Existential dread

“We are all in the same boat. This experience brings deep knowledge and new confidence but also humility because we know we all share the same paradoxes and dilemmas and we, as therapists, are not exempt from the suffering we are addressing.” Emmy van Deurzen & Martin Adams

I take an existential approach to psychotherapy, which means I have developed a philosophical method in thinking about life. Other therapeutic approaches are usually biological, psychological, social, intellectual or spiritual in nature and generally neglect philosophy tending to focus on individuals or relationships but seldom consider the human condition and its wider political context. What does this mean, exactly? One thing is for sure, human beings have struggled to find answers to existential questions for a long time:

What does it mean to be alive?

How can I be my authentic self and still be connected to other people?

How can I live a meaningful life?

What happens when we die?

For me, this is the best part of therapy - no matter if I’m the therapist or the client. How do we understand our complex world? Where do we find ourselves in it? What is our responsibility to the others with whom we share this world?

I’m lucky that before becoming a psychotherapist, I taught university courses about American culture focusing on gender, race, income inequality, sexuality, and media. My goal as a therapist is to help clients understand the sociocultural contexts of distress and pain which emerge out of our flawed healthcare, education, legal, agriculture, housing systems and many more. I believe our behavior - no matter how unhealthy or self destructive- is understandable within these contexts and that people are capable of change when they develop skills to make choices which align with their values.

We are living through an extremely tumultuous time in our nation’s history and many of us are depressed, anxious, confused, and angry. Existential therapists consider the challenges of everyday experience so that we can live more resourcefully. As human beings we are the experts of our own experiences. I can assist you in developing skills to handle life’s absurdity and uncertainty.