Existential Therapy

Existential therapy, created out of the existential philosophy tradition, is a treatment orientation based that focuses on the human condition as a whole. One of the primary goals of existential therapy is to help clients face life and its anxieties head on and to embrace the freedom of choice humans have, taking full responsibility for their choices as they do so. Therapists trained in existential therapy believe that unhealthy or undesirable behaviors result from an inhibited ability to make authentic, self-directed choices about how to live. Therefore, in therapy, an existential counselor will work with you to focus on your own responsibility and freedom. You will be challenged to think and behave responsibly by confronting internal thoughts, rather than outside pressures. Existential therapy seeks to help clients live more authentically, to be focused on the present (not the past), to be less concerned with superficiality and to find meaning in their lives. Think this approach might be right for you? Reach out to one of TherapyDen’s existential therapy specialists today.

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The existential components of my therapeutic approach involve facilitating self-exploration of how each client understands the world around them and their place in it, allowing them to identify what it looks like to them to live meaningfully and intentionally.

— Kate Upton, Licensed Professional Counselor in Atlanta, GA

I work from an Existential-Humanistic lens, meaning that our work together will be phenomenological; I will ask you to be with what is true for you, what you experience, in each present moment. This will be something we practice, and come back to, again and again in our work together.

— Nic Sutherland, Associate Marriage & Family Therapist in Portland, OR
 

Meaning & purpose in life can help us survive the toughest situations. Unfortunately society often describes it as "finding meaning" so we keep hoping it will happen to us, or we are prescribed a purpose/meaning through religion, family, career, identity, etc. that may no longer be a good fit. Existential therapy helps us recognize that we have the power & responsibility to decide what is meaningful to us, create opportunities to nurture it, & re-evaluate it over the course of our life.

— Ashton Burdick, Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Cleveland, NC

My training includes an existential therapy bent, which focuses on the eternal dilemmas of being human: choice, responsibility, mortality, and ambiguity. Just because we can't change it doesn't mean we can't address it! I can help you wrestle authentically with life's big questions in a safe, secure setting.

— Benjamin Wyatt, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate in Indianapolis, IN
 

When I took my first counseling theory class while pursuing my Master's degree, I immediately fell in love with Existential Therapy. This modality focuses on free will and the search for meaning. I use these techniques to aid clients in making authentic life choices and increase self-understanding. I have found this pairs very well with DBT and the pursuit of a "life worth living."

— Ashlynn O'Donnell, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate in ,

Existential-humanistic therapy seeks to create a therapeutic relationship and environment that fosters deepening awareness of oneself, including issues of meaning, choice, relationships, and working with one's potential and limitations. Rollo May, one of the founders of this approach, noted that the purpose of psychotherapy is to set people free.

— Louis Hoffman, Psychologist in Colorado Springs, CO
 

In therapy, I’ll help you develop a stronger sense of self and make decisions you can stand behind. With new insight, you’ll have a greater understanding of who you are, what you want out of life, and how to achieve that vision for yourself. My approach in therapy is grounded in a philosophy called existential-analysis. This theory focuses on how one can live a more fulfilling life through an active, self-responsible approach and authentic decision making.

— Abby Wilson, Clinical Social Worker in Houston, TX

Existential therapy is based on existential philosophy. It emphasizes personal responsibility, living a meaningful life, authenticity, and mortality. As a result, existential theory views anxiety as a natural part of the human experience. Trying to live a meaningful life in a world full of possibilities, yet limited time, can be anxiety-inducing. This approach aims to help people navigate this common human dilemma.

— Connor Tindall, Clinical Psychologist in Berkeley, CA
 

Existential therapy is all about looking for meaning, purpose, and exploring identity. Who are we? What are we doing here? What's it all for? If you're asking questions like these, existential therapy is for you.

— Grace Wood, Licensed Professional Counselor in Austin, TX

To be human is to endure pain and hardship. I utilize existential therapy to help clients find meaning and value in their lives, despite the challenges and hard times.

— Cori Ross, Therapist in Alpharetta, GA
 

Existential therapy is based on the existentialist belief that humans are free and responsible for their own actions in a world that may lack inherent meaning. This form of therapy focuses on exploring issues related to existence, such as our search meaning, authenticity, freedom and responsibility, isolation, and mortality. Existential therapy can be applied to a wide range of psychological issues, including anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and relationship problems.

— Dr. Claudia Perolini, Psychologist in Weston, FL

It is not easy to discuss meaning making and the concepts of life and death with our social circle or friend group. I am here to provide the space for you to evaluate the human condition, your place within it and what it all means to you.

— Ashley MacLaren, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in Seattle, WA
 

Existential theory suggests that we are all working to grapple with the knowledge that one day, we will die. How we integrate this knowledge impacts the ways that we give meaning to our experiences and the world around us , connect to others, and often feel a pull towards both responsibility and freedom. Existential therapy gives clients the chance to explore how the "big questions" of life are shaping their experiences and behaviors while supporting them to more skillfully live in paradox.

— Ben Hearn, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in Allison Park, PA

Existential Humanistic Psychotherapy has its roots in Existential Philosophy and is concerned with mortality, freedom & responsibility, isolation and meaning. Much of my work is focused on the meaning that my clients create in their lives, their relationship with that for which they are responsible and how this relates to the power and freedom they experience in their lives.

— Hayden Dover, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in San Diego, CA
 

A fan of Abraham Maslow, I view client experience as one that, cultural contexts aside, has universal elements across all people when it comes to issues of purpose and meaning, life, esteem, aging, and death.

— Gregory Gooden, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in POMONA, CA