A School of Education seminar hosted by the Centre for Research in Human Flourishing
Presented by Professor Mick Cooper, School of Psychology, University of Roehampton
This seminar will explore the relationship between the pluralistic approach to therapy, as articulated by Mick Cooper, John McLeod and colleagues, and person-centred theory and practice. The seminar will ask whether pluralism is compatible with a person-centred approach, what the similarities and differences might be, and the meaning of a pluralistic approach to person-centred therapy, as outlined by Nicola Blunden in the recent ‘Tribes of Person-centred Nation’ (PCCS, 2024). The session will begin with a brief introduction by Mick, outlining the beginnings and fundamentals of the pluralistic approach and how, for him, it emerged as a person-centred ‘meta-therapy’: a person-centred way of viewing the therapeutic field as a whole. Mick will also talk about the collaborative ethic at the heart of pluralistic approach: its desire to genuinely listen to—and respect—the voice of the client. There will then be opportunity for dialogue and Q & A: including discussion of critical, reflective, and empirical perspectives on pluralism and its relationship to the person-centred field.
Mick Cooper is an internationally recognised author, trainer, and consultant in the field of humanistic, existential, and pluralistic therapies. He is a Chartered Psychologist, and Professor of Counselling Psychology at the University of Roehampton. Mick has facilitated workshops and lectures around the world, including New Zealand, Lithuania, and Florida. Mick's books include Existential Therapies (2nd ed., Sage, 2017), Working at Relational Depth in Counselling and Psychotherapy (2nd ed., Sage, 2018), and Integrating Counselling and Psychotherapy: Directionality, Synergy, and Social Change (Sage, 2019). Mick’s principal areas of research have been in shared decision-making/personalising therapy, and counselling for young people in schools. In 2014, Mick received the Carmi Harari Mid-Career Award from Division 32 of the American Psychological Association. He is a Fellow of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and the Academy of Social Sciences. Mick’s latest book explores the contribution that counselling and psychotherapy theory and practice can make to wider social progress and justice: Psychology at the Heart of Social Change: Towards a Progressive Vision for Society (Bristol University, 2023).
Mick has recently undertaken some dialogue on this topic with Chris Molyneux, videos of which can be viewed using the following links and these might be useful advance background viewing for attendees.