This post examines
the importance of Carl Rogers’ core values, genuineness, unconditional
positive regard, and empathy in corrections for justice involved
youth. The primary focus will be on the
necessity of unconditional positive
regard.
Rogers states that
for therapy to occur, the therapist must not wear a facade but be an authentic
person; he calls this genuineness or congruence (Rogers, 1959). Rogers goes on to describe why it is
important and the necessity for it in therapy. It is also important when
working with justice involved youth, most of the time. I might laugh when they
tell a funny joke. My face might show my concern, as I listen to how their
family tree struggles with alcoholism, and so on. However, justice involved
youth are often challenged with mental health conditions along with criminal
behavior. When a confined youth has become argumentative or volatile, cursing
and insulting, it is easy for an officer to become agitated internally as well.
It is never helpful to show or speak out from that place when a youth is
escalating. In that moment, the officer recognizes the emotional escalation and
if possible, removes themselves from the situation. Moreover, if after reading a
Probable Cause statement, an officer becomes aware that a youth has been arrested
for raping several young children, they may feel disgust, anger, or they may even
feel traumatized by having read what happened. That officer cannot display
congruence. They do not proceed in their work as their congruent self, they
proceed as their professional self. They choose to treat that young person
with unconditional positive regard.
Unconditional
positive regard requires that you separate a person’s worth or value as a human
being from their behavior. When applying this, an officer can work with that
youth without passing judgement on them; without allowing the knowledge of their
behavior to influence the many decisions the officer makes regarding them every
day. An officer’s career is full of interactions with others whom they must
treat with dignity regardless of the circumstances every day. One day they may
be receiving threats and assault attempts from a youth, and the following
receive a, “hey, how’s it going,” from the same youth. I believe empathy
provides officers with the ability to apply unconditional positive regard.
Rogers states that
empathy involves, “experiencing an accurate, empathetic understanding of the
client’s world as seen from the inside (Rogers, 1959).” When an officer
knows that a youth was likely raped before the age of five themselves, it provides
them knowledge to cultivate empathy, that empathy provides them with the
ability to act with unconditional positive regard. Leaning into unconditional positive regard
enables an officer to arrive at work every day as their professional self.
I believe these core
values are important in Juvenile Justice and that they are intertwined in our
every interaction.
References
Rogers, C. (1959). Significant Learning: In Therapy
and in Education. Education Leadership, 234.
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