Person Centred

Motivational interviewing: Definitions, Spirit, and What It Is Not

The initial description of motivational interviewing (MI), provided by William Miller in 1983, has evolved through both clinical experience and empirical research into the evidence-based practice it is known as today. Differing from more “coercive” methods for motivating change, motivational interviewing does not impose change, but supports it in a way which is congruent with the person’s own valu... »

A Person Centred Approach to Grief and Loss

Maggie is a 35 year old woman who came for counselling six months after the break up of her nine year marriage to Michael, the father of her two children, Josh aged 6 and Joseph aged 12 months. Currently both children are in Maggie's sole care. Maggie has been referred to counselling by her General Practitioner whom she has been seeing for a number of minor physical ailments and early signs of dep... »

A Case Using an Integrative Approach to Relationship Counselling

Mark is 28 and has been married to Sarah for six years. He works for his uncle and they regularly stay back after work to chat. Sarah has threatened to leave him if he does not spend more time with her, but when they are together, they spend most of the time arguing, so he avoids her even more. He loves her, but is finding it hard to put up with her moods. The last few weeks, he has been getting r... »

A Case of Using a Person-Centred and Cognitive-Behavioural Approach to Burnout

Brett is a 36 year old man who works as an accountant for a small family business. The business is failing and Brett will probably have to begin the process of "winding it up" in the near future. His commitment to the business and his friends, the business owners, has intensified the level of stress he is feeling as a result of the business collapse. He has taken a week off work on sick leave and ... »

A Case of Unresolved Grief

Jim had come to counselling to seek help with dealing with the sale of his late mother's estate. He was experiencing a lot of anger with the issue and also with his brother, Frank, who was joint inheritor. Frank was facing bankruptcy and needed the proceeds of the sale of the family home to save his business. »

A Case of Grief using an Eclectic Approach

The client's name is Joan. Joan sought counselling to deal with the unexpected loss of her daughter in a car accident. She received counselling about 2 weeks after her daughter's death and continued with the counselling process over a period of 8 months. The key features of Joan's grief were her feelings of guilt and despair. In these areas, the counsellor worked mainly from a Person-Centered a... »

A Case of Domestic Violence

The client, Gary, called to make his first appointment and said he was persuaded by "a mate" to attend counselling to control his anger. In short Gary was a perpetrator of physical abuse against his intimate female partner, Julie, who is 22 years of age. The couple have no children but his partner has recently expressed a desire to have a child with him. The client is 28 years old and a labourer b... »

A Case of Career Development

Jessica is a 32 year old professional executive who has recently been given the opportunity of completing her Masters in Professional Development with an organisation who value her expertise in her chosen career and have great confidence in her achievement of goals in their particular field. She has studied hard for over a third of her life and has recently married a family-orientated professional... »

A Case Demonstrating Person Centred Therapy

Michael has made an appointment to see his School Counsellor. He is due to finish school this year and is undecided about what direction he should take once he leaves school. Michael is a high achiever and his parents want him to make the most of his opportunity to enter University and study Law or Medicine. Whilst Michael is interested in Medicine, he feels that his interests at the moment are di... »