The Client-Centered Therapy and Person-Centered Approach in Japan

Abstract

This article summarizes the historical development of client-centered therapy (CCT) and the person-centered approach (PCA) in Japan and their current status and future outlook there. CCT was enthusiastically accepted, especially at the beginning of its initial development in the late 1950s and the early 1960s. This initial enthusiasm, however, has gradually been eroded by some critical, suspicious, or conflicting attitudes due to the introduction of a multitude of other theories and approaches. CCT and/or PCA have been applied to a variety of educational, clinical, or business settings. But it can be fairly said that CCT and/or PCAhave now lost their initial influence. The authors believe that Rogers's way of thinking and his approach is one of the crucial ways of studying and understanding human beings and helping relationships. It is meaningful for us now to review CCT and PCA again to clarify their significance so that their new and better applications to Japanese culture can be found.