Essay On Existential Therapy

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A Conceptualization and Treatment Plan Existential Therapy (ET) will be utilized in this case study to assist M’Lynn through the counseling process to acknowledge that she is the one making the choices in her life, and deciding what course her life takes. In Existential Therapy (ET), there are numerous incarnations and techniques because the emphasis is on individuality, recognizing that each therapeutic relationship is unique (Jones & Butman, 2011). In Existential Therapy (ET) the focus is on what the client is experiencing in the present, not what has occurred in their past. The focal point of Existential Therapy (ET) is self-awareness and self-understanding. The relationship between the counselor …show more content…

Existential Therapy (ET) is based on Soren Kierkegaard’s existential philosophy that was developed in the 19th century (Jones & Butman, 2011). Kierkegaard developed existential philosophy as an impartial path to describing reality, focusing on the need for an approach that was more subjectively aimed, without losing the unbiased feature. Friedrich Nietzsche expanded out existentialism by incorporating autonomy, power, and the value of the person (Jones & Butman, 2011). During the 20th century numerous individuals further developed Kierkegaard’s existential philosophy. Martin Heidegger is noted for having a momentous influence on existentialism developing into a therapeutic approach by influencing Binswanger and May, and concepts of authenticity and inauthenticity (Hergenhahn, …show more content…

165). The therapeutic method involves the therapist interacting with the client and inspiring the client’s development “by listening, guiding, instructing, and requiring” (Jones & Butman, 2011, p. 311). In ET, the counseling process is tailored to assist the client in developing through the awareness of knowledge that they are the ones that make the choices and decisions in their life about the direction their life will take. Instead of utilizing a mental illness model, the effectiveness is built on a real, authentic relationship that encourages prosperity and development in the client. The therapist and the client have a relationship, the therapist is a mentor to assist the client in the art of living a full

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