Humanistic Approach to Counselling

For over fifty years a humanistic approach has been used in the field of therapeutic counselling. Although behavioural and psychoanalytic forms of counselling are also available, the humanistic approach is an extremely successful option.

What is Humanistic Counselling?

Counselling clients with a humanistic approach provides them with an opportunity to explore creativity, personal growth and self-development, as well as acknowledging a variety of choices. The foundations of the humanistic approach provide the client with a deeper understanding of who they are, what they feel and the opportunity to explore the possibility of creating personal choices. It encourages self-awareness and self-realisation.

A humanistic approach provides a distinct method of counselling and focuses predominately on an individual’s unique, personal potential to explore creativity, growth, love and psychological understanding.

Specialist Knowledge

Counsellor’s specialising in providing clients with humanistic counselling are skilled in offering a non-judgmental, supportive and understanding service, in a safe and confidential environment.

There are many different types of humanistic counselling, all of which involve a close counselling relationship between the counsellor/therapist and the client. These include Gestalt Counselling, Transactional Analysis, Transpersonal Psychology, Depth Therapy and Humanistic Psychotherapy, to name but a few.

Gestalt Therapy

This type of counselling is directive, as opposed to non-directive and person centred, and offers the client an opportunity to explore thoughts and feelings, and how these are processed. It provides an incentive to become more aware of the mind, body and spirit. By working through and clarifying feelings a client can achieve greater understanding of their own personal experiences.

A counsellor, specialising in the Gestalt method of counselling, will provide support and enable the client to become more self-aware. This may be done by applying a series of exercises and counselling experiences, like role-playing, to help increase self-development and self-knowledge.

Transactional Analysis Counselling

Based around a client’s self-development and personal growth, transactional analysis provides a connection between a client’s past and how this influence’s present decisions and choices. Transactional Analysis also acknowledges the three ego states that run through every relationship a person has with others. These are the Parent, Adult and Child ego states.

The client is encouraged to look back over past decisions they have made, and to analyse and understand the consequences and subsequent direction. This form of humanistic approach to counselling also helps clients become more in tuned with their thinking and acting skills.

Transpersonal Psychology

This is a deeper form of therapy and requires the client delves into the core of their issues and problems, by exploring personal development, self-awareness, behaviour, spirituality and individual qualities.

The Humanistic Counsellor

Counsellors who work with clients in a humanistic way are able to provide support so that the client can freely explore their whole life experience, rather than singular blocks. Particular attention is paid to combining the past, present and future, instead of concentrating on one specific area, problem or issue.

Humanistic counselling, unlike other forms of counselling support, is unfortunately not widely available on the NHS, and yet provides as good a result as the other more acknowledged types of counselling. Next...why not take a look at some of our case studies?