Humanistic and Existential theories are a group of theories and therapies that focus on interpersonal dynamics and human experience. From this perspective, during the immediacy of therapy, conscious experience is more important than unconscious activity.

Humanistic and existential psychologists view what happens between people as a priority; one's conscious awareness of experience, unpacking beliefs and values, clarifying emotion, all this before exploring unconscious dynamics. Under this umbrella of humanistic-existential theories are a variety of approaches such as existential therapy, Gestalt approaches, Transactional Analysis, Positive Psychology and other wholistic therapies. Therapy focuses on resolving interpersonal conflict, self-esteem, perception of self and others, our purpose for existence, a search for deeper meaning in life, and social-cultural concerns such as gender, all forms of identity, age.

Theorists: Existential psychology is a separate field from existential philosophy. Rollo May, Irvin Yalom, Victor Frankl, Martin Buber pioneered existential psychology, and Carl Rogers with Abraham Maslow and Rollo May pioneered Humanistic psychology. When attaching articles consider adding recent articles from existential authors.

Research methods include phenomenology and case study to focus on verbal and nonverbal interactions and individual perception and experience. Experience and perception are central.

Background: Back at your internship, this week you are in group supervision with the supervisor and two peer interns. All three interns must bring up their most challenging cases. You decide to present on two clients dealing with grief and loss. These cases are challenging because of your own life experience with loss, death, grief, and trauma.

TASK:

1. Describe your two clients: different gender, ethnic identity, life situation, and age separated by at least one decade. What is the loss, the grief, these two clients are struggling with? Two sentences each.
2. Briefly explain to the supervisor and peer interns one core idea from a humanistic or from existential theory. Use a different theory/therapy with both clients. (one term per client)
3. State how these two clients are a challenge for you. NOT about them, it's about you. You are the therapist. The supervisor is focused on you, what feels limiting about the way you think or feel about the client's grief? What is your concern, fear, confusion, anxiety? What is there about you and your life experience that comes up for you when working with these two clients that may limit your work with them?
4. The supervisor responds to offer you support and guidance. What did the supervisor suggest regarding how to apply the two terms to yourself? Give this some thought and avoid generalizations, be specific applying the two terms you selected above to you as a therapist.