This timely book explores the interface between the Person-Centred Approach and radical political theory and activity. Specifically, it explores the contribution that a critical analysis of social and political factors can make to the practice of person-centred therapy, and to examine the contribution that person-centred theory and practice can make to the wider sphere of socio-political theory and activity. An international collection of chapters offers critical analysis of the PCA and difference and diversity; class; culture and racism; sexuality; power and feminism. Other contributions present a range of work involving social change as a necessary and sufficient condition for therapeutic personality growth; emotional literacy; sociotherapy; work with refugees and asylum seekers; peace groups; ecopolitics and spirituality."
Politicising the Person-Centred Approach" is primarily aimed at practitioners and, to some extent, students, of the person-centred approach who have an interest in political issues and concerns, but will also be of interest to service users, practitioners and theorists in the field of critical psychiatry and critical psychology, who may be interested in developing the theoretical foundations of their work and expanding their theoretical and practical horizons.
1. Opening Remarks - Gillian Proctor 2. Politics and Therapy: Mapping areas for consideration - Pete Sanders The Politics of the PCA 3. First Change the World, or First Change Yourself? The Personal and the Political Revisited - Clive Perrett 4. Is There a Political Imperative Inherent Within the Person-Centred Approach? - Seamus Nash 5. Person-Centred Therapy and Time Limited Therapy - Pauline MacDonald 6. Rethinking Person-Centred Therapy - Khatidja Chantler 7. The Cultural Situatedness of Language Use in Person-Centred Training - Rundeep Sembi 8. Personal Reflections on Training as a Person-Centred Counsellor - Lois Peachey 9. Therapy: Opium for the masses or helps those who least need it? - Gillian Proctor 10. Socialist Humanism: A progressive politics for the twenty-first century - Mick Cooper 11. The Spectacular Self: Alienation as the lifestyle choice of the free world, endorsed by psychotherapists - Pete Sanders 12. The Radical Humanism of Carl Rogers and Paulo Freire: Considering the person-centered approach as a form of conscientizacao - Maureen O'Hara 13. Psychotherapy: The politics of liberation or collaboration? A career Critically Reviewed - Dave Mearns Socio-political issues and the therapy relationship 14. Person-Centered Therapy with Children and Adolescent Victims of Poverty and Social Exclusion in Brazil - Elizabeth Freire, Silvia Koller, Aline Piason, Renata B da Silva and Deborah Giacomelli 15. Not Just Naming the Injustice: counselling asylum seekers and refugees - Jude Boyles 16. Disability, Multidimensionality and Love: The politics of a counselling relationship in Further Education - Suzanne Keys 17. South Asian Women and Mental Health Services - Kamer Shoaib 18. Person-Centred Therapy, Culture and Racism: Personal discoveries and adaptations - Indu Khurana 19. White Counsellor Racial Identity: The unacknowledged, unknown, unaware aspect of self in relationship - Colin Lago and Sheila Haugh 20. Clients' Experiences of How Perceived Differences in Social Class Between Counsellor and Client Affect the Therapeutic Relationship - Jane Balmforth 21. The Person-Centred Approach: A vehicle for acknowledging and respecting women's voices - Bea White Person-Centred Approach and Social Action 22. A Passion for Politics in Carl Rogers' Work and Approach - Gay Barfield 23. Transformation in Transylvania - Reinhold Stipsits 24. The Centre: A Person-Centred Project in Education - Fiona Hall-Jenkins 25. Politicizing School Reform Through the Person-Centered Approach: Mandate and advocacy - Jeffrey Corneluis-White and Randel Brown 26. Emotional Literacy and the Person-Centred Approach - Mike Hough 27. What Does It Have To Do With Client-Centered Therapy? - John K Wood 28. Taking Sides - Or Not? - Rosemary Hopkins 29. A Personal View of How Activism is Relevant to the Person-Centred Approach - Mae Boyd 30. Toward a Person-Centered Politics - John Vasconcellos 31. Concluding Remarks - Pete Sanders
