Benjamin Shepherd Clinical Psychology 3/2/2015 If Rape Were Legal Existential psychotherapy encompasses the principles of humanistic and existential psychology and the goals of psychotherapy. It is a form of psychotherapy that serves to facilitate an open and honest conversation between the client and the psychotherapist, conversation that will ultimate lead to the understanding of not only the client’s own feelings, beliefs, values and thoughts but also of their life, their existence. Given that the client’s life and what they are doing with it is a main topic of discussion within existential therapy sessions, existential therapy can be described as one of the more customizable forms of psychotherapy in that it is truly tailored to the individual. …show more content…
Originally founded by philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche and Soren Kierkegaard, who theorized that “human discontent could only be overcome through internal wisdom.” We see this reflected in existential therapy as existential therapists believe that it is through the understanding and awareness of your own existence that you can truly be content with your life. Existential therapy has clearly evolved over the years, drawing upon techniques of other forms of psychotherapy such as Freudian, gestalt and cognitive-behavioral
Stierlin, Helm. "Existentialism Meets Psychotherapy." Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 24 (1963): 215-39. Jstor. Web. 7 Feb. 2014.
The authors of the article suggested that future studies should account for the client’s desires to please the therapist and have a larger sample size. The authors concluded that “it appears that a form of being-with and being-for the client cultivates a well-balanced and open human relationship where the core uncertainties and existential concerns about the meaning of the world and of being-in-the-world can not only be addressed but challenged” (Oliveira, Sousa, and Pires, 2012, p. 301). Challenging the client about how they react to the world provides a positive change in the client during therapy.
Objectives of Existential Therapy The objectives of Existential Therapy are quite unique. Existential counselors are focused on helping the client achieve and expand their self- awareness. Many Therapist assume once self awareness is achieved, the client can examine new ways of dealing with problems and except the responsibility of choosing. Objectives of Client-centered Therapy
Existentialism Existentialism is a philosophical movement that stresses individual existence. Human beings are totally free and responsible for their own actions. Another main idea of existentialism is the limitation of reason and the irreducibility of experience to any system. Man is not a detached observer of the world; rather, he "exists" in a special sense - he is "in the world." Stones, trees, and other objects do not share this existence, and man is open to the world and the objects in it.
In existential the focus is on assisting individuals on becoming authors of their own lives with the philosophical framework of what it means to be human. Psychodrama allows individuals to explore problems through role play to develop new behavioral skills. Gestalt therapy warrants the here-and-now, bringing unfinished business to the present, allowing individuals to deal with those problems now. Person-centered approach concentrates on self-exploration, learning to accept one’s self, and determining avenues to take to change. Collectively, I found the most valuable and meaningful aspects of experiential and relationship oriented approaches to be self-exploration and bringing unfinished business to the present to help individuals deal with those problems
Existential therapy (ET) is a dynamic approach that focuses on issues and concerns that are imbedded in the individual’s existence (Yalam, 1980). ET is based on the view of “specific forces, motives and fears that interact in the individual” (Yalam, 1980). The purpose of ET is to help clients in making choices based on their belief system, accept reasonability for their actions and the outcomes, whether positive or negative, and find meaning in their life (Eliason, Samide, Williams & Lepore, 2010). ET is applied to a case vignette of Anna throughout this paper.
Being a therapist is not only sitting in a chair listening to your clients’ problems all day. It is also not “reading-minds” as many people think and it is not giving advice or solving each clients’ issue. Therapists have many qualities that define the effectiveness of their treatment and their competence in the field. The important qualities that a therapist should have are empathic and great listening skills. In addition to, the therapist must be knowledge in their skills and in the different mental disorders in order to prevent a misdiagnosis. Furthermore, the therapist should have other qualities such as interpersonal skills and the ability to build rapport with the clients so they can feel secure and continue to come to therapy.
The Merriam – Webster Dictionary defines existentialism as a chiefly 20th century philosophical movement embracing diverse doctrines but centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will without any certain knowledge of what is right or wrong or good or bad (Merriam, 2011). In other words, an existentialist believes that our natures are the natures we make for ourselves, the meaning of our existence is that we just exist and there may or may not be a meaning for the existence, and we have to individually decide what is right or wrong and good or bad for ourselves. No one can answer any of those things for us. A good example of existentialism is Woody Allen’s movie, Deconstructing Harry. A man is haunted by his past and his past has followed him into the present. He is a wreck not because of the things that happened to him, but because of the choices he made. He is consumed by regret and insecurity and he tries to find blame in his situation with someone other than himself, however he cannot (Barnes, 2011). Throughout the rest of this paper I will be discussing two of the most prominent existentialists, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche.
