In its Awakening'Cultural' Awareness

the Person-Centered Approach Needs

to Consider More Than Just RacismA Review of R. Moodley, C. Lago and A. Talahite (Eds.), Carl Rogers

Counsek a Blach Client: Race and Culrure in Person-Cmned Counselling

(294 pages; paperbacQ. Ross-on-Wye: PCCS Books, 2004.

'W'enn der Personzentrierte Ansatz 'kulturelles' Bewusstsein weckt, muss er

mehr als nur den Rassismus bedenken

En el despertar de su conciencia 'cultural', el enfoque centrado en la persona

necesita considerar algo mris que tan s6lo el racismo

T. L. HoldsrockAmsterdam, The Netherlands

Abstract. This book addresses the neglect ofthe Person-Centered Approach regarcling issues ofrace and

culture. The various contributions are all well written and e:ur- to read. Studer-rts and beginning practitioners

can benefit frorn the ideas expressed. However, the focus remains almost exclusively on race and racism.

The more encompassing issue of culture remains relatively unaddressed, indicating how rnuch work stillneeds to be done. The uniqueness of the book, concentratir.rg basically on rwo interviews of Rogers

counscling a black client, paradoxically demonstrates this dearth of involvement in culture by the

practitioners of the approach.

Zrcammenfassung. Dieses Buch spricht das Versdumnis des Pcrsonzentrierten Ansatzes an, wenn es umThemen wie Rasse und Kultur geht. Die verschiedenen Beitrdge sind alle gut geschrieben und leicht zu

lesen. Studierende und Berufsanf,inger krinnen von den beschriebenen Gedanken profitieren. Jedochbleibt der Brennpunkt derAufmerksamkeit fast ausschliessiich aufRasse und Rassismus. Das umfassendere

Thema der Kultur bleibt vergleichsweise unbehandelt, was zeigt, wie viel Arbeit noch zu tun ist. DieEinzigartigkeit des Buches, das sich im Wesentlichen auf zwei Beratungsgesprdche von Rogers mit einemschwarzen Klienten stiitzt, zeigt paradoxerweise diesen Mangel an Beteiligung durch die Praktizierenden

des Ansatzes, was das Thema Kultur betrilft.

Resumen. Este libro aborda la escasa importancia prestada por el enfoque centrado en la persona a temas

de raza y cultura. L;s diversas contribuciones est:in todas bien escritas y son de fiicii lectura. Los estudiantes

y profesionales recientes se pueden beneficiar de las ideas expresadas. Sin embargo, el foco permanece casi

exclusr

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Author note: Address correspondence to Len Holdstock, Burg. Dedelst. 36,Netherlands. E-mail <t. tholdstock@chello.nl>.

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exclusir.amente en la raza y el racismo. El tema mds abarcador de la cultura recibe relativamente escasa

atenci6n, 1o cual indica cu{nto trabajo todavia necesita realizarse. La singularidad del libro, concentrada

bdsicamente en dos entrevistas que Rogers realiza con un consultante negro, parad6jicamente, demuestra

esta escasa familiaridad que los profesionales del enfoque tienen con temas de cultura.

Keyu,ords. race, culture, counseling, psychotherapy, Rogers

I committed myself to do the review of this book for two reasons: Not only does the text deal

with race and culture issues, which have been the core of my academic and professional life

for several decades, but it does so in terms of Person-Centered Therapy and counseling

(PCT). (I make no distinction between the two terms, and therefore use the abbreviation

PCT to represent either, as well as Client-Centred Therapy.)

My relationship with Rogers dates back to the early 1960s when I went on scholarship

from South Africa to study in the United States. I chose the Universiry of\Tisconsin because

of the presence ofRogers. Although I majored in neurophysiological psychology, the contact

with Rogers during those years and in later ones formed me indelibly. During my stay as

Visiting Fellow at the Center for Studies ofthe Person in LaJolla duringlg75-76I encountered

the difference benveen PCT as a professional practice and as I have experienced it as a way oflife in Soweto, the sprawling township outside-[ohannesburg, SoufiAfrica. Itwas an awakening

that altered the pattern of my career.

