Unconditional positive regard (UPR) does exactly what it says on the tin. It demands of the listener (therapist, teacher, social worker etc) that whatever behaviour (within reason) is being exhibited or whatever disclosures are coming forth (again, within reason) – one must act with a positive and empathetic mindset irrespective of the content. In other words – park your own opinion and judgement at the door and simply accept all that is being offered.
It originates from the work of therapist and psychologist Carl Rogers, in which it formed the fulcrum of his ‘Client Centred’ therapeutic approach. In my first year of social work training, I spent three months at a local Primary school and my time was equally divided between supporting academic pull-out groups and working with the school’s counsellor/therapist. Her approach aligned firmly with that of Carl Rogers and his ‘Client Centred Therapy’. Forgive me, I am understating…she was a card-carrying acolyte of Carl Rogers! She had a laser-focused stare which melted the side of my head on any occasion where I mis stepped and offered a child a solution to their problem.
As a form of therapy, it sounds pretty straightforward, right? Certainly the initial part of the process; accept any statements, thoughts, opinions or beliefs without condition or judgement. However, it is a great deal harder than it sounds. It goes without saying that it is very effective with children where trust is paramount. Believe me, when trying to understand what is troubling a child, you are undertaking an archaeological dig, not a fracking contract, and unconditional positive regard is one of your most effective tools. It does require training and not only training in terms of how to deliver it therapeutically, but also one must reflect deeply on one’s own power, prejudices and motivations when employing this approach in action.
Which leads to three worries I have when I see its prevalence within school behaviour policies, or its wording included on school websites.
Firstly, a short philosophical concern. There may be deontological issue with this approach within the school context of using unconditional positive regard to modify behaviour. If Child A is engaging in behaviours that are disruptive and policy dictates an unconditional positive regard approach – that tactic is not within the ‘good will’ of therapy. In other words, the teacher isn’t a therapist engaging with the child in a client centred way seeking to uncover slowly and methodically what is troubling a child and therefore how other strategies would ameliorate. They are using it as a specific means to an end which would not, in most cases, build robust pathways to better mental health.
Secondly, as discussed above, this way of working requires training. There’s an assumption (in my view) that any adult who has undertaken training to work with children would either have come across UPR explicitly or at least engaged in it heuristically. I absolutely worked explicitly with UPR as a social worker – but not once as a teacher. Teacher training does not major or minor in child development; that’s something you just pick up on the job. Therefore, there could develop faulty models of working within this method. Furthermore, an effective and meaningful use of UPR entails deep levels of discussion and reflections with line managers to ensure the practice is being undertaken effectively – meaning training isn’t just required for teachers, but leaders as well.
My final concern is the use of the term itself within a school context. Fundamentally, how children are regarded is conditional. You are regarded as academically successful on the condition of your marks. Your behaviour and how it is regarded is conditioned upon whether you receive ‘house points’ or ‘conducts’. But outside of how a school conditionally regards its pupils through is administrative whole school systems, one can’t escape that fact that individual teachers will regard individual children on whole range of conditions both objective and of course, subjective. Therefore, any school which includes UPR as a whole school policy would need to include clear advice and guidance on this approach to be understood unambiguously by its employees.
Unconditional Positive Regard belongs squarely within the any SEN or therapeutic department of a school. To insist upon its ideology outside of its natural habitat will require training for staff and all levels of leadership and caveats within any whole school behaviour policy. Otherwise, it is at best a way of acting that assumes the good will, patience, or innate skill of its workforce or a worst it is simply a ‘hot button’ phrase to drive numbers and create a ‘feel-good’ narrative in the school’s marketing.
StoatAubergine 
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