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The relationship between philosophical and psychological counselling: where do we stand?
Abstract
Nowadays we can find a wide plethora of philosophical practices ranging from the classic philosophical counselling to educational programs for children or even prevention and rehabilitation programs. How should a client know what is suited for him? What is the philosophical practitioner promising to their clients? Is it wisdom and truth as some would associate with philosophy? Is it healing and therapy? This paper tries to shed some light over the field of philosophical practices. I present the emergence of philosophical counselling, it’s historical evolution and the situation nowadays. I talk about the worldview concept and about its importance in the healing paradigm. I will analyze different critiques brought to fields of philosophical and psychological counselling and common aspects that concern both fields, trying to find both similarities and differences that would help me conclude on what is the relationship between psychotherapy and philosophical counselling and how can each benefit the other in their common purpose of alleviating human noetic distress.
... Scholars differentiate between philosophical practice and psychotherapy based on concepts, theoretical foundations, objectives, methods, and target audiences (Dâlcu, 2022;Fischer, 2011;Sivil, 2009;Valencia Magallón, 2019;Wei, 2013;Yang, 2015;Yu, 2010). Some argue that philosophical counseling is more effective than psychological counseling in clarifying clients' confused belief systems or providing better beliefs (Li, 2015a). ...
Philosophical practice applies philosophical insights and methods to help individuals explore and resolve intellectual, emotional, and existential dilemmas, enhancing self-understanding and mental well-being. This study employs CiteSpace to analyze global research trends and hotspots in philosophical practice using data from the Web of Science (WOS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases spanning from 2000 to 2024. By identifying key methodologies and applications, the study compares the development of philosophical practice in Western and Chinese contexts across theoretical culture, practical application, social impact, and professional development. The findings reveal that Western philosophical practice, rooted in ancient Greek philosophy and modern streams like existentialism and analytic philosophy, emphasizes individual autonomy, critical thinking, and personal growth. In contrast, Chinese philosophical practice draws from Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, focusing on harmony between the individual and society, moral cultivation, and social cohesion. Despite these differences, both traditions share common goals of enhancing self-awareness, addressing ethical dilemmas, and improving mental health through philosophical dialogue. The study highlights the potential for integrating Chinese and Western philosophical practice, suggesting that a fusion of methodologies and ethical frameworks can provide a more holistic and culturally sensitive approach. This integration offers new perspectives for global philosophical dialogue, interdisciplinary collaboration, and practical applications in addressing contemporary challenges.
The potential for psychological treatments to result in harmful outcomes is underexamined. This special issue highlights important areas for consideration in putative harmful interventions in clinical psychology. The range of potential harmful interventions includes specific protocols, deviations from evidence-based approaches, misapplication of evidence-based interventions, and applications of interventions that lack underlying mechanisms for targeted problems. It is hoped that this special issue will begin a process of systematic scrutiny of interventions for their potential adverse impact as well as for their benefits.
Contemporary philosophical practice, through its new form of expression, philosophical counseling, manifests the interdisciplinary connections with other fields, one of which is oriented towards interference with psychology and psychiatry as branches of the vast field of health care. The concept of philosophical counseling is by its definition intended for healthy people, considered to be clients or discussion partners, who can be assisted by a practitioner to clarify or understand a particular life situation or a dilemma faced, by learning em to develop a philosophy of life. Addressing the same life situation by a specialist in psychology or psychiatry, on the other hand, is required for persons with cerebral issues and 'disorders'. We support the preservation of a direction for philosophical practice oriented towards philosophical counseling, different from the therapeutic approach of other fields. We argue that philosophical counseling and the medical treatment for persons considered 'mentally disordered' are not mutually exclusive, but complementary.
Abstract: From the founding of the first offices of philosophical practice in Europe, there has been a controversy regarding which persons could carry out such activities and what would be the necessary qualification needed in this new applied field of philosophy. This article presents these divergences, through two distinct standpoints, that of philosophers who can become practitioners in philosophy, versus philosophical counselling specialists who use the tools provided by philosophy. We assume the role of mediator between the two currents of opinion and propose a solution that can be used in training programs in this new profession of philosophical counselling that is now emerging in Romania. In the end, we schematically present our proposal regarding the organization of professional training for the specialization in this new field, which will address both philosophers and other specialists interested in a specialization in philosophical counselling, alongside future directions of action in order to regulate this new qualification in philosophical practice.
