l O M o A Rc PS
l O M oA R cP SD
D |2 07 3 48 55
| 19 33 4 68 7
1
lOMoARcPSD|20734855
NRNP 6645 - Group final review
, l O M o A Rc PS
l O M oA R cP SD
D |2 07 3 48 55
| 19 33 4 68 7
2
NRNP 6645 - Group Final Review
Humanistic-Existential and Solution -Focused Approaches
to Psychotherapy
Chapter 6:
Nursing and the Humanistic-Existential Approach:
Humanistic-Existential Approach: Focuses on holism, self-actualization, facilitative
communication, and the therapeutic relationship.
Humanistic-Existential Theorists: Joyce Travelbee, Josephine Paterson, Loretta
Zderad, and Jean Watson.
Human-Human Relationship Model: Travelbee, Frankl, and Soren Kierkegaard
emphasize free will and the search for meaning in experiences of pain, illness,
and distress.
Humanistic Nursing Approach: Paterson and Zderad’s humanistic nursing
approach views nursing as a live dialogue between patient and nurse and places
the phenomenal method of inquiry at the center of importance.
Theory of Human Caring: Watson’s theory of human caring emphasizes a caring
relationship with patients that includes Carl Rogers unconditional acceptance and
positive regard as well as creating caring moments of healing.
Humanistic Concepts of Psychotherapy: Empathic attunement and the
therapeutic relationship are emphasized.
Three major theoretical orientations: Person-centered psychotherapy, Gestalt
psychotherapy, Extensional psychotherapy is commonly taught as the three
foundational psychotherapies of humanistic-existential psychotherapy.
Historical Roots:
Historical roots of humanistic existential psychotherapy: Extend back to the
birth of philosophes of humanism, existentialism, and phenomenology.
Humanism: A reform movement of the 14th century European renaissance
developed in response to medieval religious ideologies and focused on human
values rather than the divine. Humanism's dominant themes were happiness,
, l O M o A Rc PS
l O M oA R cP SD
D |2 07 3 48 55
| 19 33 4 68 7
3
spontaneity, creativity, actualization, holism, and the goodness of the human
spirit.
Existentialism: Existentialism emerged as a reaction to philosophy, rationalism,
and the objectivity of science during the mid-19th century and focused on
personal choice and commitment then later recognized the importance of
human freedom, emotions, and imagination.
Phenomenological Philosophy: Began with the dominant science of positivism
with a focus on a person's lived experience as a source of knowledge and truth. It
is dedicated to descriptive study of consciousness and subjective experience
completely free of preconceptions, interpretation, explanation, and evaluation.
United States: The humanistic existential movement began in the United States
soon after World War Two. Scholars consider the birth of this method to be in
1964 when a group of psychologists including Carl Rogers, Rollo May, Clark
Moustakas, Gordon Allport, and others defined and described humanistic
extensional psychology.
Characteristics of Humanistic-Existential Psychotherapy:
1) Commitment to the phenomenological perspective: Strives to
understand the subjective experience of the patient in the context of his
or her unique experience and the patient's lived experience is paramount.
2) Centrality of the therapeutic relationship: The therapist patient
relationship is the primary source for constructive change in the
humanistic essential approach. Carl Rogers was the first to discover that
the therapists’ characteristics of empathy, genuineness, and unconditional
positive regard along with the patient's ability to perceive these
characteristics are the necessary elements for therapeutic change.
3) Belief in Holism: Holism means total or entire. Holism recognizes that
people are unique whole individuals who cannot be reduced or separated
parts. The expression the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Each
person is the unified whole of mind, body, and spirit and that these
aspects work together.
4) Focus on the Here and Now: Authentic contact and change can
happen only in the present, thus the here and now is the focus of
therapy.
, l O M o A Rc PS
l O M oA R cP SD
D |2 07 3 48 55
| 19 33 4 68 7
4
5) Emphasis on Humanistic-Existential Themes: These themes are
concerned with the universal human experiences of life. Prominent
themes include awareness, authenticity, freedom, choice, responsibility,
meaning and self- actualization. Awareness allows one the freedom to
choose an organized life and a meaningful way of living. Authenticity
rather than self-deception allows a person to be fully responsible and live
a life with aliveness rather than feelings of dread, guilt, and anxiety.
6) Prominence of Process: Humanistic existential therapies focus more on
the process rather than the content of therapy. The process of therapy
describes the flow of action in reaction. Within the session it includes
pacing the rate of movement in the session, timing, and tracking. Empathy
and connection are the emphasis however process is what provides the
essential information as to how the patient is experiencing and provides
an avenue for real change to occur.
7) Use of Experiential Techniques: Humanistic existential therapists do not
interpret or give advice but use experiential techniques that are reflective
and experimental in style. Therapists work actively with patients using
interventions to heighten awareness, promote the expression of
emotional support, contact, guide, attentional focus to stimulate novel
experiences which are carefully tailored to the patient's specific wants and
needs at any given moment.
