The components of Person-Centred Experiential Therapy and their impact on the effectiveness of counsellors

Person-centred experiential therapy (PCET) is a brief therapy for adults experiencing depression and delivered in NHS Talking Therapies services. A recent randomised controlled trial (PRaCTICED) found PCET to be non-inferior to cognitive behavioural therapy at 6 months. The aim of this thesis is to use PRaCTICED data to determine the role of the person-centred, experiential, and proscribed components of PCET in effective practice.
Following introduction and background chapters, the thesis comprises (1) a systematic literature review and meta-analyses seeking evidence for the efficacy of the experiential components of PCET; two qualitative studies investigating (2) how stakeholders conceptualised the PCET model, and (3) how PRaCTICED therapists used the experiential components in practice; three quantitative studies investigating (4) how competence was related to next-session and (5) end-of-therapy outcomes; and (6) the interrater reliability of the Person-Centred and Experiential Psychotherapy Scale (PCEPS-10, the measure used to assess therapists’ competence in PCET).
The systematic review and meta-analyses showed the experiential components to be effective as standalone and added interventions. Qualitative analysis of interviews showed that trainers and stakeholders see PCET as coherent and effective, although some differences were found regarding conceptualisation of the model and assessment practices. Qualitative analysis of PCET sessions showed that, generally, therapists successfully integrated the experiential components into practice.
Quantitative analysis showed that baseline severity and competence were related, but that competence and next-session change were not. Early change was related to end-of-therapy change but the latter was not related to competence. Interrater reliability of the PCEPS-10 was found to be fair when used for RCTs but poor in wider practice.
In conclusion, while no relationship between competence and outcome was found, therapists successfully operationalised experiential components into practice with initial severity of the client’s condition and early phase change being the best predictors of outcome.