Natalie Rogers, Ph.D.
Natalie Rogers, Ph.D., REAT, was a pioneer in expressive arts therapy, leading trainings in Europe, Russia, Latin America, Japan, and the U.S. Dr. Rogers trained and practiced as a psychotherapist. Her personal mission was to facilitate personal and planetary healing by incorporating the expressive arts in cross-cultural work.
Natalie authored several books and many journal articles:
The Creative Connection: Expressive Arts as Healing
The Creative Connection for Groups: Person-Centered Expressive Arts for Healing and Social Change
Emerging Woman: A Decade of Midlife Transitions
Natalie founded the Person-Centered Expressive Therapy Institute in Santa Rosa, CA where she trained practitioners in Person-Centered Expressive Arts for over 20 years. She has taught at the California Institute of Integral Studies, the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, the Institute of Imaginal Studies, and JFK University.
Natalie was awarded the first Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Expressive Therapy Association. (IEATA). She served as a Distinguished Consulting Faculty at Saybrook Graduate School where she offered the first university-based Expressive Arts Certificate program.
Natalie trained person-centered expressive arts practitioners from across the globe and facilitated trainings onsite in England, Italy, Russia, Israel, and other international locations.
Dr. Carl Rogers
Natalie Rogers' father, Dr. Carl Rogers (1902–1987) was one of the most influential psychologists in American history. His contributions in the fields of education, counseling, psychotherapy, and conflict resolution and peace are recognized worldwide. As one of the founders of humanistic psychology, he profoundly influenced the world through his empathic presence, his rigorous research, his authorship of 16 books and more than 200 professional articles.
Carl Rogers developed the client-centered approach through his work in psychotherapy. First described in his book, Client-centered Therapy, published in 1951, his philosophy was later applied to many areas of human growth and development. As his ideas expanded beyond psychotherapy to education, parenting, medicine, social work, organizational development and other fields, Rogers used the term "person-centered approach."
His basic assumptions are that people are essentially trustworthy, that they have a vast potential for understanding themselves and resolving their own problems and are capable of self-direction if they are in a relationship that is empathic, supportive, caring and without judgment. He consistently emphasized the attitudes and personal characteristics of the authentic presence of the therapist as the prime determinant of the outcome of the therapeutic process. His belief in the client’s capacity for self-healing is in contrast with many theories that view the therapist’s techniques as the most powerful agents that lead to change.
