Humanistic Therapy

Humanistic Therapy Definition

The humanistic perspective in psychology emphasizes that people are innately good and have the potential for self-fulfillment. Humanistic therapy focuses on promoting a person's development and growth rather than fixating on their problems. Therefore, many humanistic therapists choose to use the term "client" or "person" rather than "patient."

Humanistic theorists believe that inner conflict and disorder block a person's natural growth. This blocking may be brought about by a person's distorted perceptions, negative self-image, and lack of awareness of one's feelings. Humanistic therapies aim to reduce this blocking by helping people access their internal resources for self-healing.

Goals of Humanistic Therapies

Humanistic therapies have several goals that differ from other insight therapies such as psychoanalysis. Humanistic therapies, for example, focus more on the conscious mind than the unconscious mind and do not put as much emphasis on uncovering childhood issues that may be causing the conflict. The primary goals of humanistic therapies are to:

• Promote growth rather than cure an illness
• Help clients grow in self-awareness and self-acceptance
• Reduce inner conflicts or disorders interfering with one's growth and development
• Provide insight
• Focus on the present and the future and less on the past
• Encourage clients to take responsibility for one's actions and feelings
• Boost feelings of self-fulfillment

Humanistic therapies promote self-healing. Pixabay.com

Humanistic Therapy Techniques

Humanistic therapy takes a non-directive approach, meaning that the therapist does not offer guidance or instruction. The therapist should aim to be a mirror for the client to remain non-directive (though no one can do so perfectly). Instead, humanistic therapists strive to create an accepting, caring, non-judgemental space where a client can find a path to self-actualization.

It is vital for this space to feel safe in order to promote greater transparency between the client and the therapist. An effective way for a humanistic therapist to create this space is by engaging in active listening.

By taking this approach, humanistic therapists can improve communication with their clients. Another technique used in humanistic therapies is to treat the client as a whole person, focusing on the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual aspects that make us who we are.

Additionally, humanistic therapies help people find solutions to promote growth. However, in the spirit of being non-directive, the therapist will set strong professional boundaries and never instruct the client about their situation. Instead, they will provide an environment for self-reflection so the client can decide what's best for them.

Types of Humanistic Therapy

There are several forms of humanistic therapy, including client-centered (or person-centered) therapy, Gestalt therapy, and existential therapy, to name a few.

Client-Centered Therapy

Client-centered therapy is the most popular form of humanistic therapy. First developed by Carl Rogers, this type of therapy allows the client to lead the discussion rather than the therapist. This structural shift fosters a sense of trust by communicating to the client that they can work through their problems. Client-centered therapy should help promote self-worth and acceptance, leaving the client feeling free and open to change.

The therapist needs to maintain certain attributes while facilitating client-centered therapy. First, they should consistently display empathy toward their clients by viewing the world through their eyes. A therapist must also be genuine while engaging with the client by expressing one's feelings honestly - both positive and negative. Finally, in this form of humanistic therapy, the therapist should communicate unconditional positive regard by showing genuine care and accepting the client without judgment.

Gestalt Therapy

European psychoanalyst Frederick (Fritz) Perls developed another humanistic therapy called Gestalt therapy. The Gestalt perspective in psychology focuses on perceiving the whole rather than the sum of its parts. Gestalt therapy applies this concept to a humanistic approach to therapy by encouraging clients to focus on the whole of their emotions, ideas, and experience (ground) rather than its parts (figure).

Gestalt therapy is often carried out in groups and can be more active and confrontational than client-centered therapy. By using more imaginative techniques, it can help clients get more in touch with their inner selves. An example of this is the empty chair technique.

The empty chair technique requires clients to imagine someone in an empty chair. Freepik.com

Existential Therapy

Existential therapy is a type of humanistic therapy primarily focused on helping people understand their place in the universe. Therapists using this form of therapy strive to maximize client potential by helping them recognize their power to make rational choices and positive changes in their life. Clients can re-create themselves by consistently discovering meaning in their life and taking responsibility for their choices. This form of humanistic therapy can be especially helpful in supporting people through feelings such as guilt, shame, anxiety, depression, addiction, or resentment.

Examples of Humanistic Therapy

Humanistic therapy can be used to treat several mental health conditions, including:

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Substance use

• Panic disorder

• Personality disorders

• Psychosis

• Relationship problems

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• Trauma

The therapist may take a different approach to humanistic therapy depending on the client's conflict. For example, to treat depression, the therapist may try to encourage the client to consider what might bring greater meaning into their life rather than uncover the cause of depression. Deflection may even be used to help the client focus on something besides depression. The therapist may encourage the client to find ways to experience awe and wonder in their lives as well as identify their unique strengths and talents.

On the other hand, a therapist may take a different approach to treating anxiety. Humanists believe anxiety is an inevitable part of life, so they will focus on helping the client learn how to live courageously despite anxiety. The goal is for the clients to realize their potential by recognizing they are capable of facing their fears.

Humanistic therapies help people live courageously. Freepik.com

Finally, it is important to note that humanistic therapy is not only for people with a mental health conditions but can also be helpful for people who want to maximize their potential and grow in self-confidence.

Effectiveness of Humanistic Therapy

Humanistic therapy allows clients to play a role in their treatment. Regardless of a person's condition, humanistic therapy can help a person learn effective coping skills and problem-solving for everyday challenges. Elliot (2016) summarized the effectiveness of humanistic therapy (primarily client-centered therapy) to include the following:

• Humanistic therapy is more effective than no therapy.

• Humanistic therapy can be as effective as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) in promoting positive change.

• Humanistic therapy can help people with chronic medical conditions cope with their reality.

• Humanistic therapy can help reduce habitual self-sabotaging activities.

• Humanistic therapy is less effective than CBT when treating anxiety.