Theory Of Existential Couseling
Comparison of Counseling Theories
By:
Introduction to Counseling
February 27, 2007
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to provide further insight on several different counseling theories. The theories outlined are client-centered therapy developed by Carl Rodgers, existential therapy developed by Rollo May and Victor Frankl and the Gestalt counseling theory derived from Gestalt psychology. Each theory is still used today with many studies and attempts to study each theory further to align with the changing needs of society.
Client-Centered Therapy Approach
The client-centered therapy approach was first developed by Carl Rodgers in the 1940’s in the form of nondirective psychotherapy. The client-centered approach, often …show more content…
When Frankl was young he studied with Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung before being imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps. “Frankl stated that in the camps he would, at times, pretend to himself that he was actually in the future” (www.wikipedia.com). This approach to giving life a significant meaning, he says, is what kept him alive. Frankl’s disclosure is a good example of how the existential couseling theory works. The central theme of existential counseling is that a human being’s existence comes first and is more elemental than any meaning attributed to human life. In essence, man determines his reality. The view of this theory is that we are not determined by our past but by our present actions and actuality. The client must be willing to take responsibility for their own lives and counselors who practice existential counseling work to teach the client how to achieve this …show more content…
Most existentialists maintain that the unconscious mental conflicts are what shape cognition, emotion, and behavior. The mental health existential counseling theory focuses heavily on two themes: existential anxiety and authenticity. “Existential anxiety differs from the everyday anxiety in that it is not accompanied by the usual somatic symptoms but is rather a deep feeling of unease that arises from our awareness of the givens: our existence is finite, we are mortal, and there is no purpose but the one we create for ourselves. Authenticity is the kind of existence human beings have when they accept the responsibility for choosing the direction of their lives and they base those choices on values determined through increasing self-awareness” (Bauman et al,
By:
Introduction to Counseling
February 27, 2007
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to provide further insight on several different counseling theories. The theories outlined are client-centered therapy developed by Carl Rodgers, existential therapy developed by Rollo May and Victor Frankl and the Gestalt counseling theory derived from Gestalt psychology. Each theory is still used today with many studies and attempts to study each theory further to align with the changing needs of society.
Client-Centered Therapy Approach
The client-centered therapy approach was first developed by Carl Rodgers in the 1940’s in the form of nondirective psychotherapy. The client-centered approach, often …show more content…
When Frankl was young he studied with Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung before being imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps. “Frankl stated that in the camps he would, at times, pretend to himself that he was actually in the future” (www.wikipedia.com). This approach to giving life a significant meaning, he says, is what kept him alive. Frankl’s disclosure is a good example of how the existential couseling theory works. The central theme of existential counseling is that a human being’s existence comes first and is more elemental than any meaning attributed to human life. In essence, man determines his reality. The view of this theory is that we are not determined by our past but by our present actions and actuality. The client must be willing to take responsibility for their own lives and counselors who practice existential counseling work to teach the client how to achieve this …show more content…
Most existentialists maintain that the unconscious mental conflicts are what shape cognition, emotion, and behavior. The mental health existential counseling theory focuses heavily on two themes: existential anxiety and authenticity. “Existential anxiety differs from the everyday anxiety in that it is not accompanied by the usual somatic symptoms but is rather a deep feeling of unease that arises from our awareness of the givens: our existence is finite, we are mortal, and there is no purpose but the one we create for ourselves. Authenticity is the kind of existence human beings have when they accept the responsibility for choosing the direction of their lives and they base those choices on values determined through increasing self-awareness” (Bauman et al,