Existential therapy is concerned with one’s being; the world in which they live, the implication of time, and the mindfulness of being whole. The basic dimensions of the human condition, according to the existential approach, include (1) the capacity for self-awareness; (2) freedom and responsibility; (3) creating one’s identity and establishing meaningful relationships with other; (4) the search for meaning, purpose, values, and goals; (5) anxiety as a condition of living; and (6) awareness of death and nonbeing. All give significance to living and explore the degree to which a client is doing the things they value.
Existential therapy through the eyes of Dr. Yalom is very fascinating. There is never a fixed life that each person is supposed to live. In his therapy the clients are allowed to find out for themselves what it is they need by receiving adequate questioning from Dr. Yalom. His questioning guides them down the existential path to freedom and responsibility.
Existentialism is a very broad topic with no exact definition, and it has been interpreted in many different ways by various philosophers. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, existentialism is defined as “a chiefly 20th century philosophical movement embracing diverse doctrines but centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will without any certain knowledge of what is right or wrong or good or bad”. Existentialism has influenced many authors works and lives, such as the novelist Hermann Hesse. A particular work by Hesse that was heavily influenced by his existentialist beliefs was his book, Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf
Existentialism is the epitome of the unknown. There is no straightforward explanation of what exactly it is, there is only certain characteristics and behaviors that describe existentialist views. Throughout today’s world, there are examples of it everywhere, it’s found in movies, books, songs, and just people in general. Existentialists are known to think and do for themselves only. They believe that to understand what it means to be human requires understanding of themselves first. Some very well known pieces of entertainment existentialism is found in are: Hamlet by William Shakespeare, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Stranger by Albert Camus, and The Breakfast Club by John Hughes. The Stranger is a book written about a young man whose mother dies, which soon leads him to becoming acquainted with the feeling of not caring about what his actions do to others or himself. The main character Meursault starts helping his friend Raymond, carry out ways to torment his mistress. Out of nowhere while at the beach, Meursault shoots Raymond’s mistress’s brother. He is thrown into jail and tried, but he seems to not be affected as much as he should about his actions. He first finds it hard to live without cigarettes, women, and nature, but he soon finds out he doesn’t need any of those. After being sentenced to death, he is suggested to turn away from his atheism but later realizes that human existence has no greater meaning. This realization and acceptance is what truly makes him happy (Camus). Next, The Breakfast Club is a very relatable movie about high school students suffering the consequences of their actions in detention. The kids are all of ...
Existential Therapy was chosen to assist Bonnie with her Issues. Existential therapy is a more effective approach because it deals with concrete issues. The theory focuses on the attitudes of individuals and important life themes. This type of therapy help individuals cope with everyday issues by understanding oneself, taking responsibility for oneself, and finding meaning in life. Existential therapy would be a great approach to address Bonnie’s depression, and anxiety symptoms, which stems from low self-esteem. The existential approach will help Bonnie with her depression by recognizing that she is depressed and accepting her feelings. Once, the depression is recognized than therapy will assist Bonnie with her anxiety by confronting unexpected events. Lastly, existential therapy will help Bonne with her self-esteem by finding meaning in life and becoming more self-aware.
There are many different techniques and approaches to group counseling. The approach that I found to be the most interesting is the existential approach. “The existential perspective holds that we define ourselves by our choices” (Corey & Corey, 2014, p.114). This approach can be successful in therapy because it allows one to oversee one’s future. In this paper, I’m going to generally discuss the existential approach to therapy and where it can be used.
Humanistic and Existential Psychology are influential of each other, both include the “meaning of our existence, the role of free will, and the uniqueness of each human” (Burger, 2015) This paper will review three articles written by influential psychologists of their time, Maslow, Rogers, and Frankl. The review of each will include a summary, how well the contents connects to the humanistic or existential psychology, and if their ideas still have a relevant application in today’s environment.