In view of the developing cultural a\\.areness of Rogers and as an expression of myappreciation for what he has contributed to mv professional development, I had invited him

to South Africain 1982.I was in a position to introduce him to the rich variety of people and

perspectives in the country ranging from meetings with African sages and professionals,

indigenous healers (popularly known by the Zulu rcrm o{ izttngoma), politically active Africans,

as well as conservative and liberal white South Africans from the Afrikaans- and English-

speaking communities. Being able to welcome him and Ruth Sanford at the airport, with the

drumming, the dancing and the ceremony conducted by the izangoma, presented a most

memorable occasion for them as well as for me.

The novelty of finding a poem in the front of this book, cleverly constructed fromRogers' own statements during counseling, struck just the right chord for me to want to read

more. The verse honors Rogers in a delicate way. I remember him sharing Robert Harpertbeautiful poem, 'W/here once was naught', with us during my student years at \Tisconsin.

Later in the book I came across more creative use of the verse form by John Mcleod (Ch.

14) . In his narrative social-constructionist approach to the videotape , The Rigbt to be Desperate,

he uses this format to portray vividly the way of being in the world of the client in counseling

with Rogers.

I liked the foreword byVontress. In keepingwith the purpose of the editors, he draws

attention to the unawareness within the psychological community of the extent to which we

are embedded in culture. Vontress refers specifically to the impact of this unawareness on the

effectiveness of mainstream therapeutic approaches in the counseling ofA-frican-Americans.

In their introductory chapter the editors of the volume, and Moodley in Ch. 3, similarlv

Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies, Volume 4, Number 2 125

Rogers

nuelling

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The PCA Needs to Consider More Than Just Racism

decry the insufficient attention to issues of race, culture and ethniciq. in PCT. As far as I am

concerned, no topic requires more attention in psychology than becoming aware of these

cultural gaps in our consciousness. It is imperative to realize the monocultural nature of ourdiscipline (Holdstock, 2000). The endeavor of the editors of the text to fill the existing voidcannot, therefore, be commended highly enough.

Once I embarked on the text proper I was impressed by the quality of the analyses andof the writing. Scientific work is often evaluated in terms of the ideas, the discussion and the

research that are generated. Using these criteria, the book is a success. The margins of the

pages of my copy are filled with notations. Highlighted sentences and sections abound.

The counseling relationship between an elderly, white male therapist, Carl Rogers, whohappened to be the world-renowned doyen of PCfl, and an unknown young African-Americanmale, who may have been role playing (Stillwell, Ch. 23), fonns the basis for examining PCTin tern-rs of what the editors call a multicultural perspective. The different contributorsapproached this relationship from a variery of viewpoints. Perhaps it was unayoidable that agreat deal of overlap would occur. The principles underlving PCT are often restated andsimilar interaction segments are refLrred to bv different contriburors. However, the restating

of the basic tenets in somex,hat dillerent rerms ma\. even be valuable for young people settingout in PCT. In facr, I loLrnd the dillbrent u'avs in u'hich the sarre essences were expressed

rather interesting. It is like having the same musical piece played by different musicians.

Besides, there is sul{icient uniqueness to pardon the overlap that occurred.

In Part 1 of the text the two videos, which constitute the basis fbr the various contributionsto the book, are summarized. Although the summaries read easily enough, I wondered whythe actual transcripts could not rather have been presented. They do, after all, represent theraw data upon which all the contributions are based.

The approach ofthe book is interestingly unique. Imagine all this attention being devotedto tvvo sessions of Carl Rogers counseling a single client. In fact, the focus on Rogers and oneclient can even be viewed as a reflection of the insular orientation of PCT that the editorswant to highlight, but are unable to break away from. The counseling is, furthermore, based

on a monocultural \Testern concept of the self as an independent and individuocentricentiry. In addition, I consider this concept to be rather incongruent with the interdependentnature of psychotherapy itself (Holdstock, 1996a, b, c). The paucity of material of Rogers

counseling black clients is, furthermore, indicative in itself of the concern of the editorsabout the limited involvement of PCT in cultural issues. So is the relative lack of case studies

involving multicultural counseling in the book. Of the three contributors who presentedcase studies in conjunction with their reviews of the Rogers videotapes, the differentinterpretations of the concept of culture are, furthermore, evident (Christine Clarke, Ch. 10;

\7est, Ch. 1J; James and Fosteq Ch. 16).

