Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Existential Therapy

Existential

 
 
 
Founder: Rollo May (1909 - 1994)

The existential approach is philosophical. It is concerned with the understanding of people’s position in the world and with the clarification of what it means to be alive. It is also committed to exploring these questions with a receptive attitude, rather than a dogmatic one: the search for truth with an open mind and an attitude of wonder is the aim, not the fitting of the client into pre-established categories and interpretations.
 
 
Goals of Existential Therapy:
  • being responsible for decisions
  • coping with anxiety by examining what is at the root of individual anxieties
  • finding personal meaning and truth
  • increasing authentic living and self awareness
  • living in the present by experiencing life and living each moment to the fullest


  • Major Focuses:
  • anxiety one of life’s conditions
  • capacity for self awareness
  • creation of personal identities
  • establishing meaningful relationships with other individuals
  • freedom and responsibility
  • search for personal goals, meaning, purpose, and values

  •  
    Key Points:
  • awareness of an individual’s existence
  • awareness of how limited the human lifespan is
  • freedom of the individual to make choices
  • threats of meaninglessness

  •  
     
     
    Links: http://www.psychologycampus.com/psychology-counseling/existential-therapy.html
    http://counsellingresource.com/lib/therapy/types/existential/

    No comments:

    Post a Comment