Many counselors choose to use the existential method in counseling clients with anxiety. The existential approach to counseling is an approach to helping clients of all cultures find meaning and harmony in their lives. Counselor's who use this approach focus on the eternal issues of love , loneliness , suffering and death that each of us face daily. It seeks to cultivate our philosophical mindedness in relating to ourselves, others, nature , and our faith.
Existential counseling has no planned endpoint but is the beginning of a search for hope, love, and meaning in life. It is applicable to all problems in living, but it is especially appropriate when one's client feels lost in the movement of a life without meaning or freed to choose a meaning in life Epp, By utilizing this method, the client is guided by the counselor in a manner specific to the existential method.
In this paper, anxiety in the context of an existential approach to counseling, along with different cases related to anxiety will be discussed and the manner in which the existential approach will be utilized in those cases. Persons or clients experience anxiety when confronted with the issue of fulfilling their potentialities. Guilt tends to be developed when these potentialities remain undeveloped and unfulfilled. Inherent anxiousness found in the human predicament is emphasized by Jaspers when he asserts that persons who seek to achieve unity find a problem: "Man is less certain of himself than ever" Yoder, Anxiety has two dimensions: ontological and neurotic.
Ontological anxiety refers to one's experience of a certain "lostness" or "not at homeness" Yoder, Ontological anxiety is healthy for it discloses philosophical truths while neurotic anxiety hides and distorts, often leading to bad faith.
First of all, the first case to be discussed is that of a year-old Vietnamese client, Mei Yan, leaned forward in a chair, with her face and posture reflecting pain and anxiety, her arms and hands gesturing for understanding. Mei Yan had chosen a job as a computer operator because it was close to the university where she could continue part-time graduate studies in educational administration. She received good pay and excellent fringe benefits, but was the only person at her job with a college degree.
Mei Yan experienced anxiety, fear, and other dissonances in relating to her female manager or boss. She chose to present herself as relatively uneducated and played a subservient role because she was afraid her boss would fire her if it was discovered that Mei Yan was better educated than she really was.
Understanding the messages of pain and anxiety is an integral part of counseling in the existential mode. Existentially oriented counselors attune themselves to the basic myths and themes interwoven in the client's episodes and experiences of anxiety. Mei Yan experienced violations of two kinds, the experienced threat from her manager and her own self negation or violation in presenting herself as less than she really is.
Anxiety is a constituent of life. It propels the client not only to make changes in relation to the external world, but also to Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 11, Journal of Health Psychology, 9, Development and Validation of the State Hope Scale. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology, 6, Psychosocial Factors, Depression and Illness. Steptoe Ed. Cambridge University Press.
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DOI: Abstract Problem: Depression is spreading rapidly worldwide. Share and Cite:. Salicru, S. Open Journal of Depression , 10 , Adolescence and Young Adult Development In addition to the above, the current context presents unique and increasing challenges for adolescence and young adults in the development of their identity, and finding meaning and purpose in life.
Research on Humanistic Psychotherapies A sound cumulative quantitative and qualitative body of research demonstrates the effectiveness of humanistic psychotherapies over the last 70 years. Evidence-Based Practice The model presented in this paper uses three pillars common to EPs, as identified by Hoffman et al.
Relatedness Relatedness, inter-relation, or dialogical realms of encounter Spinelli, is central to the therapeutic relationship that emerges between client and psychotherapist.
Existential Uncertainty Existential uncertainty is a direct consequence of relatedness in that it exposes inevitable and inescapable uncertainty, or lack of completeness, as opposed to certainty. Existential Anxiety This principle reflects the point of view that anxiety is inevitable and universal a given to the human existence that permeates every expression of existence.
Stances and Practices In line with EHPs, this model views mental distress or psychological problems as the result of the inability to make meaningful, authentic, and self-directed choices on how to live. Fluidity and Integration The E-H approach is also fluid and integrative as it can be adapted to individual and cultural differences and easily integrated with other psychotherapeutic models Schneider, ; Wampold, Use of Self and Self-Disclosure The use of self, or the self as an instrument, is central to HEPs more than any other type of psychotherapy Hoffman et al.
Confronting Resistance Confronting resistance or vivifying self-protection Schneider, is a relational skill that therapists used to alert reflect clients when they diverge from, or suppress, emotionally painful material in order to protect themselves. Working with Emotions Emotions are central to all forms of psychotherapy, as one of the main reasons why clients come to therapy is to better understand and deal with their emotional struggles Hoffman et al. Discovery of Meaning and Awe Discovery or re-discovery of meaning and awe is more a therapeutic outcome than a practice.
Key Constructs and Praxis In this section, I outline the key constructs of the model and how they can be applied in clinical practice. Meaning and Purpose Meaning-seeking is a unique privilege of humankind. Meaning and Purpose As stated earlier in the introduction section, depression and has reached epidemic proportions in children, teenagers and adults in recent times. Freedom, Responsibility, Choice, Agency, and Empowerment Firstly, I would like to clarify that, contrary to popular beliefs; EHPs acknowledge that human beings are not always free to choose.
Operationalization of Constructs and Psychometric Measures No evidence-based model or framework would be complete without being able to operationalize its constructs, and have the measures to assess needs, monitor progress, and measure and evaluate outcomes.
Limitations This conceptual paper is limited to literature, prior empirical research, and lessons from the field. Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
References [ 1 ] American Psychiatric Association Journals Menu. Contact us. All Rights Reserved. American Psychiatric Association Andolfi, M. Arkowitz, H. Arslan, G.
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In this article, I challenge each of these commonly held prejudices. Such biases can seriously overshadow the positive aspects and potential of counseling from an existential perspective. I propose that a much more positive perspective of existential theory is not only possible but also very desirable. A central purpose of this article is to provide some practical guidance on how the concept of existential authenticity can be translated into counseling processes that can have a positive impact on counseling outcomes.
Regardless of the counselor's theoretical orientation, the impact of the counseling work can be deepened by incorporating the existential values I discuss later in this article. In this section, I address some misconceptions counselors may have about existentialism, misconceptions that can lead them to easily dismiss the perspective as inapplicable or impractical for most counseling work.
Existentialism is, first, a philosophical position that has divergent thinkers within its ranks e. This has made it difficult to clarify the practical usefulness of existentialism to psychological endeavors like counseling.
Author: Delini M. Date: July Document Type: Article. Length: 6, words. Lexile Measure: L. Translate Article. Set Interface Language. Decrease font size. Increase font size.
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