Chapter 13 – Humanistic Psychotherapy

Incongruence vs. Congruence

• Congruence: When a person’s self-concept matches their actual experience. In simple terms, you are authentic and “real” — how you see yourself fits how you actually feel and behave.

• Incongruence: When there is a mismatch between self-concept and actual experience. For example, someone might see themselves as “always fine” but actually feel anxious or unhappy inside. This gap can lead to distress or psychological problems.

Core Elements of Person-Centered Therapy (Carl Rogers)

• Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR): The therapist accepts and values the client without judgment, no matter what they say or feel.

• Empathy: The therapist deeply understands the client’s feelings and experiences from their perspective.

• Congruence (genuineness): The therapist is real and authentic, not acting like a distant expert.

Humanistic vs. Psychodynamic Therapist

Humanistic therapist

• Focus: Present experience and personal growth

• Role of therapist: Supportive, equal, non-directive

• Goal: Help clients become more self-aware, authentic, and self-accepting

Psychodynamic therapist

• Focus: Unconscious processes and past experiences (especially childhood)

• Role of therapist: More interpretive and analytical (expert-like)

• Goal: Make the unconscious conscious and resolve inner conflicts

Existential Therapy

• Existential therapy is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on helping people deal with the basic challenges of being human, rather than diagnosing or “fixing” specific symptoms.

• It is based on the idea that people must find meaning and make choices in a world that can feel uncertain or difficult.

• Main ideas:

  • Humans are fundamentally alone

  • Awareness of isolation, freedom, death, and meaninglessness creates anxiety

Gestalt Therapy

• Gestalt Therapy is a type of experiential psychotherapy that focuses on awareness, the present moment, and personal responsibility.

• People grow psychologically when they become fully aware of what they are thinking, feeling, and doing in the present moment (“here and now”).

• Main ideas:

  • Focus on the whole person (thoughts, emotions, body, awareness)

  • Emphasizes the present moment (“the now”)

  • Encourages awareness and integration of all parts of the self

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

• Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a collaborative, goal-oriented style of communication used in therapy to help people find their own motivation to change.

• Key principles:

  • Express empathy: Understand the client’s perspective without judgment.

  • Develop discrepancy: Help clients see the gap between their current behavior and their goals/values.

  • Roll with resistance: Avoid arguing; resistance is met with reflection, not confrontation.

  • Support self-efficacy: Build confidence that change is possible.

• Goal: To increase a person’s internal motivation so they are more likely to make and maintain positive behavioral changes (e.g., reducing substance use, improving health behaviors).

Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs)

These are structured activities designed to increase well-being, such as:

• practicing gratitude (e.g., writing gratitude lists),

• identifying and using personal strengths,

• savoring positive experiences,

• setting and working toward meaningful goals,

• increasing acts of kindness.

Strength-Based Counseling

• This approach focuses on a person’s existing strengths, resources, and abilities rather than their deficits.

• Key ideas:

  • Clients are seen as capable and resilient.

  • Therapy builds on what is already working well.

  • Problems are reframed in terms of skills and potential growth.

• Goal: To enhance well-being, resilience, and life satisfaction by helping people use their strengths and cultivate positive experiences.

Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)

• Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) is a type of psychotherapy that helps people understand, experience, and change their emotions in a healthy way.

• Key principles:

  • Emotions are important signals: They guide needs and actions.

  • Awareness of emotions: Clients learn to notice and label what they feel.

  • Processing emotions: Instead of suppressing feelings, clients explore them deeply.

  • Transforming emotions: Unhelpful emotions (like shame or fear) can be changed through new emotional experiences (e.g., compassion, self-acceptance).