Existential Therapy Vs Person Centered Therapy

This paper investigates the relationship between fundamental conceptions and considerations of several major theories that personally resonate with me. Included in these resonating theories, I will discuss how Existential Psychotherapy, Person Centered Therapy (PCT), Gestalt, and Cognitive- Behavior therapy (CBT) can be equally supplemental when respected as harmonizing functions in a more comprehensive integrative therapeutic methodology. Through research, classes, and life experience I have developed a viewpoint that fits my personality and personal style. It can be reasoned that existential therapy, defined as a phenomenological philosophy of humanness answers the more profound questions of meaning, fits well with PCT that centers itself

What is Existential therapy? Existential therapy is a philosophical approach to therapy that focuses on the meaning of our existence and the basic premise that we are what we choose to be. It is an approach that focuses on inner conflict within a person based on the four givens (death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness). The existential tradition seeks an overall balance between limited dimensions and one’s opportunities in life. The limitations are the four givens and the possibilities are your creation of your own life. The current focus of the existential approach is on the individual’s experience of being in the world alone and facing the anxiety of this isolation, as stated in our textbook (Corey, 2016).

Based on my past experience and a review of this week’s reading, I believe the theories that best fit with my personal philosophies are the Person-centered therapy and Existential therapy. As Experiential and Relationship-Oriented Therapies, these theories share some key concepts that really fit with how I see my role in the therapeutic relationship and what I believe about personal power and change.

Existential psychotherapy is a dynamic, philosophical approach to therapy that is based on the premise that an individual’s conflict within is due to their concerns with the givens of existence (Yalom, 1980). These givens, or ultimate concerns as noted by Yalom (1980), are inescapable properties that are part of the human existence in the world: meaninglessness, freedom (and its associated responsibility), isolation, and the inevitability of death. Confrontation with these givens can result in existential anxiety (Corey, 2009).

Cognitive-behavioural therapy or CBT is representative of the integration of behavioural therapy and cognitive therapy. It encourages the empowerment of an individual to be able to change how they think (cognitive) and how awareness of particular problematic patterns may impact upon our consequent responses (behaviour) (R ch7). Pivotal to our understanding of such mental health problems from a CBT perspective is Beck’s ‘Cognitive theory of emotion’. It purposes that events and situations are not responsible for emotional responses. Instead it is the ‘meanings’ we attach which reflect the complex interaction between an individual’s history, mood and the context of experience. These

However, contemporary existential theorists and practitioners believe it is changing or has changed, with a broader focus on in-depth inquiry with implications for social change (Schneider, 2011). Another core weakness of existential therapy is its focus on self-determination, which may not fully consider the complex issues relating to oppression of the individual. Additionally, many clients may expect a more problem-centered approach to counseling offering a more structured approach than existential therapy typically

Theories within psychotherapy guide interactions between the therapist and client, providing a process by which the client can come to understand and resolve their problems. However, these theories can often be conflicting with opposing techniques and goals. Existential therapy is best considered as a philosophical approach to the therapeutic process, which gives prominences to the themes of freedom, self-determination, self-awareness and anxiety (Yalom & Josselson, 2011, p. 310). It emphasises the individual’s capacity to make free choices regarding the person they become, and focuses less on the use of techniques. In contrast, Freudian psychoanalytic therapy considers ways to change problematic behaviours or thoughts by examining their concealed unconscious motivations and meanings (Corey, 2013, p. 63). Past experiences are significant in determining the distinctive behaviour of the individual, which is analysed by the therapist through techniques such as dream analysis and free association. Whilst both theories view the individual and their difficulties as unique, existential and psychoanalytic therapy have opposing views of human nature and therapeutic goals.