The problem of our research is a complex of issues related to cultural and historical, theoretical, methodological and institutional aspects of the emergence and spread of such a new direction of modern philosophy as philosophical practice (philosophical counseling). The study is devoted to the development of the theory for the generalization, systematization and interpretation of extensive empirical material accumulated in the thirty-year history of this philosophical direction. On the basis of this theory historical and philosophical vision of the direction will be possible. The key condition of the research is the use of comparative approach, which establishes clear criteria for comparative analysis of philosophical concepts, basic concepts, forms and ways of philosophizing, used in philosophical practice. Our research provides an opportunity to define the basic principles, to build a typology of ideas, approaches, schools and trends of philosophical practice. This is the first comprehensive study to identify the role and place of philosophical practice in modern culture, which can become a reserve for new interdisciplinary philosophical research in this area.
The need for philosophical practice to integrate various methods, both conceptual and those based on the use of emotions, raises the question as to whether its methodology is necessarily eclectic, in terms of the collection of various methodologies used in philosophy, or whether there is a way to move beyond eclecticism. This is the main subject of this paper. In other words, the question is whether there is such a thing as an 'integrative' methodology and, if so, what distinguishes such a method from mere eclecticism. In this text, we define the methodological procedure of integrativeness as the process of systematizing perspectives into an orientational answer to the demands of a specific problem. What differentiates such an approach from mere summation is a new contribution that results from a synergistic and systematic meeting of positions and argumentation whose final result differs from its initial elements. Diversity in the form of a multidimensional relationship towards life and the world, by its nature, results in numerous perspectives, which is a value that should be cultivated and integrated as such into a reflective and actional perception of the world.
Psychologists are increasingly encountering philosophers in independent practice who use philosophy to help individuals or groups work through practical problems. An overview of the diverse expressions of the philosophical counseling movement is provided, including scope of practice, methods, training curriculum, codes of ethics, and evidence of effectiveness. The field is critically analyzed: Philosophical counseling is not currently a viable alternative to mental health treatment. Carefully conducted and appropriately focused philosophical counseling may, however, help some individuals or groups. To clarify whether philosophical counseling may benefit a particular individual with a given problem, psychologists (and potential clients) thus need to carefully evaluate individual philosophical counselors.
To become a counselor or psychotherapist, one must learn a confusing and conceptually disconnected array of theories, techniques, and ideologies. For instance, CBT, humanistic, and psychodynamic interventions have virtually opposite conceptual foundations, but they are all used to help clients. What principles, however, connect the various movements, trends, and methods of helping? In this book, Hansen asks and proposes beginning resolutions to four fundamental philosophical questions about knowing, effectiveness, and truth that are designed to unite and give meaning to diverse and seemingly contradictory models of helping: What does it mean to know a client? What makes counseling effective? Are truths discovered or created in the counseling relationship? Should counselors abandon the idea of truth? Although these questions are complex, Hansen provides plain language answers that make the material accessible to readers who have no formal education in philosophy. Furthermore, he addresses these questions in the context of his personal struggles to find meaning—making the book an engaging and highly enjoyable reading experience.
Philosophical practice or counseling has been described as a cluster of methods for treating everyday problems and predicaments through philosophical means. Notwithstanding the variety of methods, philosophical counselors seem to share the following tenets: 1. The counselee is autonomous; 2. Philosophical counseling differs from psychological counseling and 3. Philosophical counseling is effective in solving predicaments. A critical examination shows these to be problematic at both theoretical and practical levels. As I believe that philosophical practice is a valuable contribution both to philosophy and to psychology, though not devoid of potential dangers and misuses, I suggest that philosophical counselors reconsider the theoretical and empirical validity of their tenets. Using my experience as a philosophical counselor, I attempt in this paper to contribute to this task while introducing the reader to what are, in my opinion, the main problems in the field.
Van Deurzen-Smith develops a practical method of counselling which is a logical application of the ideas of existential philosophy. Abundant case illustrations demonstrate the effectiveness of her method in many different areas of counselling, from crisis work to work with chronic unhappiness. She shows how personal assumptions, values and talents, once recognized and understood, can be turned to constructive and creative use. The method is specifically applied in turn to working with emotions, dreams, imagination, action, communication, meaning and time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Although philosophy has become a purely academic discipline over the last few centuries, it once played an important role in the politics of many Western nations. Now, at the end of the 20th century, philosophy seems to be returning to its original, practical purposes, thanks to the new practice of philosophical counseling, which is now emerging as an alternative to psychoanalysis and other clinical approaches. This volume describes the main theoretical aspects of this practice based on an open-ended dialogue between a philosophical practitioner and a client or a group, and places it in a historical context, while contrasting it with various forms of psychological counseling. To illustrate how philosophy can be beneficial, the author, a practicing philosophical counselor, also prevents several case studies from her own practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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