Core Theoretical Perspectives in Counselling

In this essay I'm going to describe and evaluate the three core theoretical perspectives in counselling, personal centred, cognitive behavioural and psychodynamic I will look at the general theory, the view of the person in therapy, the blocks to functioning of the person in therapy and the goals and techniques of each theory. I will compare and contrast the three approaches looking at the similarities and differences between the three counselling perspectives and how the counsellor in each theory differ in their techniques to counselling their clients.
The person centred counsellor needs according to Carl Rogers to have three core conditions which are unconditional positive regard, empathy and congruence towards their clients however there are six “necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change” that Rogers thought needed in order to get the most out of person centred counselling and if these conditions continued over a period of time then no other conditions are necessary. Personal centred counselling sees the individual as a whole, as an organism that is motivated towards achieving its potential. This is called the "actualising tendency” In an aim to move away from the doctor-patient relationship and into a more equal and relaxed relationship Rogers called his patients clients this is very different from the psychodynamic theory which is very much based on the doctor-patient relationship?
The person in personal centred counselling is viewed as acting to fulfil two primarily needs. The first is the need for self-actualisation. The second is a need to be loved and valued by others. Maslow's view of the person is essentially positive and optimistic and like Rogers he believed individuals to be unique and with the right experiences could grow to their full potential and proposed a hierarchy of needs (see appendix 1) which he believed responsible for human motivation. The clients in personal centred counselling have the power to control