Existential-Humanistic and Existential-Integrative Therapy: Contemporary Issues

This intermediate-level course provides an overview of the history, background, and basic principles of three recent trends within existential therapeutic practice — existential-humanistic therapy, existential-integrative therapy, and awe-based humanistic and existential psychology. The reader will learn the history and background of these aforementioned perspectives, some basic principles and research relevant to their application, and some critiques, case conceptualizations, and implications that follow from their application. It is important to note that this course is meant only to provide an overview; for those wanting to know more, I highly recommend the readings listed in the references.

Existential humanism embraces the following three values: (1) freedom (e.g., the capacity to choose), (2) experiential reflection (e.g., the capacity for embodied, here-now awareness), and (3) responsibility (e.g., the capacity to respond to and act on that for which one becomes aware). Freedom to do is generally associated with external, physical decisions, whereas freedom to be is associated with internal, cognitive, and emotional stances. Within these values we have a great capacity to create meaning in our lives – to conceptualize, imagine, invent, communicate, and physically and psychologically enlarge our worlds. We also have the capacity to separate from others, to transcend our past, and to become distinct, unique, and heroic. Conversely, we can choose to restrain ourselves, to become passive, and to conform to others.

This course is composed of four articles and a 1-hour video by the author introducing basic concepts of and latest updates on Existential-Integrative (EI) therapy. The first article provides the basic tenets of an existential-humanistic approach to therapy — the history, background, principles, theorists, trends, and practice of existential-humanistic therapy. It also provides an overview of the experiential liberation strategy of the existential-integrative (EI) model of therapy developed by Kirk Schneider, with the inspiration of Rollo May and James Bugental. The second article furnishes an introduction to the awe-based principles of wellbeing and provides proposals to incorporate awe-based humanistic and existential principles into the settings of education, work, and governance. It also discusses the ways that positive psychology and awe-based humanistic and existential psychology can mutually benefit from each other. The final articles provide an introduction and update on Existential-Integrative (EI) Therapy presented by Kirk Schneider to the Alliance of Psychotherapy Training Institutions (APTI), Toronto, Canada and lend support for existential (spiritual) therapy with a case example. Additional resources and references are provided for further study, but they are not part of the course.