ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews in more detail some of the ways in which the terms 'person-centred' and the similar sounding terms 'patient-centred' and 'patient-centred care' are used within the National Health Service (NHS) and other health care organisations. It presents the key philosophical principles and values of the person-centred approach. The person-centred approach is most often associated with a type of counselling or psychotherapy. The chapter introduces the major contribution of Carl Rogers and the main features of the person-centred approach. There has been a veritable proliferation of person-centred terminology within health care settings, but it is rarely used with reference to the person-centred approach as outlined by Carl Rogers, his co-workers and person-centred practitioners today. In terms of encouraging interdisciplinary dialogue, it is probably fair to say that, within psychiatry, the person-centred approach is more likely to appeal to mental health professionals who are more philosophically minded.
