Psychotherapy innovator dies.

Psychotherapy innovator dies

Carl R. Rogers, founder of "client-centered psychotherapy'and a noted author, died on Feb. 4 at the age of 85. His influence on the technique and theory of psychotherapy has extended over the past four decades.

In the 1940s, working with colleagues first at Ohio StateUniversity in Columbus and then at the University of Chicago, Rogers broke away from psychoanalytic approaches and developed a method of counseling and psychotherapy termed "nondirective.' Individuals coming for treatment were called "clients' rather than "patients' to indicate the nonmedical nature of the technique. The therapist's job was to communicate empathy and clarify the client's feelings, but the client was regarded as capable of making important discoveries and decisions during therapy sessions. Rogers emphasized the use of tape-recorded interviews for research and training.

The term "client-centered therapy' was adopted in the 1950sas Rogers's approach encompassed not just psychotherapy, but human relationships in general. Important tenets of his philosophy included trusting in one's immediate experiences and using them as a guide, and expressing moment-to-moment feelings in relationships. His best-known book, On Becoming a Person (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1961), elaborated on this theory.

Client-centered therapy was applied in group sessions withbusiness executives and educators during the 1960s and also sparked research on innovations in education. In recent years, Rogers promoted his person-centered approach as a technique to ease social conflict in nations such as Ireland and South Africa, where he brought together influential members of opposing groups for discussions.