Psychology

Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training 2005, Vol. 42, No. 1, 37–51

Copyright 2005 by the Educational Publishing Foundation 0033-3204/05/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/0033-3204.42.1.37

THE CURRENT STATUS OF CARL ROGERS AND THE PERSON-CENTERED APPROACH

HOWARD KIRSCHENBAUM AND APRIL JOURDAN

University of Rochester

This investigation of Carl Rogers’s work explores the current status of the client-centered/person-centered approach within the United States and internationally. The status is revealed 1st by the volume of person-centered literature that has been published since Rogers’s death in 1987. The prevalence of Rogers’s work is also measured in the number of professional organizations, institutes, and journals dedicated to the person-centered approach. Finally, recent research on therapy outcomes, common factors, the working alliance, and therapeutic relationships has validated 2 or 3 of Rogers’s core conditions— empathy, unconditional positive regard, and, possibly, congruence—as being critical components of effective psychotherapy.

The historical influence that Carl R. Rogers (1902–1987) had on the field of clinical psychology, psychotherapy, and counseling is widely known— but what prevalence does Rogers’s work still have today? Have current trends in research and practice rendered Rogers’s contributions to that of historic, foundational interest only, or are Rogers’s contributions still valid, relevant, and alive in the 21st century? This study

seeks to answer this question by examining three areas in which the status of Rogers’s work may be ascertained—the number of publications on the client-centered/person-centered approach, the extent of person-centered organizations and training institutes around the world, and the role of client-centered principles in the last several decades of research on psychotherapy process and outcomes. Historical Influence Carl Rogers and his colleagues were the first to record, transcribe, and publish complete cases...