Monitor on Psychology - November 2011 - (Page 59)

for meaning M any areas of psychology are great at answering such questions as how stress influences mood or why depression can lead to substance abuse. But what if you want answers broader than a diagnosis or a neurochemical explanation for why your brain does what it does? What if you want to know how to lead a fuller, richer life, not just change a problematic behavior? You might consider existential-humanistic psychology, which seeks to give clients a greater awareness of how their constellation of pleasures, worries, thrills and anxieties all come together to form their experience of living. What can existential-humanistic psychology offer? “It asks about the meaning of life,” says Louise Sundararajan, PhD, president of Div. 32 (Humanistic). “That term sounds kind of trite, but it’s not.” Existential-humanistic psychology doesn’t promise the answer to that question, she says, but it can help clients and other psychologists frame their questions about the larger issues at work behind depression, anxiety and other causes of mental angst and dissatisfaction with life. Many people want a more holistic experience that does more than address their symptoms, she says. They want a therapy that helps them know more about their lives and feelings. To that end, humanistic psychologies draw from a range of philosophical approaches such as existentialism, feminism, postmodernism and constructivism, all designed to orient the study of the mind and behavior toward understanding what it means to a be a human being. Existential-humanistic psychology emphasizes the importance of human choices and decisions and feelings of awe toward life. Put in a therapeutic context, existential-humanistic approaches to therapy emphasize the same factors that research suggests make any therapy successful, such as therapeutic alliance, empathy, the provision of meaning, the provision of hope and affective attunement, says Kirk Schneider, PhD, a psychologist and faculty member at Saybrook University and the Existential-Humanistic Institute in San Francisco, who advocates for the field. Schneider and his colleague Orah Krug, PhD, also at Saybrook, last year co-edited APA’s first book about the field, “Existential-Humanistic Therapy.” This fall, Schneider says, a partnership between Saybrook and EHI will launch the first nationally recognized certificate program in existential-humanistic practice. What sets apart existential-humanistic psychology, Schneider says, is that all aspects of therapy are seen through the lens of a concept called presence. He describes presence as entering into a heightened awareness of yourself, opening yourself up to learning what truly matters to you and experiencing in the here-and-now the barriers to and opportunities for change that therapy offers. “We try to work with everyone in as present a manner as possible — presence is essential to an existential approach,” he says, for both clients and their therapists. “Presence helps us to understand and attune to the fuller ranges of a person’s experience. … You learn to co-exist with your anxieties.” Meeting needs Existential-humanistic psychology’s roots go back several decades, to Rollo May, PhD, who helped found Saybrook University in San Francisco in 1971, and to the work of Abraham Maslow, PhD, who developed a hierarchy of human needs. Maslow, May and like-minded colleagues emphasized understanding the existential causes of mental distress rather than just focusing on symptoms. Other modes of psychology aren’t always as equipped to deal with such heady issues, believes Steven Hayes, PhD, a clinical psychologist at the University of Nevada, Reno, who focuses on mindfulness. Hayes hasn’t traditionally been linked to existential-humanistic psychology — in fact, he’s more often been identified as having behaviorist n ov e M b e r 2 0 1 1 • M o n i to r o n p s yc h o l o g y 59

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - November 2011

Monitor on Psychology - November 2011
Letters
President’s Column
Contents
Guest Column
‘Grand Challenges’ offers blueprint for mental health research
Documentary seeks to reach parents of LGBT kids
Treating veterans will cost at least $5 billion by 2020
Selfless volunteering might lengthen your life
Combat and stress up among U.S. military in Afghanistan
South Africa to host international psychology conference
Study uncovers a reason behind sex differences in mental illness
Navy psychologist gives a voice to combat trauma
In Brief
Psychologist suicide
On Your Behalf
Journey back to Heart Mountain
Psychology is key to pain management, report finds
ACT goes international
Judicial Notebook
Random Sample
Time Capsule
Questionnaire
Science Watch
Behavior change in 15-minute sessions?
Health-care reform 2.0
Perspective on Practice
Giving a heads up on concussion
Practice Profile
Searching for meaning
Inspiring young researchers
Aging, with grace
Public Interest
Thank you!
APA News
Division Spotlight
American Psychological Foundation
The man who gave Head Start a start
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - November 2011

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