Ever felt confused about which life decision to take? Ever felt torn
between conflicting moral pressures? Ever wondered if your life has
meaning or if anything means anything? Ever felt mixed up and
unable to take control of your life? Ever felt you wanted to take time
to examine your life more closely?

If so, it is possible that Philosophical Counselling may be useful.


What is Philosophical Counselling?
Philosophical Counselling is a recent approach to counselling that uses
philosophical insights and techniques to help you improve your life.
Ultimately it can help you lead what Socrates called “the examined
life”.


What are the benefits?
Philosophical Counselling is based on the use of philosophy as a
therapeutic tool. There is no  guaranteed “cure” available for any
medically diagnosed problem. However, even though there are no
promises of instant relief from symptoms, Philosophical Counselling
will give you the chance to work towards:

Becoming clearer about your values
Working out how to achieve your goals
Achieving greater self-understanding
Learning how to analyse life-problems yourself
Finding greater meaning in your life
Coping with difficult situations


What problems can Philosophical Counselling help me with?
Philosophical Counselling can help with many problems that are not
primarily medical, such as:

Decision-making dilemmas
Relationship issues and our feelings about love and friendship
Career changes
Ethical, moral and sexual problems
Questions of belief and uncertainty
Concerns about faith and religion
The search for more meaning in life
Simply to examine your life

It can also help with anxiety and depression in cases where the root
of the problem is philosophical (for example moral confusion) rather
than psychological in nature. In this way it may be a valuable
addition to ongoing psychological therapy.


What’s special about Philosophical Counselling?
Counselling allows a space for you to explore your issues in a safe,
confidential setting. Philosophical Counselling adds to these
undoubted benefits the thinking tools and lessons of over two and a
half thousand years of philosophy. It “provides you with an
opportunity to do philosophy with a professional philosopher”.


What is the history of Philosophical Counselling?
Philosophical Counselling began in Ancient Greece where Socrates,
talking with acquaintances and strangers about the nature of virtues
(love, friendship, courage education etc.) was its foremost exponent.
Epicurus considered philosophy “therapy of the soul” and later the
Stoics systematized methods for living well. For the last two
thousand years many philosophers (e.g. Descartes, Spinoza,
Nietzsche, Dewey, Wittgenstein), have questioned the place of
philosophy as an abstract occupation confined with university walls,
The modern Philosophical Counselling movement (using
philosophical insight, methods and history in a therapeutic way)
started in 1981 when Gerd Achenbach opened his practice in
Cologne, Germany. The movement has grown steadily and
practitioners now exist throughout the world.


A brief example
You may say that recently (you are in your late forties) life has lost
much of its previous meaning. You have been successful in your
career, which you still enjoy, and your children are grown up and
flourishing, but still there seems to be something lacking in your life.
Last year a close friend (a strongly religious person) died of cancer
and since then you feel that life is just pointless. First of all we may
look closely at factors which could be affecting your view about the
meaning of life: your age, your friend’s death, your children leaving
home, religious belief. We might try to clarify some of these values.
We might then look at things in the past that have held meaning and
work out why this was so. We might ask questions like “How you
would like to be remembered after  you die?” or maybe “What would
the world have been like if you had never lived?” This process may
lead  us to discovering what has mattered most to you in your life
and why. For example it may be that by analysing various concepts,
career success, love of children, friendship, importance of religion
etc. we can work out what how these have meaning in an ideal
world. From here we can see how these can  have meaning and be
applied in your current circumstances. There may be no easy
solution but the process of self-examination would almost certainly
lead to greater self-understanding which would make your future
more easy to deal with.

This process may take several weeks or more, sometimes one
session dealing with a particular dilemma is all the client wants, at
other times contact may last a long time. Whatever the case our
series of dialogues “will have allowed you the rare but important
opportunity to reflect on deep issues in your life in a constructive
manner with someone qualified to facilitate the process”.


How does it work?
First contact is often by email, indeed some benefit from help exclusively
in this form. For those that feel this is best, I offer exclusively email counselling.
For most, however, personal contact is important, and preferable.
Although some people like to meet in conventional settings this is
not always the case. I often meet with clients who think they may
benefit from Philosophical Counselling at a variety of convenient
places: in towns, in the countryside, on a quiet walk, in a café. If the
client needs a number of sessions we arrange our meeting places
accordingly.


Is there a professional body?
In the UK the Society for Philosophy in Practice (SPP) regulates
Philosophical Counselling by registering approved Philosophical
Counsellors who must fulfil training criteria, hold certain
qualifications and adhere to the Society's Code of Practice.


How much does it cost?
Philosophical counselling costs no more than most other sorts of
therapy, sometimes less. My first face to face session of 50 minutes
is always free. Initial email response is also free.

Contact me to see how this may work for you.

Some philosophers think that Philosophical Counselling should be
used, not as a means of solving life's problems, but as a way of
discovering the potential which is within us. See my own
Thoughts and Reflections and Seeking the Philosophical Life on this.

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