for therapy. John finally agreed, and there were seven therapy sessions.
I worked as a person-centered therapist. In counseling, John chose the topic, issue, and speed, and I followed. I kept field notes for the encounter within 24 hours after each session. The descriptions in this paper came out of the field notes. Two themes - a deeper understanding of John and three major changes in John – emerged from the notes. The three changes were autonomy, flexible views, and feat of retirement. They seem unrelated to each other; however, they are all induced from his grief experience. The application of the person-centered therapy appeared to open a new possibility for the field of grief therapy.

Non-directiveness is an attitude of the client-centered therapist. It is the valuational matrix within which the core conditions of acceptance, empathic understanding, and congruence coalesce. The paper explores how departing from this attitude makes a difference in clients’ experiences of psychotherapy. An excerpt from focusing-oriented therapy suggests effects of directivity that re-inscribe the authority of the therapist and undermine clients’ “power to refuse.” It is argued that non-directive client-centered therapy trusts clients as the proper architect of the therapy process and that process directive and experiential therapies do not.

In dialogue format, the authors revisit the issues of scientific and humanistic approaches to human knowing raised by Carl Rogers and Michael Polanyi in their 1966 dialogue. Moorman posits an unreduced and unexplained view of persons and phenomena. Stillwell offers that the use of language necessarily introduces some reductionism. Both value an acceptance of experience. The dialogue concludes with expressions of trust in the making meaning from the ambiguity of existence using concepts like the “tacit,” the “self,” and “indefinitude.”

present reflections on a person-centered encounter with a client while a graduate student, including a discussion of my spirituality, personal understanding of good, and choice of the Person-Centered Approach as a professional foundation. I had read, talked with my professors and colleagues, and examined my own experiences in order to understand the Person Centered Approach (PCA). This seems now to have been a prelude to an encounter that stays in my heart, demanding my attention—an encounter that integrated my spiritual and person-centered self.

This is fundamentally a book on a spiritual approach to psychotherapy and will be of particular interest to those who have a transpersonal bent. The book consists of two sections. In the first section, Santos reports on a series of interviews with famous therapists: Carl Rogers, Eugene Gendlin, Erving Polster, Virginia Satir, John Grinder, Robert Nemiroff, and Robert Stein. The rest of the book consists of Santos’ explication of his views of the nature of psychopathology and of therapy. His core idea about therapy is that change occurs through the occurrence of “miracle moments”—moments of fundamental and deep meeting...

A brief person-centered therapy practice is described in terms of the frequency and categorization of nondirective and directive verbal behaviors using 22 clients and 101 taped sessions during a nine-month period. Empathic following responses (91%) followed by nondirective therapist comments (4%) were the most frequently observed behaviors. The therapist spoke about 4 sentences a minute, comprising approximately 28% of the spoken words during therapy sessions. While person-centered nondirectiveness was found to co-exist with therapeutic effectiveness, a pattern was not found between slight differences in nondirectiveness and outcome measures

Can the very process of creating stories about pictures and discussing the emergent themes with a trained psychotherapist be helpful in facilitating self-understanding and fostering psychological growth? If so, what are the necessary and sufficient conditions for this process to occur? Following a brief discussion of the fundamental principles surrounding the theoretical construct of apperception, I will explain and advocate for a client-centered approach in the use of projectives to facilitate client self-understanding in a collaborative therapeutic relationship.

This paper explores the role a culture plays under the Person-Centered Approach (PCA) paradigm, and argues the possibility for the PCA to be applied in a collectivist culture. Taiwan, where eastern philosophies and modernization are intertwined, was long colonized and governed in a dictatorial way. In such a context, whether the principle of the PCA is applicable is challenging. In this paper- both the challenges of Chinese culture and the historical and political aspects of Taiwan are reviewed. Additionally, social context and the PCA are contrasted from a perspective of being an individual in a collectivist culture. The PCA’s position is mirrored by some eastern philosophies, and the paper argues that a Taiwanese's natural tendency exists beneath the vicissitude of social context. Taiwanese culture plays a role of blocking people's actualizing tendency. The paper highlights the challenges of some particular cultural blocks. When a growth-promoting climate is created, persons get to experience it. More inner freedom develops, and the natural tendency directs the person to self-actualization.

Review of Talking to Alzheimer's by Claudia Strauss

This paper describes how the nondirective altitude, client-centered theory and the three attitudinal conditions inform and become evident in this therapist’s psychotherapy work with children. It is asserted that the Rogerian attitudinal conditions are sufficient regardless of whether or not the client articulates and understands his or her feelings. Two of Virginia Axline's principles for child therapy are described as being somewhat in contrast with nondirective client-centered theory.

The structured exercise in empathic listening is designed to provide counselor trainees with an intensive and deliberate focus on the person-centered empathic process. By far the single most curative factor identified in counseling process and outcome research, empathy deserves lo be a key focus of counselor research and training. Current psychotherapy outcome research estimates of empathy's variance in effecting client positive change occur in the 40% range. This learning exercise is decidedly a highly effective tool for enhancing counselor's capacities to practice empathy; with minimal, if any observable adverse effect on student-selected participants. Qualitative findings from more than 200 counselor trainees over a ten year period, along with a sub-sample of 23 trainees' quantitative results point to the value of the empathy exercise as an especially useful method in counselor empathy training. Experience with the large number of exercises being conducted by trainees suggests that rare instances of a need for one-on-one supervision do occur; and that therefore, the trainer-supervisor must be mindful of the progress, process, and outcome of each case. In-class periodic assessments of general progress, along with individual student meetings and initiation of follow-up as needed are recommended.

