Rogers outlines the following six conditions required to exist and continue for constructive personality change to occur:
Empathy is a cornerstone of the person-centred counselling (PCT) approach developed by Carl Rogers. It is one of the three core conditions within the six necessary and sufficient conditions for therapeutic change. Empathy refers to the therapist's ability to deeply understand and resonate with the client's subjective experience and communicate that understanding back to the client in a supportive, non-judgmental manner.
Congruence, also known as therapist congruence or genuineness, is a foundational element in person-centred counselling. It refers to the therapist’s ability to be authentic, transparent, and true to themselves within the therapeutic relationship. Congruence is one of the three core conditions in Carl Rogers’ framework, which are part of the six necessary and sufficient conditions for effective therapeutic change.
A difficult lesson to learn when first training to become a person-centred counsellor is how unhelpful it is to try and "help" your clients.