Rogerian therapy & self-reinforcing feedback

This diagram shows the dynamic driving this client’s problem gambling.

Understanding problem gambling as a vicious cycle and using this as a counselling intervention helped me to provide counselling consistent with the principles of Rogerian counselling.

Website under development

Many links to other counselling pages are not active because I am still writing them. 18 Dec 2025.

The counselling intervention example

Here is a brief overview of the self-reinforcing feedback cycle that emerged during the session with Zed.

This diagram shows the dynamic driving this client’s problem gambling.

Towards the end of the session, I summed it up, saying to him:

  • There is a cycle here.
  • The more you gamble to feel respected while you’re winning,
  • the more money you lose and the less respect you get at home and at work, so
  • the more you need respect, and
  • this throws you back to gamble more.
  • This vicious cycle is making life difficult for you.

The method for generating and using the cyclic intervention is critical; the linked page describes the counselling session.

Being genuine

Rogerian client-centred therapy proposes that the therapist is genuine and open with clients.

When I first worked with problem gamblers, their gambling did seem crazy to me, and I did not tell my clients this. An advantage of developing and using these cyclic interventions was that I came to view the clients as caught in these vicious cycles. So, when I made my intervention with client Zed, I was able to be more open and genuine with him about how I viewed him and his situation.

Unconditional positive regard

Rogerian person-centred therapy proposes that the counsellor offers the client unconditional positive regard by accepting and valuing the client without judgment or criticism.

Seeing problem gambling as a vicious cycle helped me put aside judgment about problem gamblers as crazy. I had a logical and constructive way of viewing problem gambling, and this helped move towards unconditional positive regard.

Providing empathy

Another central aspect of client-centred therapy is empathy.

The therapist understands the client’s thoughts and feelings as the client experiences them and conveys this understanding to the client.

The process I used and my understanding of problem gambling as a vicious cycle helped me understand Zed’s situation, identify that respect was so important to him, and provided a way to communicate this to him in a way he found helpful and accurate. It helped me offer him empathy.

References

Person-centred approach to counselling: Counselling Tutor website

First Loaded: 19 Dec 2025