Dr Keith Tudor Receives the 2025 Carl Rogers Award

Shortly after hearing the news earlier this year that he had been awarded the 2025 Eric Berne Memorial Award, Keith also heard that he had been awarded the 2025 Carl Rogers Award which is given “for Distinguished Lifetime Contributions to Humanistic Psychology”. It is given by the American Psychological Association (Division 32 for Humanistic Psychology) and bestowed by the Society of Humanistic Psychology.

Keith has always promoted TA as a humanistic psychology and emphasised this aspect of TA’s legacy. In addition to his contributions to TA and to person-centred psychology (PCP), Keith has presented and published some 15 papers specifically about humanistic psychology, including a chapter that claims humanistic psychology as a critical counterculture.

His nomination for this Award focused on his humanism and humanistic psychology; his contributions to both TA analysis and PCP as branches of humanistic psychology; his critical thinking; his contribution to cross-cultural psychology and support of indigenous psychology; his research; and his contributions to legacy and honouring elders such as Natalie Rogers, Evan Sherrard, Claude Steiner, Bernie Neville, and Maureen O’Hara.

In his acceptance speech for this Award, Keith said:

"I am both honoured and humbled by receiving this Award not least as I find myself in prestigious company including esteemed colleagues such as Maureen O’Hara (2007), Robert Elliott (2008), Peter Schmid (2009), Godfrey (Goff) Barrett Lennard (2011), and Natalie Rogers (2015), all of whom I know or knew."

Keith is only the second person outside North America and Europe to win the award; the first New Zealander; and the first whose primarily professional identity is as a social worker and psychotherapist – which reflects the broad and transdisciplinary nature of the project of humanistic psychology; and the first transactional analyst.

Emeria Professor Maureen O’Hara nominated Keith for the Award and introduced him at the online award ceremony:

"Within the global humanistic psychology community, Keith is considered one of the leading authorities, renowned as a scholar, researcher, teacher and activist.

Keith’s vast portfolio examines core questions for contemporary humanistic psychologists in a diverse and tumultuous world. Though covering a wide spectrum of human concerns, the through-line of his work is opening spaces for authentic voices to be heard in their own situated idioms whether cultural, existential, or conceptual.

He is an institution-builder, giving his time to organize international events; establishing, with Louise Embleton Tudor, the highly regarded humanistic therapy training in Sheffield, UK; and (2012–2022) editing Psychotherapy and Politics International), an open-access journal.

Since moving to Aotearoa New Zealand, he has been a leader in integrating humanistic psychology with indigenous Māori traditions and advancing post-colonial theory and practice, seeking bridges with humanistic approaches.

Most recently, Keith and I celebrated the culmination of a joint project, the publication of the Art, Science, and Hope of Humanism, a collection of my work selected and masterfully edited by Keith. In the dialogue following each chapter, Keith walks his talk as a person-centered facilitator holding space for new insights to emerge in the here-and-now, even about work written long ago. From start to finish, working with Keith in this dialogical process was transformative for me.

So, given my own relationship with Carl Rogers who was my PhD mentor and then my colleague for decades, being able to nominate Keith for an award that honors Carl’s legacy is sweet indeed. If it prompts more Americans to explore Keith’s humanistic, critical and ultimately hopeful take on how we might address the dehumanizing threats of our times, it will also be emancipatory for all of us."

In his acceptance speech, Keith acknowledged the influence of his parents as well as that of colleagues, including his partner, on his humanism, ending with his thanks to the Society Humanistic Psychology, and noting that:

"In the current international political context of extreme attacks on humanism and humanistic values, I feel some weight of responsibility to continue to advocate for humanism and, as Maureen has so ably done in her work, to continue to express the hope of humanism. This Award both demands and supports me – and us – to do so."

Background to the nomination for the 2025 Carl Rogers Award

My humanism and humanistic psychology

I was brought up by free-thinking parents (both Unitarians), which laid the foundations for my later choice of training in humanistic therapies: first Gestalt therapy (and Contribution training) (1984), then transactional analysis (1987–1994), and, slightly later, person-centred psychology (1991–1999).

From 1994–2021, I was a registered psychotherapist in the Humanistic & Integrative Section of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy and 2005–2009 an active delegate in that Section. In 1993, Louise and I founded Temenos (in Sheffield, UK) as a centre of person-centred education, which we directed until 2010 (and which still exists today). As part of that, I designed a post-graduate course in person-centred psychotherapy & counselling which was validated as a Master of Science by Middlesex University (London), the first postgraduate course in the UK to be validated as such. From 1999–2009, I was a full member of the Association of Humanistic Psychology Practitioners as a registered group psychotherapist. From 2012 I have been an associate editor of Self & Society: The International Journal of Humanistic Psychotherapy (The Association of Humanistic Psychology Practitioners, London, UK) in which journal I have published six articles and been the guest editor of two special issues: one on the person-centred approach (2006), the other on Ageing (2017).

Transactional analysis and person-centred psychology

Within humanistic psychology, I have made consistent and major contributions to the literature in both transactional analysis and person-centred psychology.

