Responding to clients in a way that is consistent with person-centered theory requires empathy,
which is the ability to understand the client’s subjective worldview and communicate that
understanding. For this discussion, identify a client with whom you may have difficulty working.
Provide one client statement and one empathic counselor statement in response. The counselor
statement will be a paraphrase of content or reflection of feeling. Reflect on any challenges to
responding empathically and share those reflections.
The reading suggests that in order to be an operative counselor, one must be practicing
from a “person centered approach” (Corey, 2017). The person-centered approaches hones in on
three core principles which are the validity of a counselor, affirmative concern and empathy. As a
counselor using the person-centered approach, one must look past the client’s actions and refrain
from making any conclusions. Here the therapist should ask himself, am I being my true self
around the client? Second, the professional must express to the client that he/she is valued more
than simply his/her actions and behaviors. Finally, the therapist must be able to convey genuine
compassion. Carl Rogers founded the Person-Centered Theory with the notion that if the
