Person-Centred Counselling
An Experiential Approach
- David L Rennie - York University, Canada
Person Centred 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.
`It is a wonderful guide, largely due to Rennie's ability to address issues that commonly go unspoken within psychotherapy training and supervision.... The beauty of this book is the way it captures subtle shifts in therapists' experience and consciousness as they resonate with their clients and then move to make decisions about their therapy. Sections are replete with vignettes, illustrating clinical and supervisory interventions. These transcribed segments of therapy, research, and training sessions assist readers to move from a theoretical description of concepts to the pragmatic application of skills and principles' - Journal of Constructivist Psychology
`In this book, Rennie has all the ingredients for a solid presentation of important issues in psychotherapy (a word I prefer to his "counselling"). He knows the philosophical argument, has a keen appreciation of other major theorists, works from a strong empirical base, and writes well. In an era when the buzz is all "manualized treatment", Rennie's book is a refreshing alternative for practitioners and for students learning the art of theraputic intervention' - Canadian Psychology
`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 makes extensive use of "boxes" to present illustrative material from clients and counsellors. These considerably enliven the presentation.... 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 about an approach to counselling developed by David Rennie [who] explored and developed his ideas until... he felt ready to present them in the coherent and structured form in which they appear in this book... clearly within the humanistic/experiential tradition... Rennie has done a lot of qualitative research into how clients experience counselling, what they consider important, how they are helped and not helped and so on. 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 is clearly an important book, especially in locating debates within and, more, outside the PCA, such as the use of imagery and metaphor, power dynamics between the client and counsellor, and training' - Counselling, The Journal of the British Association for Counselling
`This book is a practical and theoretical guide to the field of person-centred counselling and will appeal to students and trainers alike. Therapists of whatever orientation are bound to reflect deeply on aspects of their own practice after reading the book... For the experienced worker with a sound knowledge of counselling theory, or the tertiary level student, the book will be a rewarding read, and it is an excellent textbook introducing a modern, integrated person-centred approach... Anyone who is interested in the complex process of communication between two human beings in a counselling setting will find much to ponder upon' - National Academy of Human Potential (NACHP) News
