This form of therapy takes a non-pathological view of the person, and is thought of as a general category of therapy that includes other school of therapy, such as client-centered, existential, and Gestalt. The humanistic view is one that is hopeful, constructive, and present-focused, addressing how one's history contributes to the present; it is set up on the belief that all people have the capacity to be self-determining.

Techniques:

1. "Everything is Everything" - assume that coincidence does not exist, and what occurs in session is not an isolated, one-time event, but instead the client's way of being.

2. Emphasis on intention and/or resistance - with most client actions, you can focus attention on the intention or resistance toward wholeness, or both depending on the situation and current status of the therapeutic relationship.

3. Emphasis on transparency and authenticity - the therapist is real and exists as a person in session, is open, honest, direct, and clear, within the context of the therapeutic relationship and in line with the client's goals.

4. Emphasis on mutuality - the therapist maintains a client-centered approach and forges a connection along a human journey together, empowering the client through mutuality. This is opposed to a hierarchical relationship in which the client is evaluated, has treatment prescribed, and is considered successful when the treatment is followed.

5. Engaged curiosity - the therapist engages genuine curiosity to draw the client out, encouraging the client to describe experiences of various life facets, such as employment, relationships, or hobbies. The therapist may wonder about what the client likes/does not like, how the client keeps moving forward, or what is held back in communications with a relationship.

6. Check feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations behind their story - ask the client to describe what he/or she is feeling as he/or she describes something, or conversely what the client is thinking as he/or she is feeling something. Having the client check for a sensation in his/or her body may be helpful to remain in the present, fully aware. For example, the client may say he/or she is feeling tension in the shoulders as he/or she describes marital issues; at this point, the therapist may say "allow yourself to breathe into the feeling in your shoulders and open up whatever associations come up and share what emerges."