The Person Centered Approach in the Soviet Union - A Companion Page

The Other Side of the Soviet Story

This short article discusses the origins of the visit of Carl Rogers and Ruth Sanford and Fran Macy to Moscow and Tbilisi, Georgia in 1986 and attempts to answer the interesting question of why so empowering an approach was ever invited at all.

Carl and Ruth on Education-Moscow,1986 (audio)

This is a question and answer session on education.

Scientific Council Stories (audio)

The Scientific Council included members of the Academy of Sciences and was influential in educational policy. Two thirds of the workshop participants appeared to witness and some got a chance to tell their very interesting stories.

Tbilisi Workshop l986 (audio)

This is a workshop in Tbilisi, Georgia. The translation of the English is into Russian. Here Carl is expository. It ends with a question whether there is some personality characteristic, ethnic characteristic, e.g. Georgian, compared to others. Carl replied, " My answer is very tentative, but I feel when you give an individual freedom of choice, then in Brazil they become more blooming Brazilians; when I work in California, they become more blooming Californians, and I would hope , if I have the opportunity to work in Georgia, they would become more blooming Georgians. But it would be their own choice."

Ruth Talk on Creativity (audio)

This was given in Moscow with Russian translation when Ruth and Fran Macy returned to the Soviet Union in 1988. It gives more details of her work on creativity than any other talk I know. It also discusses the LeBoyer method of birthing that Carl considered deeply person-centered.

Photos of the visit in 1986 and again in 1988 by Ruth and Fran

A large selection of colored and black and white photographs.