Existential Therapy

Activity Break into four groups Each group will receive lyrics to an “existential” song Read through the lyrics and as a group, decide how the song could be integrated into a therapeutic session What type of client (age, presenting problem, etc.) would this song work best with? How could the song encourage the client to change or focus on existential problems? Do you think integrating music into existential therapy would be beneficial?

Role of the Therapist To develop an authentic, honest, and mutually open therapist- client relationship Help the client distinguish distortion from reality Confront client when necessary Use modeling and self-disclosure when appropriate Offer one’s own feelings to identify the client’s contribution to his or her life predicament Focus on themes that are part of the human condition & encourage clients to make life-changing decisions (Corey, 2009) To help uncover and appreciate the existential implications of decisions (Yalom, 1981) According to May et al. (1958), being fully present is the most important role of the therapist in existential therapy

Role of the Therapist : Death Death is a major source of anxiety in psychotherapy; It is the therapists role in situations where death anxiety is present to not focus entirely on pain alleviation, but instead to work through and discuss the situation and anxiety further (May & Yalom, n.d.) May (1977) stated that it is the therapists task to “reduce anxiety to tolerable levels and then use that anxiety constructively” Increase “everyday” patients awareness of personal finiteness (May & Yalom, n.d.) –write their own obituary –focus on milestones like birthdays or anniversaries –Focus on major life events like serious illness, retirement, commitment or separation from a relationship

May, R., & Yalom, I. (n.d.) Existential psychotherapy. Current Psychotherapies, Role of the Therapist: Existential Isolation It is the therapists role to help the client confront isolation –Self-enforced isolation Guide the client to realize both the rewards and limits to isolation

May, R., & Yalon, I., (n.d.) Existential psychotherapy. Current Psychotherapies Role of the Therapist: Meaningless To help reflect upon and understand one’s existence (Corey, 2009) Must attend to the overall focus and direction of the patient’s life Help self-centered clients develop concern for others (esp. in groups) Help clients become engaged (I.e. projects, ideas, others, etc) Explore with the client obstacles that are preventing them from engaging in life, keeping them from enjoying work, blocking them from loving others, etc

Strengths of Existential Therapy Primary applications in individual therapy; however, various existential themes may be applied to other settings (i.e. couples therapy, group therapy, family therapy, etc) (May & Yalom, n.d.) New, positive understanding of once negatively viewed feelings (anxiety, frustration, isolation, etc.) (Corey, 2009) Therapist is seen as a mentor more than an authority (Van Deurzen, 2002) Can easily be integrated into many other theoretical orientations & with different cultures (Corey, 2009) Focus on universal human problems (Corey, 2009) Can borrow techniques from other therapies (Corey, 2009) The client is the center focus (Corey, 2009)

Limitations of Existential Therapy Training is difficult to become an existential therapist, involves more than just mastery of knowledge (Van Deurzen, 2002) Not useful in most short-term therapies, although some approaches may be incorporated (May & Yalom, n.d.) Therapy process and outcomes are not easily quantifiable (Cooper, 2003), limited amount of research to study its effectiveness (Corey, 2009) No well-developed set of techniques (Corey, 2009) Concepts considered more philosophical, making it difficult to apply by some therapists (Corey, 2009)

Case Study - Yalom (1981) A 46-year-old mother accompanied the youngest of her four children to the airport, from which he departed for college. She had spent the last 26 years rearing her children and longing for this day. No more impositions, no more incessantly living for others, no more cooking dinners and picking up clothes. Finally she was free. Yet as she said good-bye she unexpectedly began sobbing loudly, and on the way home from the airport a deep shudder passed through her body. “It is only natural,” she thought. It was only the sadness of saying good-bye to someone she loved very much. But it was much more than that and the shudder soon turned into raw anxiety. How would an existentially oriented counselor work with this client? What would the therapist focus on?

References Cooper, M. (2003). Existential therapies. London: Sage. Corey, G. (2009). Case approach to counseling & psychotherapy (7th Ed). Thomson Higher Education. Belmont, CA. Corey, G. (2009). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (8th Ed). Thomson Higher Education. Belmont, CA. May, R. (1977). The meaning of anxiety (rev. ed.). New York: Norton. May, R., Angel, E., & Ellenberger, H. (Eds.). (1958). Existence: A new dimension in psychiatry and psychology. New York: Basic Books. May, R., & Yalom, I. (n.d.) Existential psychotherapy. Current Psychotherapies Van Deurzen, E. (2002). Existential therapy. In Q. Dryden (Ed.), Handbook of individual therapy (4th ed., pp ). London: Sage. Yalom, I. (1981). Existential psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.