This book describes a series of ground-breaking residential workshops in therapeutic counselling in the 1960s, for people working in mental health and social care disciplines seeking to expand and deepen their reach. The work is unique in the scope of its research into the process and outcomes of such active immersive enquiry in this area. Besides a wealth of more systematic features, the author invites us into the initial conversations in the meeting room, and then follows the group members back into their lives, allowing us to see both early outcomes and the impact of participation up to ten years later. Finally, Barrett-Lennard reflects on the extended history of the intensive workshops and the related group work in other contexts they led into. He makes a compelling argument that such an intensive participatory process is as powerful today as it was in the 1960s. The blend of rich qualitative and empirical data and theory is a unique strength. It will be a great resource for students and scholars in applied psychology and psychotherapy, as well as for practicing therapists and trainees committed to meaningful work with their client groups.

`This book is a monumental achievement, and person-centred practitioners will be indebted to Goff Barrett-Lennard for many years to come. He has written no only a definitive study of the history of person-centred approach - what he calls a report of the "evolutionary course of a human science" - but also an accompanying commentary which is unfailingly enlightening, sometimes provocative and occasional lyrical' - Brian Thorne, Emeritus Professor of Counselling, University of East Anglia and Co-Founder, Norwich Centre `I highly recommend this book as a reference source of major import, as bibliography, as history as art, and as a complex discussion of questions that plague the person-centred practitioner and the client-centred therapist' - The Person-Centered Journal `If you only ever buy one book about the Person-Centred Approach, other than those written by Rogers himself, this is the one. It is a staggering achievement by one of the most knowledgeable writers in the field' - PCP Reviews `This book is a gem, and should have wide appeal. It is an excellent introduction to person-centred psychology, written in accessible style, and it takes the reader beyond the simplicity often confused with naivety Goff Barrett-Lennard reveals a sophisticated complexity that challenges us to view the "person" with fresh eyes and an open mind' - Tony Merry, University of East London `I strongly recommend this book as a sophisticated treatment of the client-or person-centred approach to therapy and its applications to areas outside therapy. It is also a useful overview of research on all aspects of person-centred ideas' - Psychotherapy Research `This book... is not a single "meal" in itself but a positive "larder" containing every imaginable staple food and condiment all exquisitely and thoroughly researched. The book took Godfrey T Barrett-Lennard 20 years to write and it will stand as a reference text for person-centred specialists for longer than that... an essential reference text... and a pantry full of delicious surprises' - Counselling and Psychotherapy, The Journal of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy `Probably the most important piece of work on the person-centred approach to have emerged in recent years... an essential source of reference for anyone with a serious interest in the person-centred approach' - Counselling News Written by an ex-student and long-time colleague of Carl Rogers, this in-depth and challenging book charts the development of person-centred therapy from its origins through to the present day. Godfrey T Barrett-Lennard traces the central concepts and key figures within the movement, set against the contemporary historical, social and political context. As an integrated overview of the person-centred approach, Carl Rogers' Helping System presents a wealth of fascinating ideas and information which is linked to a fresh, incisive account of the unfolding theory, process and research.

This book describes a series of ground-breaking residential workshops in therapeutic counselling in the 1960s, for people working in mental health and social care disciplines seeking to expand and deepen their reach. The work is unique in the scope of its research into the process and outcomes of such active immersive enquiry in this area. Besides a wealth of more systematic features, the author invites us into the initial conversations in the meeting room, and then follows the group members back into their lives, allowing us to see both early outcomes and the impact of participation up to ten years later. Finally, Barrett-Lennard reflects on the extended history of the intensive workshops and the related group work in other contexts they led into. He makes a compelling argument that such an intensive participatory process is as powerful today as it was in the 1960s. The blend of rich qualitative and empirical data and theory is a unique strength. It will be a great resource for students and scholars in applied psychology and psychotherapy, as well as for practicing therapists and trainees committed to meaningful work with their client groups.

This book charts from first-hand experience the origin and development through the present day of person-centered therapy, its central concepts and the key figures within the movement, set against the prevailing historical, social, and political background. A summarizing and defining text for the person-centered approach, written by a close working colleague of Carl Rogers, the book contains a wealth of fascinating and important detail, information, ideas, accounts of theory, process, and research. Providing an in-depth, challenging and multidimensional picture of person-centered therapy, the book will be essential reading for all those, whatever their level of prior knowledge, who are interested in person-centered therapy.