Person Centred Therapy

Therapy that follows your lead. Steady, non-judgemental attention while you work out what you think and feel, by secure video.

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Accredited therapists Fully confidential Evening & weekend times

Everything is confidentialWhat you say in a session stays in the session.

Secure video, Ireland-wideFrom wherever you feel comfortable, on any device.

No GP referral neededBook online in a couple of minutes.

Evening and weekend timesSessions that fit around work and family.

Some weeks you just want somewhere to put it all down. Not advice, not a plan, not someone telling you what they would do. Just an hour with a person who listens properly and doesn't flinch at whatever comes out.

That is close to what person-centred therapy offers. You may also see it written as person-centered therapy, client-centred therapy or Rogerian therapy, and they all mean the same approach. We work this way with people right across Ireland, by secure video, from wherever you feel private enough to talk.

What is person-centred therapy and how does it work?

Person-centred therapy is a humanistic, non-directive approach developed by the American psychologist Carl Rogers from the 1940s onwards. Non-directive means the therapist is not steering you towards a conclusion they have already reached. They are there to understand you, and to help you understand yourself.

The belief underneath it is straightforward. Given the right conditions in the relationship, most people move in the direction of their own growth, sometimes described as self-actualisation. You are treated as the one who knows your life best, even on the days when that feels laughable. A summary of the approach and its origins is available in the StatPearls review of person-centered therapy.

Two of Rogers's terms are worth knowing, because they explain a lot about why people feel stuck:

Self-concept: the picture you carry of who you are and who you should be. Steady. Capable. The one who copes.
Congruence: how closely that picture matches what you are actually living through.
The gap between them: you believe you are fine, and meanwhile you are sitting in the car outside work, unable to go in.

Therapy here is about closing that gap honestly rather than following a set of steps. Nobody hands you a plan for your life.

What happens during a person-centred therapy session?

You choose what to talk about. Your therapist listens closely, reflects back what they hear, asks the odd question, and helps you look at feelings and patterns without judging any of it. Sessions run for 50 minutes, usually weekly or fortnightly, by secure video.

Rogers described three things the therapist brings, and they are still the heart of the work:

Empathy: genuinely understanding your experience from the inside, not guessing at it.
Congruence or genuineness: the therapist being a real person with you, not performing a role.
Unconditional positive regard: accepting you as you are, including the parts you would rather nobody saw.

In practice that means active listening, reflection, clarifying what you half-said, and questions that open something up. Very little in the way of worksheets, homework or therapist-led exercises. If anger, shame or grief arrives, it gets room, at whatever pace you set. There is no requirement to go anywhere near something before you are ready.

Sessions are confidential. The limits are the usual ones in Irish practice: where there is a serious risk of harm to you or someone else, or a legal or child protection obligation, your therapist may have to share information, and they will talk to you about it wherever possible. Accredited therapists work to a professional code of ethics, such as the one published by the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Not sure if this is the right fit?

A first session is just a conversation.

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Could person-centred therapy help me?

People come to this kind of therapy with anxiety, low mood, low self-esteem, grief, relationship trouble, big life changes, questions about identity, work stress, or that flat sense of being disconnected from yourself.

What tends to shift: self-awareness, self-acceptance, a clearer read on your own feelings, and more trust in your own decisions. Confidence usually grows out of that rather than being worked on directly.

On how well it works, the honest answer is that outcomes in any talking therapy depend heavily on the relationship between you and your therapist, what you bring, and how engaged you are able to be. No approach suits everyone equally, and anyone promising a guaranteed result is overselling.

An illustrative example, not a real person: someone comes in exhausted, saying yes to everything at work and at home. Over a few months of talking it through, they notice how often they agree to things out of fear rather than willingness. Nobody tells them to set boundaries. They start doing it anyway, in their own way, because they can finally see the pattern.

It is not right for everyone, though:

Some people prefer structure, practical tools and something concrete to try between sessions. Online CBT may suit you better.
Severe symptoms, a crisis, or a complex diagnosis may need specialist or multidisciplinary support alongside therapy, often including your GP.
If you want direct advice on a decision, this approach will frustrate you. It deliberately does not do that.

How is person-centred therapy different from CBT and other approaches?

The clearest contrast is with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which is more structured and works on identifying and changing patterns of thought and behaviour. You can read a plain description of CBT on the NHS mental health pages.

	Person-centred therapy	CBT
Who leads	You do	Usually the therapist, working to an agreed focus
Main attention	Present feelings, self-understanding, the relationship	Thoughts, behaviours and how they feed each other
Between sessions	Rarely anything set	Small tasks or records are normal
Length	Open-ended, reviewed as you go	Often a set number of sessions

Plenty of therapists now work integratively, drawing on more than one approach. That is fine, as long as they tell you which ones they use and agree a way of working that suits you. Neither model is better in the abstract. It is a question of what you actually want from the hour.

How can I choose a qualified person-centred therapist in Ireland?

Counselling and psychotherapy titles in Ireland have historically not been protected, and statutory registration is being introduced through CORU, so it is worth checking credentials yourself. Membership of a recognised body is the usual shorthand: the IACP for counsellors and psychotherapists, the Psychological Society of Ireland for psychologists.

Recognised training in a person-centred or humanistic approach, not a short course
Accreditation or membership with a professional body, and ongoing professional development
Regular clinical supervision and professional indemnity insurance
Experience with the thing you are actually bringing

Worth asking before you start: have you worked with this before, how does confidentiality work, how long are sessions and how often, and what happens if you think another service would suit me better. A therapist who answers that last one straight is usually a good sign. Our therapists' training and accreditation are listed on their profiles.

Frequently asked questions

How long does person-centred therapy usually take?

There is no fixed number. Some people come for six or eight sessions to work through one thing, others stay for a year or more. Because the work is open-ended, you and your therapist review how it is going and you decide when to stop.

How much does person-centred therapy cost in Ireland?

Private fees vary between practices, so check the current rate on the booking page rather than relying on a general figure. Some health insurance policies contribute towards counselling, and free short-term counselling is available through the HSE for medical card holders by GP referral, described on the HSE website and on Citizens Information.

Whether your policy includes counselling cover, and how many sessions
Whether you attend weekly or fortnightly
Whether you are on a waiting list for a free service in the meantime

Is person-centred therapy available online or in person?

Both exist in Ireland, but this practice is online only. Every session is by secure video, which means no commute, no waiting room, and access wherever you are, including towns and rural areas where local therapists are thin on the ground.

How can I book a person-centred therapy session?

Booking takes about two minutes. No GP letter, no account to set up, and evening and weekend times are available.

Book a session online, or get in touch first if you have questions
You will receive a private, encrypted video link by email, with nothing to install
Your first session is partly about deciding whether this therapist and this way of working feel right for you

If it turns out not to be a fit, say so. That is useful information, not a failure, and we can talk about what might suit you better.

One important note. If you are in immediate danger or in crisis, please do not wait for an appointment. Contact the emergency services on 112 or 999, go to your nearest emergency department, or ring Samaritans free at any hour on 116 123.