She admitted to having had little fun and would turn a vacation into an opportunity for achievement. She frequently could not enjoy television or the movies "because it felt frivolous." She was free from self-doubts only when hard at work, so she worked virtually all the time. Her husband wanted a family, but Melissa believed that children would be an undesirable interruption and distraction.
Melissa quickly lost her fear of the weekly meetings with Dr. Feldman. She was able to relax in his company. She felt that he cared about her as a person, whether she achieved or did not. He would not make active, directive suggestions, but rather listened to her in a genuine, positive way. During one session, Melissa asked him if he would give her some "straight advice" about her relationship with her husband. Dr. Feldman declined. He felt that telling another person what to do did not show respect for that person's individuality. He could see that Melissa was intelligent. He believed that she could trust her own decision-making abilities, and he would encourage her to believe in herself.
Over a period of a little more than a year, with weekly visits, Melissa's personality began to soften. She dressed more casually. She was more relaxed. She was beginning to enjoy herself more, although occasionally the old self-doubts would come back to assail her. But she usually was able to fend them off. Her marriage was improving, she looked forward to "a real vacation" in the near future, and she was not closed to discussing the possibility of children with her husband, although they had not yet made a decision on that issue.
APPLICATIONS OF CLIENT-CENTERED THERAPY
Client-centered therapy focuses especially on difficulties that stem from a client's negative feelings of self-worth. Client-centered therapy may be the therapy of choice especially for individuals who feel anxiety, uncertainty, and pain because of a low sense of self-esteem. A client-centered therapist can be expected to value personal genuineness, integrity, and honesty. The approach can be helpful to persons who suffer from loneliness and isolation.
Client-centered therapy is most effective for individuals with these characteristics:
* They are able to exercise initiative, both in expressing their difficulties to the therapist and in attempting to make desired changes. Most client-centered therapists will refrain from giving direction.
* They are interested primarily in personal growth rather than the removal of specific symptoms.
* They are blocked, inhibited, or rigid because they are too self-critical.
* They are not severely impaired in their abilities to relate to others.