In Part 2, textual analyses of the sessions are provided. Brodley (Ch. 4a, b), in heranalysis, highlights the uncharacteristic directiveness of Rogers. Lietaer (Ch. 5) does a thoroughquantitative and qualitative analysis ofthe various categories in which the responses of Rogers

can be classified. Rhys, Black and Savage (Ch. 6) employed the theory and method ofConversation Analysis, derived from linguistics, to investigate the interactive nature of the

126 Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies, Volume 4, Number 2

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interview. Their chapter is an absolute gem. Another innovative feature of their work is the

focus on 'minimal responses', such as the 'mm-hmms'so characteristic of Rogers. Althoughthese minimal encouragers are noted in other analyses, they are usually not attributed any

real importance. I thoroughly en.jo1.ed this chapter. It demonstrates the value ofcross-fertilizing

between disciplines, something that the editors plead for with respect to 'multicultural'

approaches to counseling.

In agreement with Brodley and several other contributors (e.g., Dhingra and Sa-xton,

Ch. 1 1 ; Lee, Ch. 1 Bl Mier and $Zitn, in Ch. 7; Pankhania, Ch. 20; \7est, Ch. 1 5; \W4ritehead,

Ch. 2l), Rhys, Black and Savage also conclude that Rogers failed to engage effectively withhis client on the issue of race and racism. Hox.'ever, by examining the videotapes of Rogers in

counseling with another African-American male about seven years lateq in 1984, Lago and

Jean Clark (Ch. 12) conclude that the initial cnricism of Rogers was no longer valid.

Brodley and others (e.g., Mier and'Witn', Ch. 7; Pankhania, Ch. 20), consider the

unfamiliar directiveness of Rogers as a possible reason for his relative failure to confront race

and racism as issues in the counseling sessions. Then there are those who suggested that

Rogers would perhaps have been more eflbctive if he had been more strlrctured or directive inthe interview (e.g., \7est, Ch. 15; James and Foster, Ch. 16). Hor.r,evet apart from warranting

a footnote in a historical perspective, I do not thinkrhe post boc analr,ses ofRogers' effectiveness

should be a consideration in the year 2005. It is time for the younger generation to take

responsibility for revisioning the theory of personalin. underlving PCT, and to adjust their

practices accordingly, in order to play a role in facilitaring conflict resolution in our troubled

times of ethnic and cultural conflicts.

Parts 3 and 4 of the book contain many interesting chapters that indicate the way

forward. I regard the most important chapters to be those that point to the significance ofconsidering both client and therapist not as insulated individual beings, but as people who

belong to a context that encompasses social, economic, poiitical, gender and historical belief

systems. Such a holistic context is perhaps represented best by the concept of culture. I am

aware that there are those who like to do away with the concept of culture and explain all

differences in terms of class. I find that view is a bit too simplistic. Class, like race, is an

important variable, but does not constitute the totality of being human.

The psychological profession has developed some awareness of the importance of race

and racism in human welfare, but we are still unaware that the profession, including PCT, is

a product of Euro-American male culture. One can narrow the genesis of our profession

considerably more, but this review does not allow room for that much elaboration (if interested,

see Holdstock, 2000). As such, PCT -

and psychology in general -

d6 ne1 represent the

majority cultures of the world. Psychologyt belief that it does is perhaps the most insidious

form of racism, for the assumption of universalism is implicitly propagated from an

overpowering power base (Holdstock, 2000).

Moodley, Shipton and Falken (Ch. B) state that'engaging race and psychological maten ,

especially in black clients' (p. 113) poses a dilemma for counseling and psychotherapr'. -

suggest that a possible reason for that dilemma is the inability of the practitioners of rh-,.disciplines to take stock of their own monocultural power base (Holdstock, 2000). Cha::..-

Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies, Volume 4, NumL.'- - - -

The PCA Needs to Consider More Than Just Racism

(Ch. 9) speala masterfully to this point. She expresses all the essential truths that PCI and

psychology in general, need to be aware ofl For instance, she highlights the dangers ofvictimization by pointing out that issues of responsibility, power and inequality cannot be

left purely in the personal domain. She questions the double-edged nature ofPCT in dislocating

the 'unique' individual from wider social processes. She nevertheless pleads for recognizing

the dynamics of difference and says it all when she writes, 'If the therapeutic process ignores

the wider political, social and economic contexts of clients (and counsellors) in the belief that

an internal locus of evaluation is one of the desired outcomes of therapy, it is merely seeking

a comfortable illusion, serving to delude both client and counsellor' (p. 124).

