Existential Therapy Psychotherapy Is the Thesis

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Instead of passively accepting the circumstances of others and surrendering control, an existential therapist might focus on the question, "Although you have lived with certain patterns thus far in your life, now that you recognize the consequences of some of those patterns, are you willing to discuss creating new ways of dealing with life's situations?"(Ibid).

On the positive side, existential therapy offers a relatively easy introduction to psychotherapy for most counselors. It stresses self-determination, the acceptance of personally responsibility, and provides perspective for understanding the role and value of anxiety and guilt. It is positive and proactive in that it encourages the individual to embrace life's journeys -- birth, evolution, death -- and to become comfortable making personal decisions based on their needs, without "needing" others (Schneider, 2007).

Conversely, existential therapy lacks a complete statement of principles and practices that can be delineated within the profession. Often, practitioners, because of a lack of centralized standards and rubric, use vague and abstract terms and concepts, do little academic research, and fall back on a more relaxed and less synergistic form of therapy. In addition, the methodology is of dubious value for lower-functioning clients, clients in extreme crisis who need less introspection and more direction, and those who are more nonverbal.

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To benefit from existential therapy, the patient needs to be not only more self-aware, but also with the cognitive abilities to understand ways to be self-critical, self-aware, and introspective -- all which are sometimes difficult during crisis situations (Schreurs, 2002, pp. 139-45).

Essentially, the use of existential psychotherapy, like other therapeutic methodologies, is neither good nor bad, positive nor negative. It is situational in both its approach and efficacy. There is not one therapy for every occasion, person, or condition, nor is there one therapy for every therapist. Instead, the paradigm of existential therapy is "a psychological construct that can be justified only by its clinical usefulness As is the case with all constructs, it will eventually be followed by another… with greater explanatory power" (Yalom, 1980, p. 486).

REFERENCES

Ankrom, S. (January 27, 2009). "Existentialism." About.Com. Cited in:

http://panicdisorder.about.com/od/glossaryah/g/Existentialism.htm

Corsini, R.J. And D. Wedding. (2007). Current Psychotherapies, 8th ed. Brooks

And Cole.

Schneider, K. (2007). Existential-Integrative Psychotherapy: Guideposts to the Core

Of Practice. Routledge.

Schreurs, A. (2002). Psychotherapy and Spirituality: Integrating the Spiritual Dimension

into Therapeutic Practice. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Wilkes, R. And M. Milton. (2006). "Being an Existential Therapist." Existential Analysis.

Yalom, I. (1980). Existential Psychotherapy. Basic….....

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