Publications in transactional analysis

Peer-reviewed articles n=25 (published in the Transactional Analysis Journal)

Books n=4

Peer-reviewed chapters n=24

Publications in person-centred psychology

Peer-reviewed articles n=26

Books n=7

Peer-reviewed chapters n=31

Special issues of edited journals: n=6

In TA, my contribution has been recognised in two international awards:

• 2025 Recipient of the 2025 Eric Berne Memorial Award, given by the International Transactional Analysis Association, the citation of which reads ‘for his work on revitalising and advancing the critical and social edge of transactional analysis, and critiquing TA from within and without’.

• 2020 Recipient, with Graeme Summers, of the 2020 Eric Berne Memorial Award, given by the International Transactional Analysis Association, for our work on co-creative transactional analysis, the citation of which reads ‘For Their Work on Cocreativity and for Introducing a new Metaperspective for Thinking About Theoretical Development and Design in Transactional Analysis’.

In person-centred psychology, my contribution has been recognised in being invited to be a keynote speaker at PCE2024, the Conference of the World Association for Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapy & Counseling, Athens, Greece, in which keynote I spoke about the person, politics and education.

Critical thinking

Building on my upbringing as a free-thinker and, with the benefit of a first degree in philosophy and theology, being heavily influenced by feminism, and becoming a political activist, I became and have remained a critical thinker, which is reflected in the following:

• 2012–2022 Editor, Psychotherapy and Politics International (Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, UK, Tuwhera, Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand).

• 2012–2017 (with Hall, A. [2012–2016], and with Morice, M. P., & Woodard, W. [2017]) Ata: Journal of Psychotherapy Aotearoa New Zealand (The New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists, Inc., Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand/Tuwhera, Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand).

• From 2015 Fellow, The Critical Institute http://www.criticalinstitute.org/

• From 2001 Editorial Board Member, The Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Cross-cultural psychology and in support of indigenous psychology

Another aspect of my upbringing was my parents’ internationalism which led me to have an appreciation of language(s), and of cultures other than my own. This was further enhanced by living in Italy for two years (1985–1985) and learning Italian, and, in 2009, emigrating to Aotearoa New Zealand and becoming involved in bicultural activities and commitments. This aspect of my humanism is reflected especially in:

• Establishing Moana Nui – Research in the Psychological Therapies, whose vision is ‘to engage in research and relationships that serve to honour the wellbeing of the people in the land of Aotearoa New Zealand. We do this by prioritising our underserved communities in Aotearoa New Zealand, with our focus on tangata Whenua and building, enhancing and maintaining authentic partnerships and relationships with industry, professions, education and community.’ https://moananui.aut.ac.nz/ 

• 2016–2019 As Head of the School of Public Health & Psychosocial Studies, appointing Māori and Pasifica colleagues to senior leadership positions.  

• From 2009 Supervising doctoral theses and master’s dissertations that address various aspects of culture and biculturalism (n=9).

Research

I have a long and strong interest in research which dates back to 1976 when, as a temporary (trainee) probation officer, I was encouraged to attend a probation service methods development group. My experience of and engagement in research encompasses:

• 1981–1985 – As a counsellor/researcher at a youth counselling agency, in which role, I participated in the design and collection of research data, as well as the struggle against an attempt to impose a particular method of research – see Conscience and Critic (Tudor, 2017).

• During the mid/late 1980s – Undertaking research into the implications and impact of social policy (see Tudor 1989, 1990).

• 1990s – Research into positive mental health, and into projects offering programmes to prevent male violence.

• 1993–2004 – Undertaking research into my own psychotherapy practice: with groups, based on Yalom’s (1985) work on the therapeutic factors of groups – see Group Counselling (Tudor, 1999); and with regard to specific, intensive work with clients with serious difficulties, using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (Hathaway & McKinley, 1940/1970).

• In the early 2000s – as part of the MSc in Person-centred Psychotherapy & Counselling, Designing, with David Shapiro (from the University of Sheffield), a 12-day research module, as part of which the students produced their own research, and which, at that time, provided the most research input for students on any psychotherapy training course in the UK.

• 2002–2003 – As a person-centred trainer/educator, participating in a research project into the effectiveness of listening visits conducted by health visitors with women with postnatal depression (Morrell et al., 2011).

• From 2008 – As a supervisor of postgraduate students’ research: doctoral theses to completion (n=6) and in progress (n=9); master’s dissertations to completion (n=38) and in progress (n=5), from which I encourage students to publish (in the last five years n=22).

• From 2025 – Co-editor, with Professor Jonathan Wyatt (University of Edinburgh) of a book series on ‘Qualitative Research in Psychotherapy’ (Routledge, UK).

Contributions to legacy

I have always been interested in history and, as I grew up, the history and origin of ideas; and, especially since emigrating to and settling in Aotearoa New Zealand, the idea that is epitomised in the Māori whakataukī (or proverb) ka mua ka muri, the meaning of which points to walking backwards to the future. This interest in history, whakapapa (genealogy), and honouring elders, especially in the humanistic world, has led me to initiate and complete a number of legacy projects, including three books – about Maureen O’Hara, Evan Sherrard, and Claude Steiner – and a special issue of Person-centered & Experiential Psychotherapies – about Bernie Neville.