From the author: I wrote this article for the “Self-Knowledge” website. And Rogers’ approach is closest to me. In the second half of the 20th century, the humanistic direction of psychotherapy, which argued that a person is capable of free choices and is capable of being responsible for his life, united the ideas of human growth, development and realization. In line with this trend, the American psychologist Carl Rogers (1902-1987) developed the most popular, after psychoanalysis, system of psychotherapeutic and counseling work - client-centered therapy, the main idea of ​​which is to understand the client’s self-perception. Karl Rogers suggested that a person himself is able to change his behavior. When undergoing client-centered therapy, a person worries less in situations of emotional stress and is less dependent on the expectations and values ​​of others. He learns to accept and understand himself. His relationships with others become more and more satisfactory. The key point in Rogers' approach is the tendency towards actualization, that is, the ability to preserve and develop to the maximum the best qualities inherent in a person. This process may be full of suffering, falls, struggle, but if the motive is strong enough, a person will persistently follow the path of development, no matter what. If you trust your feelings, Rogers believed, then it is easier to realize whether you are moving in the right direction. A person. may think of himself as a sociable or shy person, kind, loving noisy companies or, conversely, preferring solitude, etc. The image of the “I” itself will determine his behavior. The self-concept in Rogers's approach is the conscious idea of ​​oneself. A person always acts in accordance with his self-concept. Through his inner world he sees his surroundings, and this can explain a lot in his behavior. If the self-concept diverges from life experience, neurotic symptoms arise. For example, compulsive hand washing may reflect unconscious feelings of guilt and symbolic washing away of guilt. Client-centered therapy aims to help the person align their self-concept with their experiences and achieve self-acceptance. By accepting oneself, a person will be able to realize his natural potential. Rogers believed that the success of therapy is determined by the quality of the relationship between the parties to the therapeutic process. The effectiveness of therapy is manifested in an unconditional positive attitude towards the patient. “The more the therapist is himself in his relationship with the client, the less isolated he is from the client by his professional or personal façade, the more likely it is that the client will change and move forward in a constructive way,” Rogers said. The most important thing is an atmosphere of respect, trust and unconditional acceptance by the therapist of the client’s personality. A person trusts himself more and understands others better. During therapy, a person is not labeled, given advice or shown ways to solve a problem. He himself comes to see the truth of the situation and himself realizes the nature of his behavior. “It is as if he were listening and that listening would envelop us in a silence in which we would finally begin to hear what we are supposed to be” is a very similar description of a client-centered therapy session. Empathic understanding of the client's internal frame of reference is a client-centered therapist. Client-centered therapy collect a holistic perception of oneself and the world? Allow yourself to be different, accept yourself as anyone, understand what you are afraid of. Any psychotherapy involves changes.