Dhingra and Saxton (Ch. 11) raise an important issue with respect to the inclusion ofthe concept of culture in the title of the book. They question whether the interview of Rogers

with the African-American client represents a real instance of cross-cultural counseling, since

therapist and client share so many values and beliefs. One can righdy ask whether the concept

of culture actually belongs in the title. Owing to its focus on Rogers, as doyen of PCT, in

counseling with an African-American client, the emphasis in the book is on race and racism

in the \Testern world.In their case studies, Christine Clarke (Ch. 10) as well as James and Foster (Ch. 16)

indicate the difficulties thev experienced in counseling ir4uslim and Portuguese clients

respectivelyr Although Clarke has a point rvhen she states that despite their commonalities,

Rogers and the African-American client represent different cultures, her own work with a

Muslim woman illustrates the dimension of cultural differences that needs to be addressed by

PCT. As an aside, it needs to be pointed out with respect to the clients ofJames and Foster

that Portugal belongs to the European Union. Yet these two authors found it necessary to

quesrion and adapt the principles underlying the health care system to which PCT belongs,

in order to be able to work with Portuguese immigrant women. ]ames and Foster suggest

that therapists or healers who are fully aligned with the client's concept of illness and treatment

be incorporated, if holistic therapy is to be conducted. This suggestion is perhaps the only

way PCT can be applied cross-culturally, if at all.

The approach of\7est (Ch. 15) suggests another alternative open to PCT, which however

is not without limitations in a transcultural context. Vest invites people who have a special

inrerest in counseling of a spiritual nature to work with him in a humanistic-spiritual way.

Thus, clients who are interested to explore themselves in terms of the principles of PCT can

be invited to work with therapists so oriented. ln order to do so we need to be clear what

those principles are, though, and it is my impression that, in general, we are not. The Achilles

heel remains our inability to critically evaluate our monocultural assumptions. Another

problem is how we provide the information regarding the principles underlying PCT topeople outside the cultural sphere of the approach. Do we want to become missionaries ofthe approach, as has happened?

Lago andJean Clark (Ch. 12) similarly caution white therapists to be aware of their own

racial and culture boundedness. In pointing out how race and self-image are constructed by

white sociery Talahite and Moodley (Ch. 17) refer to the work of Fanon, Biko and Lacan,

which points out how black people living in white-dominated societies have internalized a

128 Person-Centered and Experiential Psycbotberapies, Volume 4, Number 2

negar

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' :- :: PC1l, and-:.' J.rngers of

,: t:.' aannot be

-T.- Jislocating

: : :rcognizing::-.-ss ignores

: :::. oeliefthat

-:-..:.h' seeking

_ . rrclusion of:,.-,,,. of Rogers

..:s:ling, since

.1:: -Lne COnCept'.':: rll PCI in'-:;: :nd racism

:-.:.r- tCh. 16)

: iur'se clients.-:rnonalities,:. ..,.ork with a,. :idressed by::.. :nd Foster

_: :-cessary to.-C f belongs,

- .)i.r suggest

:.::i rreatment

::iE,s the only

.,:::h however

:r\'- a Special

-.lrrrrual way.

- oi PCT can

:. .lear what:.lhe,{chilles::,.. -{nother.'':rs PCT to--:,rsirtnaries of

; rritheir own::srructed by.-- :nd Lacan,

.ri.rnalized a

negative self-image' My concern has been about how appropriare the concept of the selfprevailing in \Testern psychology is, as an encrosed ".ra

r.f-r,-rrncient entiry, for providing amodel fo1 the helping professions. I fear that this monocultural concept of the self may beresponsible for more problems than it resolves (Holdstock, rq9Or,i, i, ;ffi;.;;;hd;,"(ch' 20) does not go quite that far, or oerhaps she does? she uses the metaphor of the hrmor-plated man" with which Rogers describ.d theAfrican-American client, ro sugge$ that it is infact 'the organisations, institutions and \Testetn European therapeutic approaches, (p.238)that surface as armor-plated 'in the therapeuric jo.rr..y, of black peopre, (p. 238) .My enjoyment of Mcleodt (ch. 14) contribution did nor r.st wirh rhe narrative verseform he used to summarize the client's personal story'. His irr.o.por"tion of the concept ofnarrative in conjunction with social constructionism is important and stimulating. s'ocialconstructionism questions 'the capacity of individrd p".ror^ for autonomous action. (p.777) ' McLeod therefore *"rrr, ,g"i.rt the 'deconte*tualised ,.fl..,io, of meaning, (p. I 85).social constructionism pro'ides an excellent theoretica-l framework within which to revisionPCT

