Existential Therapy: Distinctive Features offers an introduction to what is distinctive about this increasingly popular method. Written by two practicing existential psychotherapists, with many years’ experience, it provides an accessible, bitesize overview of this increasingly used psychological therapy. Using the popular Distinctive Features format, this book describes 15 theoretical features and 15 practical techniques of Existential Therapy.
Existential Therapy will be a valuable source for for psychotherapists, clinical, health and counselling psychologists, counsellors, psychiatrists, and all who wish to know more about the existential approach.
Table of Contents:
Contents
Introduction i
List of abbreviations ii
List of figures and tables iii
Part 1 THE DISTINCTIVE THEORETICAL FEATURES OF EXISTENTIAL THERAPY
1 A philosophical rather than a psychological approach to therapy
2 Existential philosophy offers an understanding of what it is like to be human
3 Creating a broader perspective on the wide context of Being-in-the-world
4 Recognising the way in which we relate to Others
5 The effect Time and Temporality have on our existence
6 Intentionality: Understanding the intentional nature of our actions and reactions
7 Focusing on freedom, choice and responsibility
8 Death, Anxiety and Angst
9 Existential Guilt
10 Paradox and the tension of existence
11 Notion of the dynamic Self
12 Authenticity and Inauthenticity
13 Finding purpose and meaning: the original project
14 Values and human worth
15 A well lived life
Part 2 THE DISTINCTIVE PRACTICAL FEATURES OF EXISTENTIAL THERAPY
16 Developing a phenomenological attitude
17 The quality of the therapeutic relationship: I-Thou
18 A descriptive exploration
19 Taking stock and being aware of the limitations of life
20 Getting the bigger picture: Four dimensions of existence
21 Living in the world physically
22 Living in the world socially
23 Living in the world personally
24 Living in the world spiritually
25 The emotional world of the client
26 Embodiment
27 Examining the paradoxes of life
28 Revisiting values and beliefs
29 Making meaning and discovering purpose
30 Finding freedom
References
Index
About the Author :
Professor Emmy van Deurzen is an authority on existential therapy with a worldwide reputation. She has published 16 books in the field and is the founder of the Society for Existential Analysis, and of the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling at the Existential Academy.
Dr Claire Arnold-Baker is an existential therapist, counselling psychologist and perinatal specialist. She is the DCPsych Programme Leader at NSPC, a joint programme with Middlesex University, where she also teaches and supervises. Claire also regularly runs an Introduction to Existential Therapy workshop.
Review :
Van Deurzen and Arnold-Baker introduce readers to the world of existential theory and practice, and give them a sound grounding in the field and the inspiration to explore the terrain they outline further and in more dept. They provide that most difficult thing - a clear and concise guide to the theory and practice of existential therapy. This book will be a valuable resource for anyone - whether they are a psychotherapy trainee, seasoned practitioner, or lay person - who seeks an accessible introduction to the contribution of existential philosophy and psychology to understanding what it means to be human.
Professor Simon du Plock, Middlesex University