This paper presents a critical examination from a person-centered perspective of an approach to counseling influenced by the social constructionist thought of Kenneth Gergen. The general postmodernist character of such social constructionism is considered and critiqued, as are certain implications for counselor training and practice. The position is taken that any attempt to introduce social constructionist ideas into the framework of person-centered counseling should be done in a way that does not compromise the fundamental vision of Carl Rogers, its main architect.

From the realization that there is a great gap between the theory of client-centered therapy and its practice, the authors aim to investigate the difficulties and the challenges which arise in the client-centered therapists clinical practice. The therapist's trust in the client's actualizing tendency, indispensable to the success of the therapeutic process, is not attained only through a theoretical knowledge of client-centered therapy. Indeed, it is necessary that the therapist has herself experienced the process of therapeutic change promoted by this approach. The authors analyze the elements of change that need to be experienced by the therapist of a successful client-centered practice. Stages in the therapist's development are also considered.

This paper looks at the possibility of applying a person-centered approach to medical care within an HMO. It discusses the difficulties and rewards of such a practice. The author presents a further challenge to all interested in PCA to continue to influence behavior and policy within the managed care model.

The Client Evaluation of Counselor Scale (CECS) was developed by the author and used to obtain 135 client's evaluations of their counselor's in-session altitudes and behaviors, along with client's reported satisfaction with their counseling experience. Practicum/internship counselors (n : 35) participating in the study represented themselves as preferring a variety of theoretical orientations. For purposes of the present report, clients' evaluations of the core conditions (as defined by specific CECS items) were appraised with regard lo the variables with which they were most highly correlated. Global profiles of an understanding/empathic, an accepting/unconditionally positively regarding, and a genuine counselor were derived from statistical data on face valid and content valid items as revealed by clients' reports. These core condition profiles compare well with traditional conceptualizations of the core conditions. Twelve empirically-factored counselor styles/dimensions were identified; most included both theory specific and non-specific variables (survey items); and all correlated significantly with counseling outcome. Results are compared and contrasted with current research on counseling process and outcome, with person-centered concepts in particular addressed. The present research provides support for the views that multifarious therapist approaches are correlated with positive client outcomes; that person-centered characteristics appear to be especially strong correlates of client positive outcome; and that perhaps the most significant component of both counselor embodiment of the core conditions and client positive outcome is the client's perception of the therapist as a well-adjusted person.

Master's candidates in counseling psychology, along with their seminar supervisor discuss, debate, and summarize their reactions to Natalie Rogers' therapy demonstration video. Responses are candid and cover a broad range of perspectives. The reviewers address various philosophical and practice issues that converge on two central themes: that is person-centered therapy, and what is good therapy. Following the dialogue, reactions to the video and to the critique process are presented.

The core conditions stated by Carl Rogers as necessary and sufficient for constructive personality change are vulnerable to misuse even by therapists whose original purpose is of studied and pure intent. Kornfield's elucidation of the Buddhist concept of The Near Enemies is used as a perspective to understand the core conditions. Greater self-awareness of the experience of empathy and unconditional positive regard allows an opportunity for therapists to be personally congruent with the purpose of the core conditions. Attachment, pity and indifference are discussed as traps to intended outcomes in psychotherapy.

Literature examining the treatment of test anxiety over the last few decades focuses primarily on the efficacy of cognitive and behavioral interventions (e.g., Allen, 1972; Meichenbaum, 1972, 1977). Over time, interventions have become even more symptom-specific (e.g., Broota & Sanghvi, 1994; Gosselin & Matthews, 1995). However, some researchers suggest that anxiety-focused approaches nay not improve performance, and skills acquisition and training nay not reduce anxiety (e.g., Klinger, I984; Paulman & Kennelley, I984). While some studies suggest that person-centered variables enhance therapeutic outcomes in the treatment of test anxiety, almost no literature exists comparing the efficacy of these different approaches (e.g., Ryan & Moses, 1979; Payne, 1985). A case summary describes a person-centered application to the treatment of test anxiety as a nondirective, individualized alternative to symptom-specific modalities.

In the ecosystemic approach, if something changes in the interpersonal system, the problem behavior will change. The importance of using the core conditions in implementing the ecosystemic approach was demonstrated for two types of interventions, the first based on "positive attribution;" the second based on empathic response. Ecosystemics incorporated with the person-centered approach offers a range of techniques for addressing problem behaviors in schools.

Psychotherapy is the treatment for psychological disorders deriving from disturbed interpersonal relationships. The essence of psychotherapy is love, or agape. It is argued that it follows that love is the primary prevention of psychosocial disorders. Unconditional love in infancy and early childhood is necessary for the normal psychosocial development of all human beings. Steps to be taken for proactive intervention are included. Published literature is cited to support the thesis and conclusions.

This brief article discusses the author's perceptions of the meaningful parallels between Taoism and Person-Centered Therapy.

In this paper, Unconditional Positive Regard is presented as the primary condition of therapeutic personality change. Genuineness and Empathic Understanding are viewed as two contextual attitudes. The concept of the necessary and sufficient conditions for therapeutic personality change is reconceptualized in a way consistent with this view. The reconceptualization entails (a) genuineness being viewed as a therapist state of readiness that enables the therapist to better experience the client with empathic understanding of the client's internal frame of reference and to experience unconditional positive regard towards the client; (b) empathic understanding being viewed as the action state of the therapist in which the client is accepted as he or she is at any given moment. The understanding of the client's internal frame of reference by the therapist is viewed as the most optimal way for the client to experience unconditional positive regard; and (c) unconditional positive regard being viewed as the primary change agent in which the client's needs for positive regard and positive self regard are met and the actualizing tendency of the individual is promoted.

Barry Grant reviews the book Invitation to Person-Centred Psychology by Tony Merry.

Ned L. Gaylin reviews the book Child-Centered Counseling and Psychotherapy by A. Boyd and G. Pine.