Self-Concept in Person-Centred Therapy

In this lecture, counsellor and trainer Emma Chapman describes what self-concept is, how it develops, and the part it plays in what Carl Rogers called ‘psychological maladjustments’.

After listening to Emma’s presentation, you will:

  • be able to explain the idea of self-concept in the context of person-centred therapy
  • understand how a person’s self-concept develops
Self Concept in Person-Centred Therapy CPD lecture for counsellors
  • comprehend the relationship between self-concept and ‘psychological maladjustments’
  • see how a client’s self-concept might evolve during the therapeutic process, and what you can do to support this process.

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Emma begins by setting the idea of self-concept in context, through explaining Rogers’ theory of personality and the three selves that form an intrinsic part of this. She goes on to look in depth at the self-concept, illustrating this with a novel example using characters from the Avengers!

The self-concept develops over time, and you will see how this occurs over the life stages, from being a baby to becoming an adult. Emma introduces the idea of healthy versus unhealthy self-concept, looking at when and how the self-concept can become problematic.

You will learn in this respect about two key types of ‘psychological maladjustment’ – incongruence and loss of self – and how self-concept fits within Rogers’ seven stages of process.

While setting self-concept clearly within person-centred theory, Emma also provides practical applications for this knowledge, looking at how self-concept manifests in client work – and what you can practically do to help clients connect more fully with their organismic self. You will even get to hear an imagined therapeutic exchange between Avenger Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) and his person-centred counsellor!

After listening to this lecture, you will go away with not only an enhanced knowledge of self-concept and its application to practice but also a list of four references for  further reading in this core area of person-centred counsellor training and development.

About the Lecture Presenter

Emma Chapman Counsellor CPD lecture

Emma Chapman is a counsellor and trainer working in private counselling practice in Cheshire.  In her Northwich office, she works with adults, young people and couples.

Emma believes that having good mental health is the key to having a fulfilled and happy life.  As a passionate advocate for mental health, Emma also delivers mental health training to a variety of audiences across the North West of England.

Emma is a qualified teacher who came to counselling later on in life after 15 years of working in the public sector and charity roles.  During this time she worked with vulnerable children, adults and families in teaching, family support, safeguarding and pastoral roles.

After so many years working with children and families who often struggled to manage day-to-day life, Emma began to observe that poor mental health and trauma played a huge part in keeping people stuck in damaging patterns of behaviour.

This conclusion led her to further training in mental health, and she started her counsellor training in 2014 at Mid-Cheshire College studying part-time.  In 2018 she completed an MA in Clinical Counselling at Chester University.

Emma has experience working in an NHS IAPT setting but decided to work privately in order to work with her clients more creatively.

After a short spell teaching counselling at a local college, Emma continued to put her teaching skills to use and further develop some training packages for fellow counsellors, educational settings and businesses.

As a mother of two children, Emma struggled with her own mental health after becoming a Mother. In 2019 she had her research into maternal mental health published in the journal of Crisis, Illness and Loss*.  She now specialises in working with mothers experiencing perinatal mental health difficulties in her private practice.

Following some time working at a charity dedicated to the prevention of suicide, it became clear to Emma that there was little therapeutic support for those experiencing suicidal ideation.

In her private practice, she also works with people who are experiencing Suicidal Thoughts and delivers suicide awareness training to counsellors and other organisations across the North West.

'An Exploration of the Ways in Which Feelings of “Maternal Ambivalence” Affect Some Women.'  Emma Chapman, Peter M. Gubi, 2019.

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Self-Concept in Person-Centred Therapy lecture overview