Advocate Case

Abstract

At this point in my life, Existential therapy is the one that I'm leaning towards. I really feel strongly that people need a reason to live and live happily. If you don't have a reason for being, you don't have a reason to live. I also think helping people to find their own strengths and authenticity is important, not telling them. On top of finding these things within themselves, they also have a feeling of accomplishment and independence. They did this and they can do more.

Philosophy of Counseling

Introduction

I really feel that Existentialism is a great therapy. It is something that I personally relate to, so I gravitate towards it as my personal theory. I believe that to be a good Existential therapist you have to identify with therapy and truly believe in it. The therapist also needs to be very patient and not controlling of the sessions. The therapist is there to guide not to instruct, so they need to able to give up that control. The main reason I'm leaning in this direction is it something that I have applied to my life. If I do not have something in my life that I feel gives it meaning, I tend to get depressed and question my existence. In the past, this has been things like helping people get through rough times and now it's raising my daughter.

Basics of Philosophy

Existentialism is a philosophical theory that puts an emphasis on existence and responsibility for oneself (their destinies). Sѳeren Kierkegaard is the grandfather of this theory (Lowrie, 1962) and believes that people want to be eternal; however, they have to deal with a temporary existence. If we do not deal with this reality, then we are merely going through the motions of life and not truly experiencing it. It focuses on the past and future, but really focuses on the present; what we are feeling in the now.

Human beings are considered "being-in-the-world", which means we are able to think and reflect on things happening in our lives, then give meaning to it. Being-in-the-world has four distinct parts: Umwelt (the biological/environmental world), Mitwelt (social relationships), Ümwelt (religious/spiritual), and Eigenwelt (self-awareness). These parts overlap and a person is usually in more than one at a time. For example: a person gets hungry (Umwelt) and wants to have dinner with a friend (Mitwelt). Before they eat, they pray (Überwelt) and they are self-aware that they are eating (Eigenwelt) (Sharf, 2010, pg 168)

The main goal of Existential therapy is authenticity, which is awareness of being and genuineness (Sharf, 2010). There are four stages of this: Innocence, reaction to surrounding values, consciousness of oneself, and transcendence (May, 1966, pg 175). Parents need to encourage their children to be independent so that they can think for themselves and eventually rely on themselves. As an adult existential therapy helps the person figure out why they are not living authentically and how to fix that. This will include finding a purpose to their life and pursuing it (Frankl, 1969). Part of this is also helping the client understand freedom, responsibility and choice. They need to understand that they have the freedom to change no matter has happened in the past. They are responsible for the things that happen in their lives; other people cannot be to blame for everything. Finally, they have the choice of whether they follow through on things or not.

How Problems Arise. According to Existentialism, problems arise when a person is not authentic and cannot deal with certain things in life. This can come about in many different ways and a person will present many different symptoms. Existentialism deals with themes, such as living, dying, freedom, responsibility, choice, etc. and all can result in a disorder of some type.

An individual experiences anxiety when they make choices that they feel may be seen as harsh or unfair. It can also happen when a person is faced by something that is "thrown" at them and they are not prepared (May and Yalum, 2005). They can also experience existential anxiety which means they feel regret at not making a choice in the past (Lucas, 2004, pg170). Anxiety is a normal function of life, however, it can become neurotic anxiety which it not healthy. This type of anxiety is inappropriate, blown out of proportion and may come from repressed feelings (Sharf, 2010, pg 170).

Isolation is another thing that can cause problems in an individual's life and there are several types. These are: interpersonal (isolation from others, Intrapersonal (isolating parts of oneself) and existential (isolation form the world). Isolation can cause depression, substance abuse, and self-destructive activities when not addressed.

Above are just two ways that person can develop a disorder, however, they can be a result of numerous events in life. Death, relationships, a meaningless job, too much change at once, etc. call all cause a person to realize