The chapter b'James and Foster (ch. 16) presenrs the theory and methodologyunderlying hermeneutics as 'a somervhat natural theoretical framework for doing culturalpsychotherapy ' ' ' hermeneutic methodology is based on the assumption that a dialectictlt*.bt*::n the part and the rihole in

",r1=., of interpretation. \ff4rether it be a rexr or aciient's problem which needs to b. .,nd..rrood in a cLrliural contexr, the two-way relation

between the client (part) and their culrure (the u,hole) needs to be examined, (p. 20t). I likedthe concept of horizonwith which thel'caprure the-ever-cha,-,glrrg.o.r,.rt of understandingthrough which a person experiences the u'orld' (p. 203). t *,o,iait. ro extend that conceptto suggest th1 we begin to think of cult,.r.. ,. .l*n,, starting rvith ou. o*., l7esrern culture., Y"l, of the chapters mentioned deserve far more

"ttJrrtio' than can be attributed tothem in the space of this review. I hope the readers of the book will be able to give them thatattention' one more chapter needs to be mentioned because of the method it suggests forfacilitatingtheteachingofPCTskills. usingthevideorapes ofRogers in counseling, charletonand Lockett (ch' 13) present trainee .ou.rr.lor, *ith structur.iquo,lor* regarding variousaspecrs of the interaction. I can imagine that their questions *;;;;;"r.h could be a usefi,rrtool' I would like to suggest that questions relatinj to the culturj'"rrurrrprions underl'inqthe embeddedns5" - not onry of the client, b,r, jro

"f ,h. ,i.;nd the practice of thetherapist

- be included.All in all' this is avaluable book that can help to advance the person-centeredApproach.

It offers material ofinterest ro trainees in psychotrrerapy *d .o.rrJirrg, ,, *.u ",

to experience tlprofessionals' Perhaps a follow-up strategy could te to use "

,rr"-b.. of therapisr/clienrinteraction fragments, from practitio.r.rr".urr.rrtry in practice, to elicit responses ro ea.n}F*l' from colleagues with similar or different orienrarions and perspectives. Like \\.,:(ch' 15)' I :Lm somewhat concerned about the way in which the counseling

'ideorap.., _ rRogers have been used' The concern ofwest is about the issue of consent of the clienrs -.:-.:I also detect a concern in him about voyeurism on the part or*. pry.r,oloeical comnr.-: :.My concern is somewhat different, though. \xay is it that our lenri, p.^;r, in zoom: r: .: :

P ers o n- Ce nte re d and Exp eri entia I ps1, c b o t/t erap i e s, Vo I t t i t t e 1. .,

The PCA Needs to Consider More Than Just Racism

Rogers so many years after his death?

From an editorial point of view, the editors could have provided the various sections ofthe bookwith summaries highlighting fie main points ofeach chaptet as well as the similarities

and the differences between the respective contributions belonging to a section. I would also

have preferred an overall summary. Perhaps the editors intend the book to be used as a text in

the classroom and want students to do such integration. The book lends itselfwell to such an

approach.

REFERENCES

Holdstock, T. L. (1996a). Anger and congruence reconsidered from the perspective of an

interdependent orientation to the sel[, In R. Hutteret G. Palvlowsky, P E Schmid and R'

Stipsits (Eds.) Client-Centered and Experienrial Pq,cfis;1rr,rUr; A paradigm in motion. Berhn:

Peter Lang, pp.47-52.Holdstock, T. L. (1996b). Discrepanw berween the Person-Centered theories of self and of therapv.

In R. Hurterer, G. Pawlowslg: P F. Schmid and R. Sripsits (Eds,) Client-CenteredandExperiential

Prychotherdpy: A paradigm in motion, Berlin: Peter L:rng, pp. 39i-i03.Holdstock, T L. (1996c). Implications of developmenrs regarding the concept of the self for Client-

Centered theorv and practice. In U. Esser, H. Pabst and G-\X{ Speierer (Eds.) The Power ofthe

Person-Centered-,4pproach: iYew chalbnges-perspectiues-answerl Koln, Germany: GuG-Verlag,

pp. 83-90.Holdstock, T, L. (2000). Re-examining Psychology: Critical perspectiues and A/iican insights. London:

Routledge.

130 Person-Centered and Experiential hychotherapies, Vo/ume 4, Number 2

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