Learning and Being in Person-Centred Counselling

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I particularly enjoyed the theory sections in [Learning and Being] - and I valued the inclusion of cultural, political, professional and social issues at an early stage .

He deftly conveys the philosophy of the person-centred approach with a sophisticated precision and a personal warmth. Tony Merry (1948–2004) was Reader in Psychology at the University of East London and taught on postgraduate and undergraduate courses in counselling and counselling psychology. I anticipate that trainees will especially welcome the additions to the Merry book about placements (chapter six, 'Training Issues: Client work and personal development') and Supervision (chapter seven). Merry grounds person-centred counselling in its ontological foundations and shows how theory informs our practice and how the counsellor’s attitudes are essential to their practice. Clearly, I believe in Carl Rogers' theories, otherwise I wouldn't have spent the past four years training in his style of counselling, but he was ultimately a scientist and some of his theory does get a tad complicated for my non-scientific brain.To give a flavour of these, Merry explores issues around many placement agencies offering time limited therapy and the difficulties trainees experience with this, offering helpful texts (including references to Brian Thorne) along the way. Students who want to understand how to practise person-centred counselling will find useful suggestions and insight into how to accompany a client on their individual journey. I would recommend Learning and Being as an essential read for all students of the person-centred approach. Despite being first published more than 20 years ago, this book remains relevant to contemporary person-centred counselling practice.

There are no easy routes to becoming a person-centred counsellor, but this book is surely one of the best guides to anyone striving towards learning and being within this approach. He co-founded the British Association for the Person-Centred Approach (BAPCA) in 1989 and was editor of the BAPCA journal Person-Centred Practice until his untimely death in August 2004. It brings theory to life with its suggestions for exploring and developing person-centred values, qualities, attitudes and skills. In the second edition of this hugely popular book, Tony Merry has reorganised and updated the text to include the latest initiatives in the world of counselling and psychotherapy. Learning and Being in Person-Centred Counselling is a classic textbook that provides essential reading for all person-centred counselling students and experienced practitioners alike.This process-focused reflexivity, so essential in person-centred practice, makes this newly revised version invaluable and important for readers of all backgrounds. As a facilitator of person-centred learning groups for many years, I’ve experienced how Tony’s writing evokes passionate engagement, dialogue and encounter among participants.

In the second edition of this hugely popular book, Tony Merry reorganised and updated the text to include the latest initiatives in the world of counselling and psychotherapy.

She is a UK Council for Psychotherapy Registered Psychotherapist and teaches a Masters level programme in Contemporary Person-Centred Psychotherapy and Applications.