Comparing Humanistic-Existential Psychotherapy with Other Approaches
Comparing Humanistic-Existential Psychotherapy with Other Approaches
Psychotherapy is a treatment modality that does not use medications to treat mental disorders. Psychotherapy uses talk therapy and counsels patients to modify their negative behaviors and lessen the severity of their psychiatric conditions (Locher et al., 2019). Different psychotherapy approaches treat different mental conditions, including interpersonal therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and humanistic-existential psychotherapy. The DSM-V diagnostic criteria describe many mental illnesses and the symptoms that must be present to diagnose a condition (APA, 2013).
Humanistic- Existential Therapy
The humanistic-existential approach is different from other therapies since it focuses on the patients’ experiences and focuses on the growth of the patient rather than the pathology of the disease. The key pillars of humanistic-existential therapy are empathy, genuineness, patient responsibility, and freedom (Hoffman, 2020). In this type of therapy, the patient is given the capacity to make a choice and be self-aware. The humanistic approach focuses on the good nature of humans with the ability to maintain meaningful and healthy relationships and make choices that serve their best interests and those of others (Hoffman, 2020). This treatment approach guides patients to free themselves from situations that might deter them from living a fulfilled life. The therapist encourages the patients to grow and self-actualize while maintaining the patient’s capacity for autonomy.
This approach guided the patient to find philosophical meaning when facing anxiety. The therapist helps the patient explore the benefits of thinking and acting responsibly and authentically (Hoffman, 2020). This therapy hypothesizes that the patient’s problems are due to anxiety over despair, isolation, and lowliness. The therapist assumes that the patient faces problems since he cannot make good choices to create a meaningful life. They confront external factors that limit the ability of the patient to make meaningful choices.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
CBT treats many mental conditions, such as anxiety disorder, eating disorders, marital issues, substance abuse, and depression. CBT significantly improves functioning and quality of life. CBT hypothesizes that psychological issues are due to faulty ways of thinking and learned parents of negative behaviors, and people with mental issues can learn better coping ways, relieve their symptoms, and become more effective (David et al., 2018). CBT uses many strategies to change the thinking patterns of patients. They include teaching the patient to recognize their faulty thinking causing issues and reevaluating them, helping patients to understand their behavior, imparting patients with problem-solving skills, and being more confident in their abilities (David et al., 2018).
In CBT, there are efforts to alter behavioral patterns. The strategies used to achieve this include facing fears instead of avoidance, role-playing to prepare for potential problems and learning mind relaxation techniques (David et al., 2018). The patients and therapist collaborate to understand the problem and formulate strategies. In CBT, the emphasis is put on the patients becoming their own therapists. Homework exercises are done to help patients develop coping skills and change their thinking and behavior (David et al., 2018). This therapy focuses on the patient’s current life rather than the cause of the problems.
Differences Between CBT and Humanistic-Existential Therapy
The first difference between these two psychotherapy actions is that CBT focuses on the thought processes of individuals rather than their actions, while humanistic-existential therapy focuses on the capacity of patients to make rational choices. The second difference is that CBT empowers individuals to change their thinking patterns and understand how their behavior impacts their responses, while humanistic-existential therapy focuses on the good nature of individuals and how this nature can help them make better life choices. The final difference is that humanistic-existential therapy hypothesizes that mental conditions are due to feelings of being closed off from freedom, while CBT hypothesizes that mental conditions are due to negative thoughts from the past, resulting in negative thinking patterns. These three differences might influence the choice of therapy that a PMNHP chooses depending on the symptoms that the patient presents with or their psychosocial support system.
Live Case Consultation Psychotherapy Video
In the video by Bugental (2009), the client goes through a rough experience. The main problem that the patient has is that he d