Ukrainian Institute of Client-Centered
and Experiential Psychotherapy (UICCEP)

Оur history

The School of Client-Centered Psychotherapy was created in 2000 by Doctor of Psychology, Professor Alexander Kocharyan , who received professional training in the field of client-centered psychotherapy and counseling within the framework of the training program of the International Institute of Client-Centered Approach (Lugano, Switzerland) and the Center for Cross-Centered Psychotherapy. cultural communication (Dublin, Ireland) for psychologists and psychiatrists in Central and Eastern Europe (Bratislava, Prague) in 1990-1994.

In 2012 on the basis of the School Ukrainian Institute of Client-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapy was created.

Our mission:

• Enhancement of the professional level of specialists in the field of psychological counseling and psychotherapy;

• Overall improvement of psychological culture, popularization of psychological awarreness;

• Providing high qualitypsychotherapeutic assistancen.

Main activities:

Scientific activities: identifying the limits and capabilities of client-centered psychotherapy (in nosology and characterology), developing ideas on the processes in psychotherapeutic contact. Defense of doctoral theses on the subjects of client-centered psychotherapy of codependent relationships, violations of responsible behavior, neurotic disorders, sexual and gender-role disorders. Published monographs:

1) Psychotherapy: psychological models - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2003 - 1st edition, 2007 - 2nd edition, 2009 - 3rd edition.

2) Fundamentals of psychotherapy - M.: Aletheya, 1999.

3) Fundamentals of psychotherapy - K.: Nika-center, 2001.

4) Psychotherapy in special states of consciousness. – M.: AST, 2000.

5) Psychotherapy of sexual disorders and marital conflicts. – M.: Medicine, 1994.

6) Personality and gender role – Kh.: Osnova, 1996, etc.

Practical activities (psychological and psychotherapeutic work): individual psychological counseling, group work, conducting thematic trainings.

Forms of work of the institute: short-term and long-term programs, client groups, meeting groups (personal growth), professional training, training courses on personal problems solution.

Since 2020, a unit of the Institute has been operating at the Department of Psychological Counseling and Psychotherapy of the Faculty of Psychology of  Kharkov National University. Online seminars, supervisions, master classes for psychologists, as well as individual psychological consultations are conducted.

The fundamental difference between the client-centered approach and other experiential approaches is the belief in the client’s self-actualization tendency, a shift in the focus of psychotherapy towards the contact with client (psychotherapist does not act as an instructor, as, for example, in Gestalt therapy, but  instead as an active, personally involved participant in a joint therapeutic experience ) and also the expressed processualism of psychotherapy.

In 2024 the Institute became an, organizational member of the Network of European Associations for Person-Centered and Experimental Psychotherapy and Counseling [PCE Europe]