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Person Centred Approaches to Counselling- Creating a Safe Space

Decent Essays

Introduction A safe space for a client could be described as a place or space in which a client feels secure and free to express him/herself in a real, true and open way. This could mean a number of things to different clients, it is very individual. What makes a person feel safe? The list could include some or all of the following; Not feeling judged or criticised by the counsellor or that the counsellor is likely to not accept you if you share something ‘bad’ Feeling that the counsellor accurately understands you, what you are saying or trying to say and what you are feeling or experiencing Feeling that the counsellor is ‘true’ and genuine in the relationship, his/her real self Knowing that …show more content…

Many people will go to therapy because they have had previous bad or traumatic relationships which have left them damaged or traumatised in some way, quite often these relationships were with their parents when they were children. They have learned the danger and not to trust the very people they believed should most be trusted. I believe it can be even more fundamental and damaging than this still, they have also learned not to trust in themselves- to have the ability to know who is safe to trust or not. The relationship with the therapist then can become something like a ‘re-parenting’ or a re-learning of how a trusting relationship should/could have been with one’s parents. Most people will agree that parents should (in a perfect world) give their children unconditional positive regard, empathy and be relatively non-judgemental with them, also show them respect and allow them to keep their dignity. Unfortunately this is not always the case. It is therefore even more important that the therapeutic relationship between counsellor and client show all these things to the highest of degrees. However, if this aspect of trust and safety is not present it can actually do more harm than good to clients that are already vulnerable and anxious. It can, in fact be retraumatising and compound their possible views of themselves as being unlovable or unworthy etc,

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