Definition
Existential psychotherapy has evolved out of an appreciation for how concepts fundamental to existential philosophy can help relieve human suffering. As a psychotherapeutic approach, the primary focus is on empowering the client to develop a greater tolerance for suffering, while also encouraging a deeper experiential engagement with existence. This is accomplished within the bounds of a personal and sustaining therapeutic relationship that is designed to bolster clients in their efforts to change.
Description
Wampold (2008) explains the relevance existential methods have for the broader field of therapeutic practice as he states, “it could be argued that an understanding of the principles of existential therapy is needed by all therapists, as it adds a perspective that might…form the basis of all effective treatments” (p. 6). Freedom, choice, responsibility, motivation, agency, meaning, death,...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Buber, M. (1970). I and thou. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
Cain, D. J. (2007). What every therapist should know, be, and do: Contributions from humanistic psychotherapies. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 37, 3–10.
Cooper, M. (2007). Humanizing psychotherapy. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 37, 11–16.
Dean, P. (2003). Approaching existential psychotherapy. Existential. Analysis, 14(1), 86–97.
Farber, E. W. (2010). Humanistic-existential psychotherapy competencies and the supervisory process. Psychotherapy Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 47(1), 28–34.
Friedman, M. (1960). Martin Buber. The life of dialogue. New York: Harpers.
Havens, L. L. (1974). The existential use of the self. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 131, 1–10.
Krug, O. T. (2009). James Bugental and Irvin Yalom: Two masters of existential therapy cultivate presence in the therapeutic encounter. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 49, 329–354.
Längle, A. (2003). The search for meaning in life and the existential fundamental motivations. Existential Analysis, 16(1), 2–14.
May, R. (1983). The discovery of being. New York: W.W. Norton.
Milton, M., Charles, L., Judd, D., O’Brien, M., Tipney, A., & Turner, A. (2003). The existential-phenomenological paradigm: The importance for integration. Existential Analysis, 14(1), 112–136.
Portnoy, P. (1999). Relatedness: Where humanistic and psychoanalytic psychotherapy converge. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 39, 19–34.
Schneider, K. J. (2007). The experiential liberation strategy of the existential-integrative model of therapy. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 37(1), 33–39.
Schneider, K. J. (2008). Existential-integrative psychotherapy: Guideposts to the core of practice. New York: Routledge.
Wampold, B. (2008). Existential-integrative psychotherapy: Coming of age. PsycCritiques Contemporary psychology: APA review of books, 53(6).
Yalom, I. D. (1980). Existential psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Mathers, M.C. (2023). Existential Psychotherapy. In: Maggino, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17299-1_3976
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17299-1_3976
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-17298-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-17299-1
eBook Packages: Social SciencesReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences