Short course
Carl Rogers’ Person-Centred Approach: An Introduction
Course status:
Applications being accepted
Dates:
18/01/2027 - 22/03/2027
Study format:
In-person weekly
Fees:
£475.00
Carl Rogers' Person-Centred Approach (PCA) is one of the transformational developments in the history of talking therapy, and has become firmly established at the heart of modern counselling. It has profoundly impacted coaching, teaching and education, healthcare and medicine, mediation and conflict resolution, and even international reconciliation. It is even at the heart of sophisticated sales skills.
The first therapeutic method in the humanistic school marked a huge departure from the 'medical' mode of doctor-patient. The three 'core conditions' of empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence are frequently over-simplified, taken out of context and mistaught. PCA is not simply a set of techniques – it is a fundamental philosophy about individuals and the world as a whole.
In this course, we explore the philosophy underlying PCA, Rogers' detailed analysis of what is necessary for it to work, and add a modern understanding of emotions and their communication.
Whether for personal or professional interest, this course should fascinate you.
Book this course
Book your place online using the button below.
Programme details
Course starts Monday 18 January 2027
This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Mondays, 6.00-9.00pm.
Week 1: Introducing the three ‘core’ conditions.
Week 2: Carl Rogers and the revolutionary thinking that led to PCA.
Week 3: The concept of ‘self’ and congruence.
Week 4: The Humanists’ Philosophy of Mind.
Week 5: The six ‘necessary and sufficient’ conditions.
Week 6: The study of interactions and the nature of ’empathy’ (including ‘Gloria’ and other examples).
Week 7: Rogers’ model of human development.
Week 8: Rogers’ 19 propositions.
Week 9: Encounter Groups.
Week 10: PCA and World Work.
Teaching methods
Using a virtual learning environment (Canvas), background notes will be provided shortly before each session so that you can read up on the week’s theme in advance if you wish.
We try to make sessions interactive and dynamic – you won’t find the tutor hiding behind a lectern!
Classroom activities will vary, involve a range of discussions and creative tasks, in both the full and smaller groups.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will have been given the opportunity to:
- appreciate the historical context in which the humanistic, and especially the person-centred, approaches evolved;
- have a clear understanding of the theories of the mind and of human emotional development proposed by Rogers;
- relate Rogers’ approach to modern understanding of emotional communication;
- consider the relevance of Rogerian theory to larger scale interventions;
- have experimented with the use of the person-centred approach in counselling, teaching, and large-group problem solving.
Assessment methods
Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation in advance of the course start date can submit coursework/assignments for assessment.
Assessment
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first is an in-class oral presentation. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Level and demands
The Department’s Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
Course aims
- To inspire an interest in one of the most profound shifts in therapeutic thinking in the 20th century.
- To provide a summary of the context, significance and key components of the person-centred approach.
- To enable participants to appreciate the profound philosophical model underlying PCA and how it differs so radically from most other therapeutic traditions.
- For students to appreciate the wider implications of the humanistic school, and PCA especially, for addressing large scale issues.
Programme details
Course starts Monday 18 January 2027
This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Mondays, 6.00-9.00pm.
Week 1: Introducing the three ‘core’ conditions.
Week 2: Carl Rogers and the revolutionary thinking that led to PCA.
Week 3: The concept of ‘self’ and congruence.
Week 4: The Humanists’ Philosophy of Mind.
Week 5: The six ‘necessary and sufficient’ conditions.
Week 6: The study of interactions and the nature of ’empathy’ (including ‘Gloria’ and other examples).
Week 7: Rogers’ model of human development.
Week 8: Rogers’ 19 propositions.
Week 9: Encounter Groups.
Week 10: PCA and World Work.
Teaching methods
Using a virtual learning environment (Canvas), background notes will be provided shortly before each session so that you can read up on the week’s theme in advance if you wish.
We try to make sessions interactive and dynamic – you won’t find the tutor hiding behind a lectern!
Classroom activities will vary, involve a range of discussions and creative tasks, in both the full and smaller groups.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will have been given the opportunity to:
- appreciate the historical context in which the humanistic, and especially the person-centred, approaches evolved;
- have a clear understanding of the theories of the mind and of human emotional development proposed by Rogers;
- relate Rogers’ approach to modern understanding of emotional communication;
- consider the relevance of Rogerian theory to larger scale interventions;
- have experimented with the use of the person-centred approach in counselling, teaching, and large-group problem solving.
Assessment methods
Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation in advance of the course start date can submit coursework/assignments for assessment.
Assessment
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first is an in-class oral presentation. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Dr Graham Wilson
After a PhD in behavioural science, I worked in leadership, organisational development, consultancy, and coaching. Around the turn of the millennium, I qualified firstly as a psychodynamic psychotherapist and then as a spiritual counsellor, becoming a Registered Member of the BACP.
From 2013, I’ve taught psychology, counselling, coaching, and photography at Oxford and elsewhere. Through teaching, writing many textbooks, professional and public dialogue, I aim to make these subjects accessible and relevant to everyone.
A Research Fellow of the Ronin Institute (RIIS2.0), I also serve on the executive of the APHE, am active in the BACP Research Teaching Network, a Fellow of the RAI, and member of the IVSA.
Assessment methods
Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation in advance of the course start date can submit coursework/assignments for assessment.
Level and demands
The Department’s Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course fee (with no assessment) | £475.00 |
| Assessment and Accreditation fee | £60.00 |
Module code: O26P525PCW
How to enrol
Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.
How to register for accreditation and assessment
To be able to submit coursework and to earn credit (CATS points) for this course, if you wish to do so, you will need to register and pay an additional £60 fee. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun.
If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education at the Department you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.