The below information is taken from the Counselling Directory and provides a great overview of humanistic therapies.
Humanistic therapies focus on self-development, growth and responsibilities. They seek to help individuals recognise their strengths, creativity and choice in the 'here and now'.
Existential therapy
Existential therapy focuses on exploring the meaning of certain issues through a philosophical perspective, instead of a technique-based approach.
Gestalt therapy
Gestalt therapy can be roughly translated to 'whole' and focuses on the whole of an individual's experience, including their thoughts, feelings and actions. Gaining self-awareness in the 'here and now' is a key aspect of gestalt therapy.
Human Givens psychotherapy
Human Givens psychotherapy is a relatively new approach that has been described by its founders as a 'bio-psycho-social' approach to psychotherapy. The therapy's basic assumption is that humans have innate needs (called givens) that need to be met for mental well-being.
Person-centred therapy (also known as "client-centred" counselling)
Person-centred therapy focuses on an individual's self worth and values. Being valued as a person, without being judged, can help an individual to accept who they are, and reconnect with themselves.
Psychosynthesis
Psychosynthesis aims to discover a higher, spiritual level of consciousness.
Reality therapy
Reality therapy is an approach to therapy that focuses on the here and now rather than issues from the past. Developed by William Glasser in the 1960s, the theory behind the therapy is that an individual in mental distress is not suffering from a mental illness; instead they are suffering from a socially universal human condition as they have not had their basic psychological needs met.
Solution-focused brief therapy
Also known as solution-focused therapy or brief therapy, this approach predominantly looks at what the individual wants to achieve rather than historical problems. Questions are asked by the therapist to help the individual uncover their own strengths and resources. Solution-focused therapy can be especially helpful to those who are goal-orientated and have a desire to change.
Transactional analysis
Transactional analysis is based on the theory that we each have three ego states: Parent, adult and child. By recognising ego-states, transactional analysis attempts to identify how individuals communicate, and how this can be changed.
Transpersonal psychology
Transpersonal psychology means "beyond the personal" and seeks to discover the person who transcends an individual's body, age, appearance, culture etc.
