Personal construct counselling in action - Fay Fransella

An account of personal construct counselling, this book is grounded in the theory of George Kelly. The theory offers a model of human beings as continuously seeking to make sense of their worlds through interpretation, anticipation and experimentation. It is when people's understandings and anticipations appear to fail them that they may become in need of help. The authors outline the key principles which underpin the personal construct counselling approach. They show how the starting point of counselling is a careful exploration of the ways in which the client construes his or her problems, through credulous listening to all the client says and does not say. The describe and illustrate the range of methods which can be used to help the counsellor and client learn about these constructions and their implications, including self-characterization and repertory grid technique.;The book goes on to show how the counsellor and client in partnership can then devize experiments for change through which the client can try out new and more rewarding ways of construing and acting. A number of approaches to facilitating change are discussed and exemplified. The book includes a detailed case study of the counselling process with one particular client and is aimed at practising counsellors, counsellor trainers and their trainees.