ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the meaning of genuineness and congruence in counseling. It also explains difficulties that beginning counselors often face in providing empathy and UPR in a genuine manner. The chapter discusses the difficulties that psychotherapists experience or anticipate experiencing in providing empathy and UPR in a genuine manner. It describes why psychotherapists genuineness is important to the positive outcomes of their counseling sessions. The chapter shows how psychotherapists would express their thoughts and emotional reactions to clients, as well as how their decision process would play out. As with each of the core conditions of counseling, Rogers (1957) is credited with bringing the importance of counselor genuineness to the consideration of the helping professions. Rogers explained that the core condition of genuineness means “the therapist makes himself or herself transparent to the client; the client can see right through what the therapist is in the relationship; the client experiences no holding back on the part of the therapist”.
