Existentialism in Counseling and Psychotherapy

Existentialist philosophy offers to counseling and psychotherapy a unique understanding of what it means to be human, to exist and to ôbe,ö and to experience freedom (Corey, 1986, 1991). Further, as both Coleman (1989) and Davison and Neale (1990) pointed out, existentialism helps the individual who is in counseling understand his or her potential, his or hre actual state of being in the world, and the reality that the client knows or perceives. Having understood the nature of this reality, one is theoretically able to work through any problems that might exist and to reconceptualize existence in a more positive manner.

Corey (1986) stated that existential therapy per se can best be understood as an intellectual approach to therapeutic practice or as a philosophy within which the counselor functions and treats. For all counselors, existentialism involves a rejection of a deterministic or reductionist view of human nature; it calls instead for a recognition that people are free to act and to choose, and that they are therefore able to master their own lives and to assume control over their environments to a large degree. Existentialism calls for the ôcourage to beö and to confront oneÆs problems directly. It is a growth model that focuses on health rather than sickness (Corey, 1986).

The specific goals of existential counseling are:

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te for modern and even postmodern mass society. Existentialists share a concern for the individual and for personal responsibility and tend to be suspicious of or hostile to the submersion of the individual in larger public groups or forces. Existentialists such as Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and Sartre emphasize authentic existence and differentiate authenticity from mere social existence. From my own personal viewpoint, this speaks directly to the individual nature of the human condition. When existentialists consider contemporary human nature, they often make reference to the problems of the modern individual who is seen has having lost his sense of being-in-the-world. Modern man is often alienated from his work and from impersonal educational, social, and religious institutions. He may even be alienated from the traditional church and have lost his spiritual centeredness as a reaction against the global wars of the twentieth century, the death camps of Nazi Germany, and the destructiveness of the atomic age (Solomon & Higgins, 1996). Consequently, from my view, existentialism posits that most human beings will be possessed of an alienation that fragments their sense of personal unity and complicates their functioning. Hu
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Approximate Word count = 3274
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page)

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