Peter F. Schmid

Abstract. How can we understand an other person? If we try to understand the other person from one's own perspective we finally end up at something we know already (this is termed "epistemology of the same"). The opposite way is to be receptive to what the other shows and wants to be understood (constituting a Thou-I-relationship and an "epistemology of transcendence"). This is possible only when acknowledging both the fundamental commonality (“We”) and the fundamental alterity (“Other”). For the person-centered therapist this means facing the challenge of the otherness of the Other, to be called to respond existentially to the existential disclosure of a person in the very moment of meeting. A phenomenological exploration of intersubjectivity in therapy leads to a “pro-vocative” understanding of dialogue as primary occurrence. Dialogue is not a consequence but an – essentially asymmetric – precondition of a person to person or encounter relationship. The task is to realize the dialogic in the relationship to each client “in the beginning” as constitutive for psychotherapy.

Elke Lambers

Abstract. This paper gives an overview of a perspective on supervision as it has developed in relation to person-centered and experiential therapy, and it explores supervision as a facilitative relationship focused on the development and maintenance of the counselor’s ability to relate congruently and at depth to clients. Working at relational depth in the supervision relationship enables the supervisee to go to particular depth with their own experiencing, enabling them to become more fully integrated, fully present and free to the total person of the client.

Charles O'Leary

Dave Mearns & Peter F. Schmid

Abstract. Following-on from a previous publication (Schmid & Mearns, 2006), this paper continues the authors’ investigation of the relationship emphasis within person-centered therapy. It explores the concept of relational depth (Mearns & Cooper, 2005), especially in regard to work with hard-to-reach clients, outlining the particular challenges to the therapist seeking to engage the different parts of the client, even those in self-protective conflict with the therapeutic process. The ethical boundaries of therapeutic confrontation and dialogue that constitute relational depth are explored as is the developmental agenda for the therapist.

LETTING GO: THE CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE OF RELATIONAL DEPTH.

Abstract.  The concept of relational depth represents a significant development within counselling and psychotherapy theory and practice. However, until now, comparatively little attention has been given to the distinctive perspective of the client, in relation to this process. The aim of the present study was to explore the point of view of clients around their experiences of relational depth within psychotherapy. Ten participants were interviewed, each of whom had undergone multiple episodes of therapy. Data were analysed using a grounded theory approach. The account of relational depth generated by these clients suggested that deeply facilitative therapy relationships are characterised by a willingness to ‘let go’ on the part of the client, and enter into an enduring relationship with their therapist.  Clients’ descriptions disclosed aspects of relational connectedness that may often be hidden from practitioners. The implications of these findings for the theory of relational depth, and for the practice of counselling and psychotherapy, are discussed.