Philosophy Practice: An Alternative to Counseling and Psychotherapy

Abstract

(from the publicity materials) Although philosophy has become a purely academic discipline over the last few centuries, it once played an important role in the politics of many Western nations. Now, at the end of the 20th century, philosophy seems to be returning to its original, practical purposes, thanks to the new practice of philosophical counseling, which is now emerging as an alternative to psychoanalysis and other clinical approaches. This volume describes the main theoretical aspects of this practice based on an open-ended dialogue between a philosophical practitioner and a client or a group, and places it in a historical context, while contrasting it with various forms of psychological counseling. To illustrate how philosophy can be beneficial, the author, a practicing philosophical counselor, also prevents several case studies from her own practice. ((c) 1999 APA/PsycINFO, all rights reserved)Record 11 of 30 in PsycLIT 1998-2000/06