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A D P C A
The Association for the Development of the Person Centered Approach.
Home Articles Becoming a member Events Journal Links Newsletter Photos Responsibilities
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Welcome
A D P C A The Association for the Development of the Person Centered Approach. Home Articles Becoming a member Events Journal Links Newsletter Photos Responsibilities |
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Commonly Asked Questions. What is the ADPCA? The Association for the Development of the Person-Centered Approach is an international network of individuals who support the development and application of the person-centered approach. ADPCA welcomes the participation of educators, therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, health service providers, pastoral counselors, organization development specialists, and all people who are interested in the field of human relations and personal and interpersonal development. In an endeavor to practice the person-centered approach within the Association, members share the responsibilities and privileges of leadership. The Association sponsors an annual conference, a distinctive feature of which is large community group meetings, and disseminates information about other person-centered activities and organizations throughout the world. It publishes a newsletter, a journal and an annual membership directory. Membership benefits include subscriptions to those publications and participation in a community of individuals who share person-centered values. What is the Person Centered Approach? "Individuals have within themselves vast resources for self-understanding and for altering their self-concepts, basic attitudes, and self-directed behavior; these resources can be tapped if a definable climate of facilitative psychological attitudes can be provided. There are three conditions that must be present in order for a climate to be growth-promoting. These conditions apply whether we are speaking of the relationship between therapist and client, parent and child, leader and group, teacher and student, or administrator and staff. The conditions apply, in fact, in any situation in which the development of the person is a goal. I have described these conditions in previous writings; I present here a brief summary from the point of view of psychotherapy, but the description applies to all of the foregoing relationships." [ Rogers then goes on to describe the three conditions in three paragraphs. Then in a final paragraph for this section of the chapter he says] "How does this climate which I have just described bring about change? Briefly, as persons are accepted and prized, they tend to develop a more caring attitude toward themselves. As persons are empathetically heard, it becomes possible for them to listen more accurately to the flow of inner experiencings. But as a person understands and prizes self, the self becomes more congruent with the experiencings. The person thus becomes more real, more genuine. These tendencies, the reciprocal of the therapist's attitudes, enable the person to be a more effective growth-enhancer for himself or herself. There is a greater freedom to be the true, whole person" from Carl R. Rogers. Way of Being. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1980, p.115-117 A Letter from Howard Kisrschenbaum, ADPCA Secretary Dear Colleagues, At the annual conference in Kutztown in June 2009, it was my honor to be selected as Secretary of ADPCA. I was pleased to accept and even volunteer for this position because I believe that this is exciting time for both ADPCA and the person-centered approach. Many old and new members of ADPCA are stepping up and taking greater responsibility for the current and future success of ADPCA. These new efforts build on the many years of contributions made by former and continuing officers and committee chairs on ADPCA’s behalf. New developments include: Grace Klein, with the help of other members, has submitted ADPCA’s application to the Internal Revenue Service for tax-exempt status. This can result in substantial tax savings for the organization and make us eligible for tax-deductible contributions, gifts and grants. With the leadership of Tiane Graziottin and the website committee, an exciting new website has been designed and is steadily moving forward toward implementation this year. The new website will be more attractive, be more interactive, and will have more information and resources on the person-centered approach for both members and non-members around the world. Members will have opportunities to give Tiane and the committee feedback on the site during its continuing development and implementation. ADPCA members are forming local person-centered organizations, associations and support groups around the country. New or relatively new groups are now operating in Chicago, New York City and Rochester. Local groups like these have many benefits. They provide on-going support and community for person-centered practitioners in a local area; they help attract more people to the person-centered approach in their area; and they encourage their local members to join ADPCA and become involved in its activities. ADPCA is now (as of the annual meeting) sponsoring the creation of a directory of person-centered and experiential programs, courses and faculty at universities in North America, as well as training institutes, internship opportunities and related programs. The two goals of the directory are: (1) to have a solid resource to give to students and others who ask “Where can I go to get further training and/or a professional degree or credential to practice person-centered counseling, therapy, etc. in the U.S. or North America?” and (2) to support, encourage and develop more person-centered programs, courses and faculty at the university level, thus facilitating future generations of person-centered practitioners. I and other ADPCA members from Rochester are undertaking this project. ADPCA’s financial health is excellent. While still needing to be prudent with our finances, we can now feel freer than ever to focus on how ADPCA can provide the greatest support to its members while also furthering the development of the person-centered approach in the wider world. There are other encouraging developments and new initiatives being discussed within ADPCA and beyond, but there is one more I want to mention here. At the annual meeting, the membership approved an initiative to significantly increase ADPCA’s membership. Toward this end, we agreed to dramatically reduce the membership fee to encourage new members. Regular membership has been reduced from $65 to $30. Student membership has gone from $25 to $15. Institutional membership is now $50. Further fee reductions are available for individuals and students who cannot afford these rates. On the other hand, for those who can afford the earlier rates and wish to continue supporting the organization at the higher level, there is a Supporting Member level with $60 dues. Building ADPCA’s membership will be my highest priority as Secretary. A larger and invigorated membership enriches all of us—at the annual conference, in submissions to the Journal and to Renaissance, on the group list, and through networking and on-going support throughout the year. A larger membership gives ADPCA the potential to support the further development and dissemination of the person-centered approach. And a larger membership sends a message to our colleagues in other associations, universities and other settings that the person-centered approach is alive, well, growing and worthy of attention and respect. Toward all these ends, I ask you to join ADPCA or renew your membership now. You can pay by check or Visa/MasterCard. Further information on joining ADPCA can be found in the “Becoming a Member” section of this website. I hope you share some of the excitement I feel about ADPCA and the future of the person-centered approach. You can help bring that future into being by joining or renewing your membership now. I look forward to hearing from you. Warmly, Howie KirschenbaumHoward Kirschenbaum Site last updated
16 July 2009.
Hits since 3 June 2002.
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