Abstract
There is a lack of clarity about the technical interventions of existential psychotherapy. The approach has been described dichotomously as being more descriptive or more hermeneutic, as being anti-technique or relying on intervention exclusively experiential nature. This paper presents a genetic-phenomenological approach of existential psychotherapy and argues that it uses both postures and therapeutic techniques that are interconnected and influence each other in the therapeutic process. The existential therapist’s interventions are based in part on common factors but also on specific techniques. The paper presents a theoretical framework of existential psychotherapy and a definition of the postures and intervention techniques of the genetic-phenomenological approach of existential psychotherapy. The aim is to contribute to the clarification of what type of interventions the existential therapist may use during the therapeutic process.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson, T., Lunnen, K. M., & Ogles, B. M. (2009). Putting models and techniques in Context. In B. L. Duncan, S. D. Miller, B. E. Wampold, & M. A. Hubble (Eds.), The heart and soul of change—delivering what works in therapy (pp. 143–166). Washington: American Psychological Association.
Asay, T. P., & Lambert, M. J. (1999). The empirical case for the common factors in therapy: Quantitative findings. In M. A. Hubble, B. L. Duncan, & S. D. Miller (Eds.), The heart and soul of change—what works in therapy (pp. 33–55). Washington: American Psychological Association.
Castonguay, L. G., & Beutler, L. E. (Eds.). (2006). Principles of therapeutic change that work. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Chambless, D. L., & Hollon, S. D. (1998). Defining empirically supported therapies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 7–18.
Cooper, M. (2003). Existential therapies. London: Sage.
Cooper, M. (2008). Essential research findings in counselling and psychotherapy. London: Sage.
Donohoe, J. (2004). Husserl on ethics and intersubjectivity. From static to genetic phenomenology. New York: Humanity Books.
Elkins, D. N. (2012). The humanistic and behavioral traditions: Areas of agreement and disagreement. Psychotherapy, 49, 465–468.
Frank, J., & Frank, J. (1993). Persuasion and healing. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Frankl, V. (1992). Man’s search for meaning. London: Rider Books.
Geller, J. D. (2005). Style and its contribution to a patient-specific model of therapeutic technique. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice. Training, 42, 469–482.
Goldfried, M. R., & Davila, J. (2005). The Role of the relationship and technique in therapeutic change. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice. Training., 42, 421–430.
Hayes, S. C. (2012). The choice humanistic psychology faces. Psychotherapy, 49, 461–464.
Heidegger, M. (1962). Being and time. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Heidegger, M. (1988). The basic problems of phenomenology. Indianapolis: Indiana University Pres.
Hill, C. (1995). Therapist techniques, client involvement, and the therapeutic relationship: Inextricably intertwined in the therapy process. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice. Training, 42, 431–442.
Hubble, M. A., Duncan, B. L., Miller, S. C., & Wampold, B. E. (2009). Introduction. In B. L. Duncan, S. C. Miller, B. E. Wampold, & M. A. Hubble (Eds.), The heart and soul of change: Delivering what works in therapy (pp. 23–46). Washington: American Psychological Association.
Husserl, E. (1989). Ideas II pertaining to a pure phenomenology and to a phenomenological philosophy. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Husserl, E. (1994). Lições para uma fenomenologia da consciência interna do tempo. Lisboa: Imprensa Nacional.
Husserl, E. (2001a). Analyses concerning passive and active synthesis. Lectures on transcendental logic. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Husserl, E. (2001b). Meditações cartesianas. Porto: Rés.
Husserl, E. (2006). The basic problems of phenomenology. Dordrecht: Springer.
Kierkegaard, S. (1980). The concept of anxiety. Chichester: Princeton University Press.
May, R. (2004). Contributions of Existential Psychotherapy. In R. May, E. Angel, & H. Ellenberger (Eds.), Existence (pp. 37–91). Lanham: Aronson.
McAleavey, A. A., & Castonguay, L. G. (2013). Insight as a common and specific impact of psychotherapy: Therapist-reported exploratory, directive, and common factor interventions. Psychotherapy, 51, 283–294.
Merleau-Ponty, M. (2002). Phenomenology of perception. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Norcross, J. C., & Wampold, B. E. (2011). Evidence-based therapy relationships: research conclusions and clinical practices. Psychotherapy, 48, 98–102.
Rosenzweig, S. (1936). Some implicit common factors in diverse methods of psycho- therapy. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 6, 412–415.
Samstag, L. W. (2002). The common versus unique factors hypothesis in psychotherapy research: Did we misinterpret Rosenzweig? Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 12, 58–66.
Sartre, J. P. (1943). L’être et le néant. Paris: Gallimard.
Sartre, J. P. (1994). A consciência de si e conhecimento de si. Lisboa: Edições Colibri.
Schneider, K., & May, R. (1995). The psychology of existence: An integrative, clinical perspective. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc.
Sousa, D. (2014). Phenomenological psychology: Husserl’s static and genetic methods. Journal Phenomenological Psychology, 45, 27–60.
Spinelli, E. (2007). Practising existential psychotherapy. The relational world. London: Sage.
Steinbock, A. J. (1995). Home and beyond: Generative phenomenology after Husserl. Evanston: Northwest University Press.
Tallman, K., & Bohart, A. (1999). The client as a common factor: client as self-healers. In M. A. Hubble, B. L. Duncan, & S. D. Miller (Eds.), The heart and soul of change—what works in therapy (pp. 91–132). Washington: American Psychological Association.
van Deurzen, E. (1995). Existential therapy. London: Society for Existential Analysis.
van Deurzen, E., & Adams, M. (2011). Skills in existential counselling and psychotherapy. London: Sage.
van Kaan, A. (1966). The art of existential counselling. Pennsylvania: Dimensions Books.
Walsh, R., & McElwain, B. (2001). Existential psychotherapies. Humanistic psychotherapies: Handbook of research and practice (pp. 253–278). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Wampold, B. E. (2001). The great psychotherapy debate: Models, methods and findings. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
Wampold, B. E. (2012). Humanism as a common factor in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy, 49, 445–449.
Zahavi, D. (1999). Self-awareness and alterity. A phenomenological investigation. Evanston: Northwest University Press.
Zahavi, D. (2003). Inner time-consciousness and pre-reflective self-awareness. In D. Welton (Ed.), The New Husserl: A Critical Reader (pp. 157–180). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Zahavi, D. (2005). Subjectivity and selfhood. Investigating the first-person perspective. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sousa, D. Existential Psychotherapy the Genetic-Phenomenological Approach: Beyond a Dichotomy Between Relating and Skills. J Contemp Psychother 45, 69–77 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-014-9283-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-014-9283-y