What is Philosophical Counseling?
“Philosophical counseling is an approach that aims to assist people to deal with life events in an effective manner.... The approach utilizes both ancient and contemporary philosophical promises and theories. On the promise side, it offers the belief that philosophy can be concerned with providing answers to the question of how people ought to live a good or healthy life. On the theory side, it offers the belief that philosophical inquiry and theory can help people towards such answers.”
- Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9052180
Is Philosophical Counseling Right for You?
Philosophical counseling is intended for clients who are rational, functional, and not mentally ill, but who can benefit from philosophical assistance in resolving or managing problems associated with normal life experience. The most suitable candidates for philosophical counseling are clients whose problems are centered in:
1. Issues of private morality or professional ethics;
2. Issues of meaning, value, or purpose;
3. Issues of personal or professional fulfillment;
4. Issues of underdetermined or inconsistent belief systems;
5. Issues requiring any philosophical interpretation of changing circumstances.
- Source: Lou Marinoff, Philosophical Practice, Academic Press, NY, 2001, p.252.