Discerning Life

SSDD… Discerning Life

                Some clients have reached a place in their life where they have separated concepts often spoken about among religious sects, but hold a deep personal meaning. These clients are seeking out their spirituality. This client group is searching for deeper meanings to life, death, choice and human nature. They are seeking to complete themselves with themselves. The therapeutic goals are stated by the client and sought out by the client. The therapist is a companion along the journey and provides the client with respect, love, unconditional positive regard and affirmation. The process of sorting through life is done in an effort to gain understanding about whatever comes before and after the human state of being. Not many answers can be provided to the client and the journey remains unique to the person.

Client-Centered Therapy and Existentialism

Theorist: Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow, Rollo May

Focus: With the support of a genuine human relationship between the client and therapist, Humanistic psychotherapies offer the client who is working toward an understanding of the greater human purpose, vocation and creationism.

Strengths: For the client who has developed a secure and centered sense of being, they can begin to explore more abstract concepts and begin developing personal philosophies about creation and human purpose. This client is generally regarded with respect and unconditional positive regard. They are more peaceful beings and can experience growth and greater creativity by the gentle and provocative nudging of their therapeutic mentor.

Weaknesses: According to Abraham Maslow and his hierarchy of human needs, clients must have previously established strong foundations of their basic human needs, security, love and acceptance. Existentialistic approaches tend to work well for clients who do not encounter a great deal of crisis. For those clients who are in crisis, the ideals that the humanistic approach focuses upon are not appropriate goals for individuals struggling through ‘worldly’ difficulties.