Person-Centred Counselling: An Experiential Approach

`This book offers a truly engaging "read". The writing style is good and it gives the reader a wide range of perspectives, from the meta-theoretical to the concrete practical experience of clients and counsellors.... David Rennie's book serves to continue the development as well as the exposition of the person-centred approach to counselling' - British Journal of Guidance and Counselling `This is a very good book... clearly within the humanistic/experiential tradition... It seems to me to be very important that this kind of research continues - it is the raw data of the counselling profession' - Person-Centred Practice This book contains powerful new ideas about person-centred theory and practice. Supported by intensive qualitative research into the client's experience of counselling, the book highlights the significance and pervasiveness of reflexivity - defined as self-awareness and agency within that self-awareness - and explores surprising ways in which clients contribute reflexively to the counselling process. Vivid examples highlight activities, show the therapy in action and illustrate how counsellors can use their own experiences creatively to facilitate their attunement to themselves, their clients and their relationships with them. The theoretical framework covers matters such as the use of images and metaphor, counsellor transparency and the assistance of clients' agency. Emphasis is placed on the client/counsellor relationship through such crucial areas as the working alliance, power dynamics and metacommunication.