The Tribes of the Person-centred Nation: A Guide to the Schools of Therapy Associated with the Person-centred Approach [Paperback]

. . . what makes the book so useful [is that] it is a real academic reference book covering a huge amount of ground in such an easily accessible format. I can see myself reaching for this book regularly when I want to look up key information and I expect there to be many well-thumbed copies of this book in person-centred course libraries. An essential text for diploma, degree and masters courses. --Lee Field, PCAI (GB)

When I was a young graduate student Carl Rogers taught me how to read a book in twenty minutes. However it did not work with this book. The content proved so interesting that I found myself continually dropping into close-reading and much of a weekend was lost to other purposes.This book brings together six experts . . . within the person-centred approach and has them present a particularly up-to-date picture . . . The book gives a thorough grounding for today's student in this whole field, particularly as it applies within the British scene . . . [Chapter 1] is compulsive reading for all students of the PCA because it gives what I believe is the most accessible account of the history of the development of the approach . . . I found myself enjoying this chapter tremendously . . . I am intensely jealous of the editor because he has come up with what I think is an extremely imaginative way to present this book and the ideas therein . . . this style of presentation will be absolutely invaluable for students doing essays (tutors had better catch up with this text to stay ahead!). --Professor Dave Mearns, University of Strathclyde (retired)

- what makes this book so useful [is that] it's a real academic reference book covering a huge amount of ground in such an easily accessible format. I can see myself reaching for this book regularly when I want to look up key information and I expect there to be many well-thumbed copies in person-centred course libraries. An essential text for diploma, degree and masters courses. Lee Field, counsellor trainer, UK. 2004

This book has a mission to gather the tribes of the person-centred nation for dialogue; to discover common ground and debate differences; to celebrate the fact that we are, as Margaret Warner declared, one nation, many tribes . In many parts of the world, Person-Centred Therapy is seen as a family of therapies, including Experiential Psychotherapy and Focusing. Closely associated with PCT are Existential Therapy and various integrative approaches. Since Carl Rogers death, there has been much debate regarding what can and cannot rightly claim to be called Person-Centred Therapy . This book brings the debates to a UK readership, with contributions from leading figures in each of the main tribes . Specifically written by UK authors for UK practitioners and students at advanced certificate, diploma, degree and masters level, The Tribes of the Person-Centred Nation is probably the most accessible introduction to these closely associated approaches and their key commonalities and differences. It covers the pivotal names, dates, theory elements and practice issues in an easy-to-read style, along with further reading and resources.

Pete Sanders completed his full-time diploma in counselling at the University of Aston in 1974. He worked as a counsellor, trainer and supervisor in further education and private practice for over 25 years. Pete was the lead tutor in three BACP recognised training courses and was instrumental in the Trainer Accreditation Scheme. He has written, edited and/or contributed to over a dozen books on counselling and psychotherapy, specialising in person-centred therapy. Tony Merry was Reader in Psychology at the University of East London and taught on postgraduate and undergraduate courses in counselling and counselling psychology until his untimely death in 2004. He was author of several books and articles on counselling, including Learning and Being in Person-Centred Counselling. He co-founded the British Association for the Person-Centred Approach (BAPCA) in 1989 and was editor of the BAPCA journal Person-Centred Practice. He contributed to workshops and other person-centred events in nine European countries, including several with Carl Rogers in England, Ireland and Hungary in the 1980s. Campbell Purton is the Director of the postgraduate Diploma Course in Focusing and Experiential psychotherapy at the University of East Anglia, where he also works as a student counsellor. He has been a lecturer in philosophy at Universities in Britain and Canada, a therapist in private practice and Director of the UEA Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling. He is a Certifying Co-ordinator for the Focusing Institute, and has published many articles in the areas of counselling, focusing and Buddhist studies. His current interests are in the philosophical work of Eugene Gendlin, and its relationship to both Buddhist thought and the theory of psychotherapy. Nick Baker undertook his Diploma in Counselling at Wigan, and has subsequently worked as a counsellor, supervisor and counsellor educator for 20 years. He has worked as an educational counsellor for the Open University, and joined the staff at St Martin's College, Lancaster in 2000. When working for the OU he discovered that what was important to him was not the external aspect of the lives of his clients, but how they were experiencing everything that happened to them. The work of Eugene Genlin has been great influence on his work. He retired in the summer of 2007. Mick Cooper is Professor of Counselling at the University of Strathclyde and a UKCP registered psychotherapist, whose practice is informed by person-centred, existential, interpersonal and postmodern ideas. Richard Worsley has worked for a number of years as a person-centred counsellor, supervisor and trainer. He is also an Anglican priest. He has a particular interests in process in therapy, in spirituality, in philosophy and therapy, and in therapeutic groups. Richard works at the University of Warwick as a staff and student counsellor. In experiencing high-volume work with people with a wide range of presenting distress, he is even more convinced that people are unique, and process their experience in unique and creative ways.