Learning and Being continued...

Seem to be taking longer to read through Learning and Being, than other counselling books previously studied. Why so? Following some thought, feel the answer is, it is one of the better person-centred books I've come across. Not that the others I've studied and read are bad, just that this one covers everything in a more appealing way for me. Perhaps, though, the other books helped lay a foundation and this book is cementing together all the previous thoughts and concepts, so it all makes greater sense and purpose. If I'd come across this book first then maybe another book would take it's place in brining everything together? For me, I'm glad to have encountered things in this order. In time, I shall go through the previously studied books again, hoping that an even greater depth of understanding will be achieved. On surface reading the person-centred approach seems very simple and perhaps it is, but the underlying theory involves depth. Rogers, "The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change" seem simple enough:

1. Two persons are in psychological contact.
2. The first, whom we shall term the client, is in a state of incongruence, bring vulnerable or anxious.
3. The second person, whom we shall term the counsellor, is congruent or integrated in the relationship.
4. The counsellor experiences unconditional positive regard for the client.
5. The counsellor experiences an empathic understanding of the client's internal frame of reference and endeavours to communicate this experience to the client.
6. The communication to the client of the counsellor's empathic understanding and unconditional positive regard is to a minimal degree achieved.

No other conditions are necessary. If these six conditions exist, and continue over a period of time, this is sufficient. The process of personality change will follow. (Quoting Rogers in Learning and Being, pg 49)

Yet, there are books written on each step, particularly steps 3 to 5. My comprehension of each step is evolving but, perhaps, with still a long way to go?