Existential Therapy

Our search for meaning and identity is often difficult in a world that is not set-up for those of us who are Neuro-Spicy (GT, ADHD, ASD). Additionally, we cycle through periods of Positive Disintegration that are often misunderstood by others and even ourselves. Though we are not in control of external circumstances, our ability to determine our own meaning and lessons from our experiences still remains. I'd love to help you find meaning and growth through your challenges.

My graduate training at Seattle University was centered on existential therapy. I'm deeply informed by existential therapists such as Irvin Yalom and Ernesto Spinelli, and also informed by existential thinkers and writers who understood the human condition in ways that are useful for therapy.

We can all find ourselves asking deeper questions about our origin, purpose, and meaning. Especially when we are undergoing a major life change. Anxiety can take our minds to interesting and unusual places. I can help you to navigate these thoughts in a judgement free environment.

I help clients find meaning in their life in the face of adversity and uncertainty.

Our search for meaning and identity is often difficult in a culture that is more and more dominated by preoccupation with partisan politics, likes, shares, and followers. Though we are often not in control of external circumstances, our ability to determine our own meaning and lessons from our experiences still remains. I'd love to help you find meaning and growth in your challenges.

Underneath it all I see myself as a human- one who struggles and has struggled with the same fears that all humans have struggled with- mortality, isolation, our freedom to make choices, and our ultimate meaninglessness in a universe that is indifferent. I believe then that it is critical as a therapist to support people in finding their own meaning and purpose; and that they can trust themselves to make that decision.

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.

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.

I love working within existential therapy and helping people identify their values and goals in life, and how to live by those. I believe it is important to find purpose and meaning in life that helps us to keep going when times are tough.

So much of what we encounter in our world challenges our beliefs about ourselves, our world, and the meaning of being alive. I think that discussing these big topics in therapy is a great way for us to better connect with our deepest values and bring meaning and purpose to our lives.

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.

When clients first begin therapy, one of the questions that often comes up is what it means to work through emotions or traumas. From the perspective of Existential Therapy, we address the meaning that these experiences hold for you, which comes from our ability to build context foresight around them. If the past still hurts, or if the future holds too many mysteries, it is worth exploring the meaning that we derive from our life's story as a whole.

Life is about finding your individual meaning, purpose, and direction. This is the only defense we have against the random horrible things that happen to us. Perhaps the best way to describe this type of therapy is to give you the name of two books to read: "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl and "The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients" by Irvin D. Yalom.

An existential approach to therapy emphasizes the importance of the meaning that each person makes in life and that the path that one takes can only be understood in the context of their unique life experience. This means that the questions, "Who am I?" and "What is the meaning of life" is a personal journey that, ultimately, only the individual can discover for themselves.

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.

I utilize existential approaches in which focus is put on healthy connection with others, establishing meaning and purpose in life, and coping with anxiety.

Existential psychotherapy is deeply life affirming and is rooted in the belief that change is always possible. It is aimed to assist with issues that arise from being human—or, simply “existing”, to which no one is immune. Goals include to increase self-awareness, take responsibility of life, relate better to others, self-acceptance, and to live authentically. Existential therapists are curious, genuine and conversational. Therapeutic work includes dialogue, creativity, dream work and more.