What has psychotherapy inherited from Carl Rogers?

Rogers' classic article (see record 2007-14639-002) on the necessary and sufficient conditions for therapeutic change--now 50 years old--has made an indelible impact on the field. In his brief article, Rogers broke with the past, making a compelling case for the importance of subjecting our hypotheses about how therapy works to empirical test. Moreover, his emphasis on the importance of the therapy relationship is now routinely accepted as necessary, even if not sufficient for change to occur. Having moved beyond Rogers' necessary and sufficient conditions, the field of therapy now recognizes that as important as the therapy relationship might be, there are certain clinical problems that require the use of specific techniques to bring about change. Still, it is currently recognized that therapist acceptance is essential, that nondirective methods can be effective in improving client motivation, and perhaps most important, that the therapist needs to work toward the development of evidence-based interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).