Many clients come to therapy with a clear goal or a particular problem they want to solve. It’s a natural place to start – something hurts, something feels stuck, and they want support to move forward.

As my own person-centred practice has developed, I’ve found myself reflecting more deeply on how this approach engages with problem solving. What does it look like to take a person-centred stance when someone arrives in therapy looking for answers?

The Person-Centred Approach to Problem Solving

In person-centred therapy, the therapist isn’t seen as the expert on the client’s life. Instead, we believe that every person has an innate capacity for growth and healing -including the ability to find their own answers.

This means I don’t offer ready-made solutions or push clients in any particular direction. My role is to create a space where clients can begin to access their own inner resources – even when those resources feel distant or clouded by doubt, fear, or past experiences.

Often, clients already know what they need, even if it’s buried beneath uncertainty. My job is to help them uncover that knowing.

Congruence and Non-Directivity

One of the core principles of person-centred therapy is non-directivity. This means I don’t guide or advise clients out of a principled belief that they are the best authority on their own lives.

Of course, this can be challenging – especially when a client looks to me for answers. But even then, I hold onto the belief that they don’t need me to be the expert. What they need is a therapist who trusts in their potential and stays with them while they figure it out.

This approach isn’t passive – it’s purposeful. It’s about staying congruent, responding genuinely, and resisting the urge to lead.

Supporting Clients to Find Their Own Way

In practice, this might sound as simple as asking, “What do you think you should do next?”

That question can open something up. The answer may not be clear-cut – and it often comes with hesitations, complications, or fears. But we can explore those too. And again and again, I see clients uncover their own clarity, strength, and direction.

This is what makes person-centred therapy so powerful: it honours the client’s inner wisdom. I’m proud to offer a therapeutic space where that wisdom can be accessed, trusted, and acted on.