Existential-Humanistic Therapies: Overview

Existential-humanistic psychotherapy includes a broad range of therapies that are based on the philosophies of existentialism, phenomenology, and humanistic psychology. In contrast to psychoanalytic and psychodynamic therapies, as well as early behavioral theory, existential-humanistic therapies focus on intrinsic qualities of the person in the change process. Whereas psychoanalytic and psychodynamic approaches often require years of therapy and focus on the unraveling of the complex role the unconscious plays in the development of one’s character, existential-humanistic therapies believe in the capacity of individuals to understand self and make changes as they uncover the reasons why they have not actualized their true selves. As compared with psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, and behavioral approaches, which tend to view the therapist as the expert directing the process of therapy, existential-humanistic therapies ...