Irvin Yalom : Rollo May Existential Interpretation In Few Clause

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.

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,

Different counseling theories, such as psychoanalytic, Adlerian, client-centered therapy, existential psychotherapy, gestalt therapy, and reality therapy can be applied to different clinical settings and populations by a counselor or therapist (Rayner & Vitali, 2015). The purpose of this paper is to apply a counseling theory, existential therapy, to the provided case study of Paul, a 34-year-old male with work inhibition, but yearns for more in his life. Essentially, counseling theories can be used a foundation for counselor’s or therapist’s work with clients. It is one of the most unique forms of counseling theories that aims at exploring the psychological and emotional challenges faced by a client from a philosophical perspective, particularly

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

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).

No one would complete goals that feared them, no one would have confidence in their actions, and no one would stand up for themselves. As courage is of utmost importance to people as it is to the world, Eleanor Roosevelt once quoted: “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face...You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” Looking through this quote, I can connect it to my own life, the arts, and the world around me. Ultimately, it is clear to say that courage is one of the most important thoughts in the human

While acknowledging she understands Yalom’s limitations, Penny mentions she had seen two therapists previously. One of them had been at an alcohol clinic, where the counselor had been an alcoholic themselves. Penny remarks that perhaps she need a therapist who has lost a child that could be an expert in what Penny is experiencing. However, if it is true that a client can only be helped by someone who has experienced the same things as themselves, then that places a severe limitation on the field of psychology. Therapists could only help clients with similar experiences to themselves, which would bring the focus of therapy to the therapist’s subjective experience, and not the client’s. Each therapist would only have a narrow range of clients with which they could be effective, which I do not believe to be the case. Yalom’s work with Penny can serve of an example of two people with different experiences forming a constructive therapeutic relationship.

Gestalt therapy is derived from a combination of Psychoanalysis and Existentialism. This therapy aims and fostering self-awareness in a client in order to offer enhanced control over their daily lives by concentrating on the source of a person’s feelings and actions (Lecture 4, 2016). The Gestalt Therapy Page is sponsored by The Gestalt Journal Press and is constantly altered with more resources added. This website provides materials that are copyrighted, but are able to be downloaded for one’s personal use and reference. However, if one desires to distribute, whether electronically or printed, the resources and graphics, one must first acquire permission from The Gestalt Therapy Page.

Irvin Yalom (2012) initiates thought-provoking moment after thought-provoking moment in his work, “The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients.” There is an authentic yet profound air in Yalom’s work and in his recorded therapy. It would be difficult to sum up the importance of what Yalom addresses in one paper, but I will attempt to note the parts of Yalom’s writing which stood out most to me. I hope to cover Yalom’s thoughts on avoiding diagnosis, letting the patient matter, using the here and now, therapist transparency, feedback, and freed & responsibility as in-depth as possible. Moreover, I hope to address how these thoughts will impact my own approach to therapy and how they interact with my faith.

broader question of what does and does not inhibit creativity.” (931) He states that it seems to be

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.

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.

Strategies and Techniques The first strategy that I could utilize from the existential theoretical approach is developing an I-Thou relationship with Jasmine. The I-Thou relationship is a meaningful relationship between a counselor and client that is only attained when individuals have the deepest respect for each other, as well as a deep sense of relatedness. This therapeutic alliance is meant to energize and support the long and difficult therapeutic course (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014).

Creativity and creative process figure prominently in the theories of both Freud and Jung. Freud considers the source and motivation for creativity while Jung focuses on creative process. According to Freud, creativity is rooted in conflicts. The creative process is a response to the need to resolve conflicts. Freud includes daydreams and fantasies in the realm of creative works. They are inner desires, frustrations, or discontent transformed into art, literature, or music. Jung also believes human consciousness provides the content for art, literature and music. He identifies two types of creative processes: psychological and visionary. The psychological mode originates out of the collective unconscious and archetypes. Visionary creative processes are transcendental and universal in both meaning and response. This visionary mode is limited to the gifted few being capable of its expression (Malchiodi, 2007).

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.