The person-centered therapist learns to recognize and trust human potential, providing clients with empathy and unconditional positive regard to help facilitate change. The therapist avoids directing the course of therapy by following the client’s lead whenever possible.

In practice it is not unusual for client-centred therapists to work with people who have experienced traumatic events. However, client-centred therapy is not usually considered within texts on traumatic stress and questions have been raised over the appropriateness of client-centred therapy with trauma survivors.

The core purpose of person-centred therapy is to facilitate our ability to self-actualise – the belief that all of us will grow and fulfil our potential. This approach facilitates the personal growth and relationships of a client by allowing them to explore and utilise their own strengths and personal identity.

The soft but strong, non-directive nature of person-centred therapy is well-suited for addressing trauma / PTSD. It allows you to explore your inner feelings with increasing confidence, and find the inner voice that has been missing for so long. You can finally make sense of things and move on.

Client-centered therapy operates according to three basic principles that reflect the attitude of the therapist to the client: The therapist is congruent with the client. The therapist provides the client with unconditional positive regard. The therapist shows an empathetic understanding to the client.

Empowerment, then, becomes an essential ethic in working with abused women. Advocates of person-centred therapy assume that the woman is the best authority on what works for her. They also emphasise that an abused woman needs to regain power and control over her life by making independent choices and decisions. (Lewis, 2003, p353)

However, it is important to recognise that men, same sex relationships, disabled people and family members are also the victims of abuse and domestic violence. Nobody has the right to abuse you and nobody deserves to be abused.

Empowerment, then, becomes an essential ethic in working with abused women. Advocates of person-centred therapy assume that the woman is the best authority on what works for her. They also emphasise that an abused woman needs to regain power and control over her life by making independent choices and decisions.

However, it’s unlikely that real change will occur without the abuser facing their challenges through therapy of their own. Explaining and holding the limits of confidentiality is of critical importance in this work, supporting the building of the therapeutic relationship while balancing the need for safeguarding too.