Some examples

1) At work, a man is aware of some inappropriate and unethical 'activity' on the part of a colleague. Clearly he is expected to turn a blind eye, but increasingly his conscience is compelling him to speak out. While a psychotherapist might focus on the anxiety caused by the ethical conflict, the philsophical counsellor will explore why it is unethical, the integrity and values of the client and the consequences of various options.

2) A middle-aged woman (50) comes to counselling saying: ‘My life has centred on my husband and home, but the kids have left home and now my husband wants a divorce’. While the psychologist might respond by saying: ‘You must be devastated, how have you coped?’ the philosophical counsellor might ask: ‘That must have been very difficult for you; how have you defined your relationship with your husband and children?’ The psychotherapist will focus on the emotions, while the philosophical counsellor will focus on the concepts of wife and mother; and the meaning of these relationships.

3) A woman (60) who never married but inherited much wealth and retired at the age of 50, now she finds only emptiness in all she does: 'Although I have the means to satisfy all my desires, it feels more and more as though I need to have the desires more than satisfy them, because they can no longer be satisfied'. A psychotherapist will focus on the feelings of emptiness, while the philosophical counsellor will explore the concept of emptiness and the meaning of her desires.

>>The counsellor