PYC4809 Exam portfolio.

PYC4809 Exam portfolio. PYC4809 - Therapeutic Psychology. Existential therapy is a therapy technique that is often described as philosophical in nature. The reason it is labelled as a philosophical approach is due to the fact that it is more a way of thinking then a method. Existential therapy is used when there are problems surrounding freedom, responsibility, identity and so forth. This brings us to Linda. For most of her life Linda has been able to manipulate others using her physical appearance. Due to this she believes that the only contacts she has with people are superficial in nature. She feels empty and thus wants to make a change. Yet she does have questions surrounding this change. Is she real or not? how does she start to change? why should she change when her current way of life is working? can she allow herself to get hurt? And so forth. To help Linda, existential therapy will have to be used. The main question here is this: how are the aspects that Linda is dealing with, these being freedom, responsibility, striving for identity and relationships to others, in respect to the key concepts found within existential therapy. Within this essay there will be an in-depth look at existential therapy as a whole, there will be individual paragraphs for in detail explanations of the key concepts, there will be a paragraph dedicated to how the concepts of existential therapy link to the aspects of what Linda is going through and lastly there will be a paragraph dedicated to the question at hand. As stated above existential therapy is philosophical in nature as it is a more thought based approach then other therapeutic approaches. Existential therapy views human nature as a whole and not as individual parts. According to Craig et al, therapists who work within the existential field believe that therapy takes place between two struggling human beings. They believe that the therapy process needs to have mutual, collaborative, and explorative dialogue between the patient and the therapist. Existential therapy basis a lot of its theories and idea on the premise of being caring, honest, supportive and empathetic. There needs to be a constant challenge between the therapist and the client. Existential therapy puts a lot of emphasis on how the role of the therapist is vital in the therapeutic process as well as the relationship between the client and the therapist. The therapeutic process is quite different then other therapeutic processes. Existential therapy focusses on the here and now, instead of what happened in the past. The idea here is that their current thoughts and life events, show a more in-depth idea of what happened in the past and how this influences future expectations. Its important to note that the reasoning behind this kind of therapy is used to create a better understanding of the problems at hand, so that the therapist can place the problems being delt with in the broader perspective. This allows the client to recognise what is going on , for them to accept what is taking place and exercise their ability to take responsibility for their life and their freedom, for them to be able to choose to act in a different way, if the change is desired, and if this is not the case, to allow the patient to tolerate their actions, and embrace their place within society. [CITATION Cra19 p 3 l 7177 ] The first concept that will be looked at is that of self- awareness. Self awareness is the idea that the more aware you are of the environment the more you are able to experience freedom. In order to understand and experience this freedom we must become self aware. In order to become self aware we need to understand that we are not around for a long time, that we can die at any moment in time. We need to understand that our lives are based on the decisions we make. Its important to note that deciding to not make a decision is in-fact making a decision. We need to become aware that we are responsible for our actions and thus we are at leaste partially responsible for our own destiny, and lastly, the anxiety we feel about our own consciousness and the life that we are living, is an important in understanding and experiencing our own freedom. It is important to note that our self awareness is how we are able to be capable humans, we need to understand that our identities are rooted in what others believe us to be, we need to understand that specific events cannot be changed or altered but what can be changed is how we view them as a whole. We need to understand that past decisions are able to keep us prisioners and that they are key to how we make future decisions. Its important to accept our limitations and understand that these limitations allow you to feel worthwhile. its important to understand that in order to live you need to appreciate it, because if you are preoccupied with suffering that is how your life will be lived. The most important thing is that nothing in life is free. In order to be self aware we need to understand this and accept it[ CITATION Cra19 l 7177 ] The second concept is that of freedom from responsibility. The idea here is that the subject must focus on understanding and accepting the responsibility of their actions, and that once this is done they will be able to be free. freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. Those who do not take responsibility for the things that they have done in their pasts will not benefit from any form of therapy. It is their therapists job to make them understand what they have done by dangling their freedom in front of their faces and make them challenge everything that they have done in order for them to be able to access this freedom[ CITATION Cra19 l 7177 ]. The third concept is that of striving for identity and relationships with others. People strive to preserve their uniqueness but are still interesting in being able to relate to others, the problem here is that in most cases we end up being stangers to ourselves as we tend to go to others for direction and answers instead of trusting in our own ability to form decisions. In order to make sure we do not loose ourselves, we need to be able to move forward and endure the situations that cause us exreme anxiety. We need to struggle to create and maintain our own independence so that we are able to have substance to our personalities and our lives. We need to be able to be alone and be okay with that. We need to have another persons presence in our lives, a person who is very important in our world. We need to find fulfilment within who we are and not from what others believe[ CITATION Cra19 l 7177 ]. The fourth concept is that of searching for meaning and purpose. Searching for meaning and purpose is an innate human characteristic. We constantly need fulfilment. In order to do this the subject needs to discard their old values that are inghibiting them from being able to create their own meaning and purpose. They need to understand that its okay to live in a world with no meaning, because, with help, they will be able to find meaning in their lives. In order to do this, these subjects need to go through logotherapy, a therapeutic technique that allows for the subject to be able to understand that they can have and create meaning in suffering, and use this suffering to create a form of achievement in which they can engage with others[ CITATION Cra19 l 7177 ]. The fifth concept is to come to an understanding that anxiety is a byproduct of living. That this anxiety creates and stimulates growth, as this anxiety allows us to see and experience the concept of freedom[ CITATION Cra19 l 7177 ]. The sixth concept is to become aware of death. In order to truly live, one needs to understand that their days on this earth are measured. One can only truly live and experience freedom by understanding that death makes us able to believe in the significance of the things in our life that happen. Death is how we understand significance. Those who fear death, fear living[ CITATION Cra19 l 7177 ]. It is important to state here that all of these concepts mentioned fall within three main categories, these being freedom, choice and responsibility[CITATION Dar13 p 82 l 7177 ]. These three categories form the basis of all existential therapy. With regards to Linda, the therapist needs to allow her a safe space to come to terms with her freedom, the idea that she has a choice and the responsibility of her actions. It will be the job of the therapist to help Linda see her actions and choices from different perspectives and will help Linda deal with the existential crisis that is sure to follow[CITATION Dry07 p 207 l 7177 ].