"When I accept myself just as I am, then I can change"
~Carl Rogers
A Person Centred Approach.
Person-centred counselling is one of the humanistic modalities or approaches. It was founded in the 1940s by the American psychologist Carl Rogers who believed that, given the right conditions, a person can reach their full potential and become their true self, which he termed ‘self-actualisation’. This actualisation process is innate and accessible to everyone.
To help you achieve self-actualisation, I will offer:
- unconditional positive regard (UPR) – accepting and valuing you exactly as you are
- congruence - being honest and transparent in how I experience you and your world
- empathic understanding – seeing your viewpoint as if I were you
When you’re attending counselling sessions, you are encouraged to bring your own issues to the session – the counselling is led by you and not directed by the counsellor.
Many clients, with no prior knowledge of counselling, believe that the counsellor will sort their problems out for them. I will help you to explore your own issues, feelings, beliefs, behaviour, and worldview, so you can become more self-aware and achieve greater independence.
Discover your own abilities
I will help you to realise what resources and support are available to you that you can use to work through your own issues, build your self-confidence and appreciate that you always have options. I will treat you as the expert on yourself, as no-one else knows exactly what it’s like to be you.
I will not judge you, no matter what you bring to the session. I aim to build a trustworthy relationship with you, in which you can feel free and supported to disclose whatever is troubling you. Eventually it will lead you to discover your own abilities and autonomy, so that you can cope with current and future problems.
Adapted from the BACP website.
About us: The Circle
The Circle was founded in 2026 by Natasha Marcetic (BA(Hons), PGDip, MBACP), a qualified counsellor and psychotherapist, and a registered member of the British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy.
Why 'The Circle'? To me, circles feel safe, enclosed, whole. Circles are used throughout history, and across the world, to represent wholeness and protection. The ensō brush stroke in Buddhism is a hand-drawn circle that shows enlightenment, strength, and the beauty of imperfection. The Ouroboros is a snake eating its own tail forming a circle to show rebirth, self-renewal, and eternal change. A circle of salt forms a ring of protection from the darkness outside. Circles often symbolize the heavens or the divine. Mandalas use circular patterns to represent the universe and quiet the mind. In Carl Jung's analytical psychology, the circle is a powerful symbol representing the Self, psychological wholeness, and the ultimate integration of the human personality.
The perfect symbol for the healing power of counselling