Methods of Existentialism Counseling Techniques

Existential counseling stems from the work of existential philosophy and psychology. The existential point of view focuses on the larger questions in life. Although existential counseling is sometimes criticized as being overly intellectual, it is an approach that helps individuals to make sense out of their lives. Unlike practitioners of many other psychotherapy techniques, existential counselors concentrate on using the existential point of view to help the individual, rather than focusing on specific tricks or exercises.

Therapeutic Relationship

• Existential counseling highly values the therapeutic relationship as a method of healing. Unlike psychoanalysis, where the counselor takes a passive, neutral role, the existential counselor works to have a genuine, collaborative relationship with the client. Existential counselors don't rely on techniques, but rather, use the conversation to get at the truth of what the client is facing, to look at deeper issues, and use these as a gateway to healing.

Phenomenology

• Existential counseling focuses on helping the client to understand her own ideals, values and assumptions. The counselor helps the client to explore these beliefs. Existential counselors must be able to put aside their own judgments and opinions in order to do this. This is sometimes described as the phenomenological approach, meaning that the focus of the counselor-client interactions is on the present moment and what is occurring in the sessions, rather than the client's history, childhood or psychopathology. In existential counseling, the therapist helps the client focus on how she views herself today.

Person-Centered

• The person-centered approach stems from the influence of Humanistic psychology on existential counseling. As such, counselors believe that their clients are basically good, and value their individual potential. "Person-centered" also means that the counselor focuses on helping the individual to gain self-awareness. Existential counselors work to help the individual explore self-awareness on a deeper level, looking at the larger questions in life and how these beliefs affect the individual's decisions.

Creating Meaning

• The existential counselor guides clients to make meaning out of their experiences. Making meaning is one of the driving forces behind existential therapy. The counselor helps the client to look at the major questions in his life. For instance, existential counselors ask what clients believe in terms of the point or overall meaning of their lives; why they exist, why they suffer and where their life fits in the larger scheme of things. Existential counselors use these types of questions to help the individual see how the meanings he prescribes shape his decisions. This awareness can help the client to change his actions.