Existential Therapy

I hold the question "what are you doing here?" both in my office and on the earth as we meet keeping in mind whether you are living out your purpose. There are four "givens" of existence that e must grapple with: Death - it can be terrifying or freeing/motivating Isolation - we are born for/die for only ourselves Freedom - we have the freedom /responsibility for our life Meaning - we are meaning-making beings Sometimes symptoms point us to larger questions and we need help working through them.

Existential therapy focuses on themes of personal autonomy, isolation and connectedness, experiences of loss, and the search for meaning. The approach emphasizes your capacity to make rational choices and to develop to your maximum potential. Our work together will focus on increasing self-awareness, fostering personal growth, and living your authentic truth.

Existential Therapy is based on existential philosophy and is focused on identifying what is meaningful to you individually, and identifying how core anxieties (Death, Freedom, Isolation, and Meaninglessness) are impacting you and working through that.

We all want purpose. We all want meaning. But tackling questions such as "What does it mean to be alive?" or "What provides me meaningful joy?" is a difficult, lifelong venture. I use Existential Therapy to help you look at the choices you make, and calibrate authenticity as the compass bearing for navigating life. By helping you understand the ways you keep and break faith with yourself, you can chart a course for a more expansive, self-determined life.

I believe that life's struggles and questions have the power to bring meaning and purpose to our existence. I provide a warm, supportive environment to help individuals explore and understand their experiences, feelings and beliefs. My approach integrates elements of existential, humanistic, and psychodynamic theories to help you understand yourself and your place in the world. Let's work together to empower you in your journey towards personal growth and fulfillment.

I offer existential psychotherapy. Understanding your past and how it effects your present allows you to slowly bring change to your current world.

I am very interested in how things are interpreted and what meaning we give to things, events, relationships, and life experiences. I believe everyone is different and are just looking for where they fit in their lives and in the universe. The meaning we give to these things influences how we behave and interact with ourselves and others.

Do you ever feel unsure of your purpose, or that you struggle with being true to yourself and the life you want to live? Existential psychotherapy explores the fundamental questions of human existence, such as the meaning of life, freedom, responsibility, and the mysteries of the unknown. By embracing these existential concerns together, this approach helps you feel empowered to confront your own unique existence, find purpose, and live more authentically.

Existential Humanistic Psychotherapy has its roots in Existential Philosophy and is concerned with mortality, freedom & responsibility, isolation and meaning. Much of my work is focused on the meaning that my clients create in their lives, their relationship with that for which they are responsible and how this relates to the power and freedom they experience in their lives.

This is the foundation of my therapy approach. Although ERP and CBT may be more obviously visible in our sessions I am deeply grounded in the existential core principles of Choice, Freedom and Responsibility, and the reality that you can't have any one without the other two. I believe that when we embrace our power and take responsibility for everything we can, then we enjoy more choices, greater freedom, and can find meaning and purpose. This is a highly empowering approach.

My experience and studies in literature paved the way for my current philosophical and therapeutic approach in counseling. It was the influence of French authors like Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus that left a huge mark on my professional development. I would later consolidate their teachings with experts in Psychology, such as Viktor Frankl and his emphasis on the "will to meaning." How we make meaning out of the suffering we endure can be one of the most powerful questions in counseling.

"What is the meaning of life?" is an eternally joked about question, but when we do not have our own personal answer to this question based on our values and beliefs, it often leads to mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, and interpersonal conflict. I support clients to ask the deep questions, seek and understand their core values, and find meaning in their life as a way to reduce negative symptoms and bring about positive mental health.

I hold a Master of Arts degree in existential-phenomenological psychology from Seattle University and bring this background to my work with clients. An existential approach provides us with space to consider the underlying questions of life, to make meaning of our experiences, and to seek a greater sense of purpose and direction. We honor and strengthen your inherent capacity to make choices that enrich your experience of your individuality, your connections with others, and your endeavors.

Having a background in philosophy in my undergrad, existentialism was an immediate interest of mine. As I moved through grad school, every free moment was filled with the works of Irvin Yalom and Viktor Frankl. I will sit with you and we together can explore the 4 tenants of existentialism and how the way you interact with them may be affecting your day-to-day life and relationships with others and yourself.

Existentialism is the primary orientation of the training program I attended at Seattle University. Far from an obtuse and abstract domain of dead white men, I feel that existentialism is alive and vital for all of us, acknowledged or more often, unacknowledged. It carries the truth that all of us face (or deny) the common questions of life. Awaking to them can infuse our lives with tremendous purpose and power.

Existential Therapy focuses on free will, self-determination, and the search for meaning. This approach often centers on you rather than on the symptom you are experiencing. The approach emphasizes your capacity to make rational choices and to develop to your maximum potential.

I have been interested in the meaning of life since I first read Man's Search For Meaning 30 years ago. As a cancer patient, I have had a lot of time to consider my own purpose, and I think most people at some point (or many points) in their lives have moments where they contemplate what this all means. I love helping my clients explore the existential concerns of death, freedom, isolation, and meaning.

I love working within existential therapy and helping people identify their values and goals in life, and how to live by those. I believe it is important to find purpose and meaning in life that helps us to keep going when times are tough.