The therapist attempted to take an Existential approach with the client. The therapist aimed to make the client aware of her anxiety that she described as worry or being a

Therapy can be a difficult, and even a painful process, wherein the client explores the good, the bad and the ugly within themselves, perhaps for the very first time in their lives. Their issues and personality may in fact shape the line of therapy provided to them by their therapist or in fact when they choose the therapist. Therapies that will be compared and contrasted in this essay will be person centred therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and existential therapy. Each therapy style has different views on what is deemed important for therapeutic movement. Each of these therapy styles has found a place for the therapeutic relationship but each has separate views of the importance of the relationship (Lambert & Barley,

This document will explore the fundamental principles that confirm the importance of Frankl’s, Existential Theory and Logotherapy.

Among these therapeutic approaches are the psychodynamic approach and the existential approach. An example of existential approach psychotherapy is the person-centred therapy that was introduced by Carl Rogers in the 1940s. Person-centred therapy (PCT) focuses on the quality of the person-to-person therapeutic relationship; it places faith and gives responsibility to the client in dealing with problems and concerns (Corey, 2009, p. 30). On the other hand, for the psychodynamic approach, Sigmund Freud, the core founder of this approach developed psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis is a therapy aimed to treat mental disorder. It is a set of techniques for treating the unconscious causes of mental disorders; as well as to explain the underlying factors of how human personality and abnormality develop from childhood (Corey, 2009, p. 30). This paper examines the similarities and differences between psychoanalytic therapy and

Existential therapy through the eyes of Dr. Yalom is very fascinating. There is never a fixed life that each person is supposed to live. In his therapy the clients are allowed to find out for themselves what it is they need by receiving adequate questioning from Dr. Yalom. His questioning guides them down the existential path to freedom and responsibility.

Existential theory is only one of many different theories in psychology. This paper will work to help give the reader a better understanding of what Existential theory is, what the common factor accountability is and how the common factor accountability works within the existential theory to help a client and/or therapist gain a better understanding of the choices, thoughts, or behaviors that helped get a client into the position they are in and how holding themselves accountable to their actions, behaviors or thoughts can help them reach healthy attainable goals in their life. In this paper the reader will gain a better understanding about how existential theory looks at the whole person and how they reached the point where they needed to seek assistance in understanding themselves and how they can hold them self and how others can hold them accountable for their actions, thought, and behaviors.

Creating together with the client the optimal conditions for this process is the job of the person centered therapist (Tudor & Worral, 2006). It is remarkable that the person centered approach appears to be compatible with several philosophical trends: European existentialism and structuralism, the approach of Buddhism, Hinduism, and other totally different philosophies and ways of living (Tudor & Worral, 2006). The link is the central idea that the person is a unique organism with the tendency of growing towards fully functioning status. The human organism is active and actualizing, tending towards greater order, complexity, and interrelatedness in the universe. Actualizing is also a biological concept. According to Tudor et al. (2006) actualizing works unselfconsciously and can be activated and experienced in psychotherapy. The self is a philosophical concept we need to explain ourselves by internal dialogue and reflection. In PCT we make an entity of it by making the self both the subject and object that we have to actualize. The mutual process of the therapeutic relation is the central theme to PCT and other psychotherapeutic theories. Both client and therapist must contribute their necessary conditions for therapeutic change to take

People with abnormalities in this field have a couple treatments from their therapist. One treatment is called client-centered therapy, in which the therapist talks to the client face to face and helps the client begin to feel positive about themselves and develop more positive regard for themselves along with better developed empathy. The second form of treatment is gestalt therapy, which can be similar to client-centered therapy, but uses different techniques. These techniques are skillful frustration and role-playing. In skillful frustration, the therapist’s job is to basically make a person mad and not meet that client’s needs in order to show that client that they are often manipulative in their life. In role-playing, the therapist has the client play various roles such as maybe being another person, a different character of that client’s self, or even an object. This helps clients become more confident in themselves to accept the feelings that they had before about themselves that would make them feel negative. Now, with the existential approach, it is believed that people are not naturally born as friendly, cooperative and constructive. Instead, they