Existential Therapy

Existential therapy is more a way of thinking or an attitude about psychotherapy than a particular style of practicing psychotherapy. It is neither an independent nor separate school of therapy nor is it a clearly defined model with specific techniques. Existential therapy can best be described as a philosophical approach that influences a counselor's therapeutic practice.(Gerald Corey).

Key Concepts:

• View of human nature
• Basing the therapeutic therapy on what it means to be a human and how we behave. It also ask why we behave that way.
• Propitsition 1: The Capacity for Self-awareness
• To expand our self-awareness we expand our consciousness. This step encourages self to see that we have control over our lives even when we have no control over events. Increasing awareness also expands our view of our alternatives, motivations, factors influencing the person, and personal goals.
• Proposistion 2: Freedom and Responsibility
• Existential therapy has 3 values: freedom to become what we allow our selves to, capacity to reflect on the meaning of our choices, capacity to act on choices we make. There are also three things we face as humans. Freedom (We are free to make whatever choice we want), Existential guilt (evading a commitment or becoming what we thought we should), Authenticity (being what we think we should or can be).
• Proposition 3: Striving for Idenity and Relationship to Others
•  The courage to be - to look at being more than just what others expect of you
• The experience of aloneness- to draw strength from being alone. Looking more into our selves. 
• The experience of relatedness - to be apart of relationships and being significant part of them in a healthy way
• Struggling with our identity- To avoid truths about ourselves humans wil base their idenity with one the adopted to avoid being alone with themselves.
• Proposition 4: The Search for Meaning
• The problem of discarding old values-  finding a value system that is based on you now and what might have been imposed on you
• Meaningless - when we might experinece "existential vacuum", where you might not feel there is even a reason to go on. "What's the point?" 
• Creating a meaning - finding what your stand is in what you value. To find meaning in times of suffering
• Proposition 5: Anxiety as a Condition of Living
• Existential anxiety - feelings when we are faced with death, freedom, choice, isolation, and meaningless.
• Normal anxiety - is an appropriate response to an event and can be looked at as an opportunity for growth
• Neurotic anxiety - this is where it is looked at as an unhealthy part of our psychy. When we have anxiety about things that are in our lives that should not produce immobilizing anxiety. 
• Proposition 6: Awareness of Death and Nonbeing
• Using death as motivation to live our life to the fullest. 

On the webpage Models of Abnormality it gives an explanation and example of what Existential theory might look like: 

In existential therapy people are encouraged to accept responsibility for their lives and for their problems. They are helped to recognize their freedom so that they may choose a different course and live with greater meaning. For the most part, existential therapists care more about the goals of therapy than the use of specific techniques; methods vary greatly from clinician to clinician. At the same time, most do place great emphasis on the relationship between therapist and client and try to create an atmosphere of candor, hard work, and shared learning and growth.

Example:

Here is a video of an Existential therapist explaining what he does:

Key figures of Existential Therapy

Viktor Frankl
Rollo May
Irvin Yalom

Techniques and goals for Existential therapy are heavily focuced on the client becoming aware of themselves. To evaluate what the believe, feel, avoid, and to figure out why. The therapist is almost like a coach urging the client to "figure" themselves out. An existential therapist might pull techniques from several other theories while keepin their focus on assisting the client to be "free" and to emphasize that they are ultimately in charge of their own life and behavior. 

Helpful Links
http://mindofreality.wordpress.com/psychology-corner/models-of-abnormality/
http://www.viktorfrankl.org
http://www.goodtherapy.org
http://www.yalom.com/