Person-Centred Counselling in Action

Dave Mearns is formerly Director of the Counselling Unit and Professor of Counselling at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. Dave is author or co-author of four other counselling books published by SAGE: Person-Centred Counselling in Action, Second Edition, Experiences of Counselling in Action, Person-Centred Counselling Training and Person-Centred Therapy Today: New Frontiers in Theory and Practice. Brian Thorne is Emeritus Professor of Counselling at the University of East Anglia and a Founder Member of The Norwich Centre for Personal and Professional Development. He is also a Professor of Education in the College of Teachers and co-author (with Dave Mearns) of the bestselling books, Person-Centred Counselling in Action, Second Edition (SAGE, 1999) and Person-Centred Therapy Today (SAGE, 2000). John McLeod has held appointments in universities in the UK, New Zealand and Italy, and is currently Professor of Counselling at the Institute for Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy, Dublin, and Professor of Psychology, University of Oslo. He is committed to promoting the relevance of research as a means of informing therapy practice and improving the quality of services that are available to clients, and has received an award from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy for his exceptional contribution to research. His writing has influenced a generation of trainees in the field of counselling, counselling psychology and psychotherapy, and his books are widely adopted on training programmes across the world.

‘This fourth edition has all the strengths of the previous editions but includes a new chapter on recent developments in person-centred theory and practice, as well as a chapter on developments in research by John McLeod. The chapter on research, which comes at the end of the book, is an excellent explanation of why person-centred practitioners must both be informed by and engage with research, which will totally convince the doubters (like me). The book remains an invaluable introduction to person-centred concepts and can be used as both a reference and a reminder for those already familiar with the approach, to inform practice, enrich supervision or as a study aid for students.It is a resounding riposte to those who continue to refuse to acknowledge the clinical relevance and proven efficacy of this approach.’Val Simanowitz, Person-Centred BACP Accredited Counsellor and SupervisorTherapy Today′This book has influenced a generation of counsellors and the new edition continues to offer insight and wisdom′ - Janet Tolan, Psychotherapist and author of Skills in Person-Centred Counselling and Psychotherapy′This fourth edition has been a very worthwhile endeavour. If this is to be Mearns and Thorne′s last work of this type then it will be a lasting legacy for all counsellors and psychotherapists for some time to come and not just person-centred practitioners,. The updates are seamless and form a coherent state of the art presentation of person-centred theory and practice. Both novice and experienced therapists will find much to gain from reading this book, even if they have read previous editions. The addition of John McCleod′s chapter strengthens this edition even further. Research on Person Centred Counselling is a comprehensive and in-depth introduction to the reasons for research, approaches to research and research on person-centred counselling itself. A highly commendable book′ - Sheila Haugh, Senior Lecturer MSc Person Centred Contemporary Psychotherapy and Applications, Metanoia, London ′Person-Centred Counselling in Action continues to inform and inspire my doctoral students and lead them to a deeper, much more nuanced understanding of the Person-Centred approach. Moreover, the book has been invaluable in instilling many of the core principles that enable them to become skilled practitioners, mindful of what the therapeutic relationship really means′ - Dr. Susan Maise Strauss, Senior University Teacher in Counselling Psychology, City University London

• IntroductionBasic Theory of the Person-Centred ApproachRecent Developments in Person-Centred TheoryThe Counsellor′s Use of the SelfEmpathyUnconditional Positive RegardCongruence′Beginnings′′Middles′′Endings′Research on Person-Centred CounsellingAppendix: Questions and Responses