When I say I work with the PCA approach, most people nod but aren't quite sure what it means. The abbreviation appears on websites and in practice descriptions, but it's rarely explained in a way that makes clear what it actually looks like in the room, or in a video call window.

So let me try.

First, what PCA isn't

PCA isn't a method where you get a list of tasks for next week. It's not an analysis of your childhood that explains why you are the way you are. You don't arrive with a problem and leave with a ready-made solution.

I'm not a therapist who comes with a diagnosis and a plan. I don't take notes at a desk or ask questions like an interrogation. You're not a case to be solved.

I work from the belief that you already hold the answers. My job is to help you reach them.

Where it comes from

PCA (Person-Centred Approach) was developed by American psychologist Carl Rogers in the 1950s. Rogers introduced what was then a radical idea: the client isn't a passive recipient of care. It's the client who knows best what they're experiencing and what they need. The therapist isn't an expert on your life. You are the expert on your life.

From this follows what Rogers described as the three core conditions of the therapeutic relationship: the therapist's genuineness, unconditional positive regard for the client, and empathic understanding. None of these are techniques; they are attitudes.

What this means in practice

In a session, I'm interested above all in what you're saying. Not just the words, but what lies behind them: hesitation, a recurring theme, something you keep returning to without realising it. I'm not trying to figure out what's missing in you. I'm trying to help you figure it out yourself.

You set the pace. If you want to be quiet, we're quiet. If you want to talk about something that seems unrelated, we talk about it. The session has no fixed structure or agenda that needs to be fulfilled.

In practical terms: PCA doesn't mean the therapist just listens passively. They actively guide you: reflecting back what they hear, asking about things that were said only halfway, helping name what doesn't have a name yet. They just don't do it to tell you what to think about it.

What the first session looks like

You don't need to arrive prepared. You don't need a written-out problem or to know where to start. You say what brings you here, or whatever comes to mind. Or you ask something you're curious about.

Part of the first consultation is practical: we talk about how this works, what you can and can't expect from me, how confidentiality works. The larger part is simply a conversation. We find out whether we're a good fit, and whether it makes sense to continue.

If not, that's fine. The PCA approach places great emphasis on the relationship between therapist and client, and a relationship either works or it doesn't. No method can force it.

Why I work with PCA

Because I believe that people are fundamentally capable of finding their way in their own lives, if they have enough space and enough safety. My job is to create that space and that safety. Not to tell you how to live.

And honestly, what draws me to it is also that it forces me to really listen. Not to think about what I'll say next while you're talking, but to be present with what's happening. That's demanding, and at the same time it's the only thing that makes it all worthwhile.