Active Listening in Person-Centered Therapy: Which best describes this technique?

• A. The therapist provides direct advice.
• B. The technique involves paraphrasing the client's statement to seek clarification or reflect emotion.
• C. The therapist challenges the client’s statements.
• D. The therapist ignores nonverbal cues.

Answer: (B)

Active listening in person-centered therapy centers on empathic understanding delivered through paraphrasing the client’s words and reflecting their emotions. By restating what the client has said and naming the feelings involved, the therapist clarifies meaning, validates the client’s experience, and helps them hear themselves more clearly. This non-directive approach invites deeper self-exploration and fosters self-acceptance, which are central to Rogers’ method.

Direct advice would pull the client away from exploring their own process. Challenging what the client says undermines the safe, nonjudgmental space essential to client-centered work. Ignoring nonverbal cues misses important emotional signals that enrich understanding and empathy.