Self-In-Practice Paper

David Miller

Southwestern College

Natalie Paynter

March 14th, 2023

I became aware of existentialism as a topic of philosophy before I knew it as a model of therapy. When I was about 18 I went through a Nietzsche phase. At the time I found his ideas bleak and depressing, which is probably why I connected with them so deeply. As an adolescent, I interpreted his philosophy as meaning that life was meaningless and that death is the only certainty. Interestingly, I still understand his philosophy in the same way I just find it less depressing. Now I believe that what Nietzsche meant was that because life is meaningless, it is up to us to create our own meaning. And that because death is inevitable and what lies beyond it is unknowable we should make the most of our time. It was this understanding of existentialism that inspired me to pick it for this assignment. It is such a simple and profound idea that it can be applied to almost any problem or ailment in life. The application of meaning is one of the most direct ways to ease suffering. As Frankl so eloquently worded it “In some ways, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice.”(1946).

How My Research Has Informed My Counselor Identity and Professional Orientation

In my time at Southwestern, I have learned about many different models of counseling. Each time I researched a new model I asked myself if it could be the framework of my own counseling practice. And each time I felt that the model was too strict; too specific in its application. Humans are so diverse and their mental health issues are equally so. How can we find one model that can be applied to all those different situations?

Existentialism feels more like a philosophy than a framework for counseling. And that is what makes it so flexible. Instead of providing the counselor with a list of questions, techniques, and interventions; it gives just a simple idea. Existentialism advises counselors to ask themselves what gives meaning to their client’s life. And how can you help them attain that meaning? It also acknowledges that there are certain aspects of the human experience that are universal. Basically that all of the problems that people face have to do with a combination of death, isolation, meaninglessness, and freedom. And while maybe this is a little reductionist, I find it poignant all the same.

Incorporating Elements of Existentialism Into My Counseling Practice

The thing that draws me to existentialism is how vague and malleable it is. Unfortunately, this is the same aspect of the model that makes it difficult to apply to counseling practice. When someone a clinician applies existential therapy it is far less obvious than if they were to use CBT or Psychoanalysis. Existentialism focuses more on the philosophy of what causes human suffering than it does on ways of fixing it. But this is where it gets really fun. 

Basically, existentialism says that the solution to most problems in life is to find the meaning of life. When your life has meaning it makes all of the painful and uncomfortable parts more bearable. But then it leaves us with the unanswerable question of what is the meaning of life. It is money, wealth, and power? It is love? Or is it 42? No one can truly answer it, but because no one can answer it, it means that everyone tries! This leaves us with a veritable treasure trove of resources to draw from. Walter Mitty would say that “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.” (2013). This might be a perfect definition for me, but it may not suit everyone. This is why I love Victor Frankl’s take when he said “Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life, he can only respond by being responsible. (1946)” In other words, not only is it up to each of us to find our own meaning in life, but it is our responsibility to do so. 

The most profound way I can apply existentialism to my practice as a counselor is by remembering that it is my client’s responsibility to find meaning in their own life, and it is my responsibility to help them. 

Applying Clinical Skills to Existential Therapy

Summarizing all the skills learned in this course is a daunting task that I do not have the space for in this paper. However, there are a few that are of special interest when applied to existential therapy. Diagnosis, for instance, is viewed as secondary in existentialism. While diagnosis is still a reality of most counseling practices, in this case, it takes the back seat. Instead of focusing on pathologization, the clinician focuses on identifying what is important to each individual client’s life and how that relates to the problems they are experiencing.

Another interesting skill is that of crisis intervention. While existentialism is indeed a good fit for treating trauma (Corbet & Milton, 2011), it does not provide any specific skills appropriate for acute crisis response. In this type of situation, it would be best to utilize breathing and mindfulness practices in order to help the client return to their body. Moving on to existential methods should wait until the client is no longer in a state of crisis. This is just one of many examples of how existential therapy can be used alongside other modalities to be the most effective.

Additional Clinical Skills or Training Needed

Because existential therapy is so simple I do not think that it requires any special skills or training. The skills necessary would be the same skills needed to do any form of counseling. Patience, compassion, and the ability to listen and reflect. With that being said, I do think there are certain qualities that distinguish good and great counselors in any modality, and existentialism is no exception. 

An exceptionally talented existential therapist is one who can encourage their client to find their own path without leading them to it. They need to be able to push their clients and support them. They need to create a space where the client can be vulnerable and introspective without emphasizing that it is them that is doing so. This trait of helping someone change while also emphasizing that they are changing all on their own may be important in other modalities, but it is exceptionally important in existentialism.

Adaptations With Other Approaches

I believe that limiting myself to using just one modality is just that: limiting. There are so many incredible tools and tricks used in different forms of therapy today and the more that I am comfortable using the better. And while every theoretical model has its strengths, there are some that may be more easily adapted to work with existentialism.

Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on changing how the client thinks with the goal of changing how they feel. In its essence, this is very similar to existential therapy. Because of this similarity, many CBT tools would likely be very useful in an existential setting. If an existential therapist’s goal is to help their client find meaning in their life they are likely to meet mental obstacles. The client may not think they are worthy of achieving their goals or may get stuck in spiraling self-doubt. This would be a perfect example of a time when a CBT intervention would work well in achieving an existential goal.

Often people find meaning in their life through their relationships. If this is the case then an internal family system or couples/marriage-centered approach would work well. Maybe a client realizes their goal in life is to be the best partner they can be. At that point, the counselor could begin using tools from Gottman couples therapy to help the individual realize their goal.

Existential Therapy and Issues of Culture and Privilege

How a theoretical model handles issues relating to social justice is incredibly important. How a modality interacts with topics like racism, classism, sexism, xenophobia, and privilege will determine how effective it is at moving our society toward equality. It is important to point out that the roots of existentialism lie in a male-centric and European background. While the founding principles are not overtly bigoted they do not go out of their way to discuss issues of power and privilege. But even so, I believe that existential therapy is inherently open and inclusive. Some claim that by definition it must be anti-racist (Montgomery, 2022).

Some might claim that existential therapy is not suited for people in true crisis or for those who are severely disadvantaged because of their relationship with their society. They might argue that it would be crass or insensitive to try to help someone facing genocide or slavery the meaning of their life. Or that asking a victim of sexual violence to try to focus on who they want to be would come across as tone-deaf. And while I would agree that being aware of your client's unique struggles is important, it does not mean that this modality could not still help them. Human suffering comes in many shapes and sizes, and while I cannot imagine what it would be like to be the victim of genocide, I do think that the core issues are the same as that of all human suffering. It comes back to death, isolation, meaninglessness, and freedom. A paper by Corbet and Milton even describes a guide to utilizing existential therapy to help a client deal with trauma, “the client would need to confront and articulate losses, be afforded the opportunity to sense, acknowledge and express feelings while confronting the material that was split off during the traumatic event. The therapist ultimately collaborates with the client to induce meaning, implications, and possible consequences.” (2011)

References

Corbett, L., & Milton, M. (2011). Existential therapy: A useful approach to trauma? Counselling 

Psychology Review, 26(1), 62–74. https://doi.org/10.53841/bpscpr.2011.26.1.62

Frankl, V. E., Kushner, H. S., & Winslade, W. J. (1946). Man's search for meaning. Beacon 

Press.

Montgomery, M. R. (2022). Quietly Radical: Radical existentialism revisited . Existential 

Analysis, 33(1).

Sartre, J.-P., & Baldick, R. (2021). Nausea. Penguin Books.

Stiller, B., Goldwyn, S., Goldwyn, J., Cornfeld, S., & Conrad, S. (2013). The secret life of walter 

mitty.