About Philosophical Counseling

The Philosophical Counselor facilitates activates such as:

• The examination of (clients') visitors' arguments and justifications.
• The clarification, analysis and definition of important terms and concepts.
• The exposure and examination of underlying assumptions and logical implications.
• Exposure of conflicts and inconsistencies.
• Exploration of traditional theories and their significance for client issues.
• Other related activities that have been historically identified as Philosophical.

Although some psychotherapists also incorporate some of the aforementioned ancient philosophical activities into the therapeutic context, Philosophical Counselors are not deemed thereby to be practicing psychotherapy or psychology. The practice of philosophical Counseling is confined to the practice of philosophy as defined by the performance of clear and distinct philosophical activities for which Philosophical Counselors have uniquely been trained.

Modern philosophical counseling was brought into the public eye by the German philosopher Gerd B. Achenbach. He opened his practice in the early 1980s, founded the German Association for Philosophical Practice and the journal Agora (now called Zeitschrift für Philosophische Praxis). Later, some University of Amsterdam philosophy students founded the Dutch Association for Philosophical Practice and the journal, Filosofische Praktijk. Paris has "Le Cabinet de Philosophie" who organise discussions of philosophy and publish a newsletter. In Israel, courses on philosophical counseling are available at Haifa University. In the USA, The Society for Philosophy, Counseling and Psychotherapy is operational. Whilst in Norway, South Africa, Canada, England philosophical counseling began to be offered by philosophers, some having certifications in various professions (social work, psychotherapy, etc.).

Philosophical counseling is claimed, is similar, in many ways to psychotherapy. However, it differs from psychotherapy in that i philosophy is used to help individuals to critically explore the most basic ideas underlying their lives. Such an exploration requires philosophical expertise. Philosophical counseling is a philosophical investigation which primarily addresses concepts, assumptions, theories, ideas rather than attempting to expose concrete events or secret processes hidden inside the individual's head. The philosophical counselor is like Socrates who regarded himself as a midwife who helps others in giving birth to their own ideas.

Philosophical Counseling has pragmatic goals which are to support and assist individuals to overcome personal predicaments and discover and develop wisdom. Individuals can free themselves from what they understand as being their powerlessness by exploration of the foundations of their worldview. Philosophy is Philo-Sophia and means: love of wisdom, which in the early Greek philosophy expresses a vision of philosophising as a process of growth, an individual quest of new meanings or ideas within the forest of old ones. This is as significant in our technological and problem-oriented society as it was 2500 years ago.

Philosophical enquiry is a discovery, a voyage, a movement back and forth, where new meanings are discovered by 'listening' to ideas and being heard. There is no exacting process of change that occurs and can be measured, philosophical enquiry is the 'change' only when an individual is open to their own voice of being-in-the-world. The feelings of failure, aimlessness, and disinterest in life, which express themselves in truancy, vandalism, crime and other forms of social isolation such as drug/alcohol use are negated as possibilities as a consequence of the new meanings that are revealed to individuals.

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