Research on person-centred/experiential psychotherapy and counselling: summary of the main findings

In this chapter I summarise the main findings from more than 60 years of research of Person-Centred-Experiential (PCE) psychotherapies. I begin by pointing out the pioneering contributions of Carl Rogers to this literature. The body of the chapter summarises three main areas of research: First, the highly promising evidence on the quantitative effects of PCE therapies, drawing on a large meta-analysis (Elliott et al., 2013); second, research on client in-session processes, particularly the various attempts to capture the sequence by which clients change over time in therapy and the relation of these processes to outcome; third, the contribution of therapists and therapy methods to client change, including the sometimes-controversial research on therapist process guiding (e.g., chair work). I conclude with an account of how PCE therapists can become more involved in research and describe a research pathway aimed at helping their approach find a more secure place in mental health care policy.