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Therapy Types

Person-Centered Therapy

A relationship at the heart of healing. Person-centered therapy creates the conditions for growth: through genuine empathy, deep respect, and unconditional positive regard.

You Are the Expert on Your Own Life

Person-centered therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, is built on a belief that every person has an innate capacity for growth and that the right relational conditions allow that capacity to flourish. The therapist's role is not to direct, fix, or advise, but to create a space of genuine acceptance, empathy, and trust where the client can explore freely.

At the heart of this approach are three core conditions: unconditional positive regard (accepting the person without judgment), empathy (genuinely understanding their experience from the inside), and congruence (the therapist being authentic and real).

Person-centered therapy is not passive. It is a deeply active process of listening, reflecting, and creating a safe space where children, teens, and families feel truly understood. It is the relational foundation that underpins all of the work at Little Waves Therapy.

When a person feels genuinely understood: not evaluated or advised, but heard: something shifts. That experience of being truly seen is itself therapeutic.

In Practice

What Person-Centered Therapy Looks Like

1
Unconditional Positive Regard
Accepting the child or teen as they are: their feelings, struggles, contradictions, and complexity: without judgment or conditions. This creates safety.
2
Empathic Understanding
Listening deeply and reflecting back what is heard, so the person feels genuinely understood: not summarized, but truly seen from the inside.
3
Following the Client's Lead
Sessions are shaped by what the child or teen brings: their concerns, their pace, their words. There is no fixed agenda imposed from outside.
4
Authentic Relationship
The therapist is genuine: not performing a role, but showing up as a real human being who cares. That authenticity builds trust over time.
Who May Benefit
  • Any child or teen seeking a safe, non-judgmental space
  • Those who have felt misunderstood or unheard
  • Identity exploration and self-discovery
  • Processing difficult experiences and feelings
  • Alongside other approaches as the relational foundation
  • Autistic children and teens who benefit from affirming approaches
  • Families working through difficult dynamics

Get Started

A space where you are truly heard

We offer a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation for new clients: a chance to connect, ask questions, and see if we're the right fit.

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