Beliefs about Patients in the Humanistic Existential Approach:
Patients are:
• Endowed with an intent inherent tendency to develop
their potential
• Resourceful and have the capacity to draw an inner and
outer resources
• Free to choose how to live in are responsible for the choices made
• Resilient in manifesting their natural inclination to survive and grow
• Holistic and not reduced to the sum of their parts
• Contextual and best understood in relationship to others in
their environment
• Find meaning by creating a constructing reality from experience
• Social beings and have powerful need to feel valued and belong
• Diverse and worldviews inviable lifestyles that result in
satisfying lives
l O M oA R cP SD
D |2 07 3 48 55
| 19 33 4 68 7
1
lOMoARcPSD|20734855
NRNP 6645 - Group final review
, l O M o A Rc PS
l O M oA R cP SD
D |2 07 3 48 55
| 19 33 4 68 7
2
NRNP 6645 - Group Final Review
Humanistic-Existential and Solution -Focused Approaches
to Psychotherapy
Chapter 6:
Nursing and the Humanistic-Existential Approach:
Humanistic-Existential Approach: Focuses on holism, self-actualization, facilitative
communication, and the therapeutic relationship.
Humanistic-Existential Theorists: Joyce Travelbee, Josephine Paterson, Loretta
Zderad, and Jean Watson.
Human-Human Relationship Model: Travelbee, Frankl, and Soren Kierkegaard
emphasize free will and the search for meaning in experiences of pain, illness,
and distress.
Humanistic Nursing Approach: Paterson and Zderad’s humanistic nursing
approach views nursing as a live dialogue between patient and nurse and places
the phenomenal method of inquiry at the center of importance.
Theory of Human Caring: Watson’s theory of human caring emphasizes a caring
relationship with patients that includes Carl Rogers unconditional acceptance and
positive regard as well as creating caring moments of healing.
Humanistic Concepts of Psychotherapy: Empathic attunement and the
therapeutic relationship are emphasized.
Three major theoretical orientations: Person-centered psychotherapy, Gestalt
psychotherapy, Extensional psychotherapy is commonly taught as the three
foundational psychotherapies of humanistic-existential psychotherapy.
Historical Roots:
Historical roots of humanistic existential psychotherapy: Extend back to the
birth of philosophes of humanism, existentialism, and phenomenology.
Humanism: A reform movement of the 14th century European renaissance
developed in response to medieval religious ideologies and focused on human
values rather than the divine. Humanism's dominant themes were happiness,
, l O M o A Rc PS
l O M oA R cP SD
D |2 07 3 48 55
| 19 33 4 68 7
3
spontaneity, creativity, actualization, holism, and the goodness of the human
spirit.
Existentialism: Existentialism emerged as a reaction to philosophy, rationalism,
and the objectivity of science during the mid-19th century and focused on
personal choice and commitment then later recognized the importance of
human freedom, emotions, and imagination.
Phenomenological Philosophy: Began with the dominant science of positivism
with a focus on a person's lived experience as a source of knowledge and truth. It
is dedicated to descriptive study of consciousness and subjective experience
completely free of preconceptions, interpretation, explanation, and evaluation.
United States: The humanistic existential movement began in the United States
soon after World War Two. Scholars consider the birth of this method to be in
1964 when a group of psychologists including Carl Rogers, Rollo May, Clark
Moustakas, Gordon Allport, and others defined and described humanistic
extensional psychology.
Characteristics of Humanistic-Existential Psychotherapy:
1) Commitment to the phenomenological perspective: Strives to
understand the subjective experience of the patient in the context of his
or her unique experience and the patient's lived experience is paramount.
2) Centrality of the therapeutic relationship: The therapist patient
relationship is the primary source for constructive change in the
humanistic essential approach. Carl Rogers was the first to discover that
the therapists’ characteristics of empathy, genuineness, and unconditional
positive regard along with the patient's ability to perceive these
characteristics are the necessary elements for therapeutic change.
3) Belief in Holism: Holism means total or entire. Holism recognizes that
people are unique whole individuals who cannot be reduced or separated
parts. The expression the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Each
person is the unified whole of mind, body, and spirit and that these
aspects work together.
4) Focus on the Here and Now: Authentic contact and change can
happen only in the present, thus the here and now is the focus of
therapy.
, l O M o A Rc PS
l O M oA R cP SD
D |2 07 3 48 55
| 19 33 4 68 7
4
5) Emphasis on Humanistic-Existential Themes: These themes are
concerned with the universal human experiences of life. Prominent
themes include awareness, authenticity, freedom, choice, responsibility,
meaning and self- actualization. Awareness allows one the freedom to
choose an organized life and a meaningful way of living. Authenticity
rather than self-deception allows a person to be fully responsible and live
a life with aliveness rather than feelings of dread, guilt, and anxiety.
6) Prominence of Process: Humanistic existential therapies focus more on
the process rather than the content of therapy. The process of therapy
describes the flow of action in reaction. Within the session it includes
pacing the rate of movement in the session, timing, and tracking. Empathy
and connection are the emphasis however process is what provides the
essential information as to how the patient is experiencing and provides
an avenue for real change to occur.
7) Use of Experiential Techniques: Humanistic existential therapists do not
interpret or give advice but use experiential techniques that are reflective
and experimental in style. Therapists work actively with patients using
interventions to heighten awareness, promote the expression of
emotional support, contact, guide, attentional focus to stimulate novel
experiences which are carefully tailored to the patient's specific wants and
needs at any given moment.
Beliefs about Patients in the Humanistic Existential Approach:
Patients are:
• Endowed with an intent inherent tendency to develop
their potential
• Resourceful and have the capacity to draw an inner and
outer resources
• Free to choose how to live in are responsible for the choices made
• Resilient in manifesting their natural inclination to survive and grow
• Holistic and not reduced to the sum of their parts
• Contextual and best understood in relationship to others in
their environment
• Find meaning by creating a constructing reality from experience
• Social beings and have powerful need to feel valued and belong
• Diverse and worldviews inviable lifestyles that result in
satisfying lives
