Ask a group of people to name a famous psychotherapist, and most would probably say Sigmund Freud or perhaps Carl Jung. But, one of the most influential psychotherapists of the 20th century was Carl Rogers.
In the 1940s, Rogers developed a radical approach to psychotherapy called “person-centered therapy,” a therapeutic technique in which the therapist uses empathy, reflective listening, and profound acceptance — rather than interpreting behaviors or exploring unconscious drives — to help the client find their own way to self-actualization.
How Carl Rogers Transformed Psychotherapy
At the time Rogers developed his theories, the basic approach to psychotherapy was very authoritarian, says Dominic Cirincione, a psychotherapist who was a friend and colleague of Rogers during the 60s and 70s. “Freud would interpret your dreams — and then tell you about yourself. Jung was a little more generous in that he helped people explore their dreams more, but still, he was very interpretive.”
