Invitation to Person-centred Psychology

Tony was Reader in Psychology at the University of East London and taught on postgraduate and undergraduate courses in counselling and counselling psychology. He was author of several books and articles on counselling, including Learning and Being in Person-Centred Counselling -- see below. He co-founded the British Association for the Person-Centred Approach (BAPCA) in 1989 and was editor of the BAPCA journal Person-Centred Practice until his untimely death in August 2004. He contributed to workshops and other person-centred events in Europe, including several with Carl Rogers in England, Ireland and Hungary in the 1980s.

• 1. Introduction: The origins and growth of person-centred psychology 2. What makes us tick? 3. How did I become who I am? 4. If people are so constructive, why do they do such destructive things? 5. Where do my values come from? 6. How much free choice do I really have? 7. Can I love somebody, and still be myself? 8. What do I want from life? 9. Why are relationships so important? 10. How do person-centred therapists help? 11. Can person-centred values be 'lived' in the classroom? 12. Who will listen to the children? 13. Can schools be more caring? 14. Can school students really be trusted? 15. Can person-centred psychology work in a multicultural society? 16. Does person-centred psychology work with groups? 17. Can understanding lead to peace? Appendix: An interview between Carl Rogers and Ms G.

... refreshingly comprehensive in the attention it gives to areas other than person-centred therapy and containing a wealth of illustrative material bringing to life issues within human development, the person-centred approach in education, group work and peace studies. Congratulations to Tony Merry on an important addition to the recommended book list of any person-centred training course and for reminding us that person-centred psychology is only partially about person-centred therapy. Dave Mearns, Person-Centred Practice