ABSTRACT
Beatrice Webb was never a therapist but she was a contemporary of Sigmund Freud and wrote with great insight about what it is like for a humanist to attempt to understand another person. Most therapists probably do not act out of religious faith. Freud saw himself as guided by science, a position shared with modern technical therapists. By the mid-twentieth century, existentialist philosophers had loaded freedom of choice squarely upon the shoulders of each individual. Carl Roger's workshops, books and papers subsequently made him into one of the most influential psychologists of the twentieth century. Critics have argued that self-actualisation is a selfish philosophy because it focuses on an individual’s inner determinants, neglecting the rightful needs of others. Carl Roger’s person-centred therapy is only one of a wide number of humanistic therapies. There are limits on genuineness, authenticity, and compassionate love in the context of a professional relationship.
