Existential Therapy - Assignment Example

Existential EXISTENTIAL THERAPY February 21, 2013Existential Therapy Existential Therapy has many similarities with Person-Centered Counseling according to Bugental (1997) and May and Yalom (1995). According to them Existential-Humanistic Therapy is more of a philosophy of how things are or how things should be rather than a specific therapy approach. The client is an individual with their own purposes and directions. It focuses on growth or a health oriented approach.

The therapist is striving to enter into and understand the client’s world without upsetting, changing or disrupting that world. The core issue is life itself. This therapy contends that their potential for living more fully than they do. They want more optimistic growth and healing not looking for a cure. We have the capacity to transcend the immediate situation and focuses on the here and now. (Corey, 2008)Techniques Logotherapy is a way humankind can see not what happens, but how one views or thinks about what happens.

It is a search for meaning that is positive. Another technique is Modification of Attitudes and it is done through directly sharing opinions, arguing and offering positive suggestions for the client. The therapist does not try to modify attitudes or cognitions until the client feels that they are thoroughly and respectfully heard. (Ivey, 1997) Other techniques that are used are Paradoxical Intention and De-Reflection. Clients can force themselves to do what they do not want to, for example people who do not want to faint on the street they should deliberately try to collapse or they can reorder their attention turning it from the problem to work on a more positive content of thinking.

Lukas (1989) talks about “education toward responsibility” and maintains that individual self-examination is a limited way of therapy. One must also have spirituality a feeling for the sacred, the necessary and Otherliness. A Spiritual being and Nature is also needed and to deal with challenges. This is what the video showed it is about commitments and choices. (Ivey, 1997)ReferencesCorey, Gerald. (2008) Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, Chapter 4 Existential Therapy; Ninth edition Gengage LearningIvey, Allen E.

, Ivey, Mary Bradford, Simek-Morgan, Lynn. (1997) Counseling and Psychotherapy A Multicultural Perspective Chapter 12 The Existential-Humanistic Tradition II; 4th edition Allyn and BaconIvey, Allen E., Ivey, Mary Bradford, Simek-Morgan, Lynn. (1997) Counseling and Psychotherapy A Multicultural Perspective, Chapter 11 The Existential-Humanistic Tradition I; 4th edition Allyn and BaconLukas, E. (1989) From Self-Actualization to Global Responsibility Paper presented at the 7th World Congress of Logotherapy, Kansas City