Carl Rogers' 19 Propositions - Why We Shouldn't Use Person-First Language to Describe Autistic People

In Episode 226 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, your hosts Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly are back with this week's three topics:

In 'Counselling Foundations', Rory and Ken discuss the dreaded 19 Propositions of Carl Rogers.

Then in 'Focus on Self', we look at how to identify vicarious trauma.

And finally in 'Practice Matters', Rory speaks to Quinn Dexter on why we shouldn't use person -first language to describe autistic people.

Carl Rogers' 19 Propositions [starts at 02:20 mins]

In this section, Rory and Ken discuss some observations on the 19 Propositions of Carl Rogers:

They're essentially 19 different ways people perceive the world.

They're quite heavy with academic language.

Just a theory of phenomenology - how we act based on how we perceive.

It may help to think about how the propositions can be applied to small children - they seem to be written with this in mind.

How to Identify Vicarious Trauma [starts at 12:58 mins]

Within your practice, it is crucial to look after yourself and prevent a possible burnout. One thing to be cautious of in order to avoid this is vicarious trauma.

The key points of this discussion on recognising vicarious trauma are as follows:

Dealing with a lot of heavy material takes its toll.

You may find yourself thinking about a clients material more often than you should:

Being unable to sleep very well.

Being unable to watch people be cruel to each other (in films, for example).

You may also eventually find yourself trying to avoid a client's material in the room.

Try to balance your practice - be mindful of how many trauma clients you have.

Why We Shouldn't Use Person-First Language to Describe Autistic People [starts at 21:45 mins]

In part one of an interview with Quinn Dexter of the YouTube channel 'Autistamatic', Rory discusses why, against what is widely taught, we shouldn't use person-first language to describe autistic people.

The main points of this interview include:

The separation of the individual from their condition implies that autism is something shameful.

Terms such as high/low functioning and 'on the spectrum', can actually be highly insulting.

Biased empathy - it is wrong to believe that autistic individuals have no empathy; it is simply judged by their own values and beliefs and can therefore often cause misunderstandings.

There is a need for counselling and better understanding.

In Episode 227, part two of this interview will discuss some essential insights therapists need to understand when counselling autistic people.

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