Differences between Humanistic-Existential Psychotherapy and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Impact on Clinical Practice

One difference is that humanistic-existential therapy delves into an understanding of oneself and the aptitudes for individually tackling significant mental healthcare issues. Through this approach, the care professional can aid the patient to conform to their underlying needs and desires (Pristipino et al., 2019). The context is through helping the patients ascertain the functional alongside dysfunctional way of living. Conversely, cognitive-behavioral therapy is founded on looking into the patient’s in-depth cognitive-based, affective-based, behavioral and motivational elements (McGuire & Storch, 2019). Psychotherapists can oversee their scope of practice through this foundation by highlighting the specific elements presented. As a result, the patient’s characteristics are differentiated, and more appropriate psychotherapeutic interventions for the best healthcare outcomes are devised.

Another difference is that humanistic-existential therapy delves into the underlying procedures for construing the individual perceptions of the patients. This aspect is essential in allowing the counselor to increase the comprehension of the patient’s baseline challenges for living a normal life (Pristipino et al., 2019). Consequently, psychotherapists can focus on community and worldwide elements reflective of being a person to aid the patient in developing better functionalities. Contrariwise, cognitive-behavioral therapy emphasizes that scenarios are not attributed to the presented emotional reactions (McGuire & Storch, 2019). Instead, it is understood that the responses depict the conceptions that link the patient to the multifaceted association within the context of their former way of life, moods, and elements of living. This foundation aids psychotherapists in helping individuals change how they live to a better way of life.

Additionally, humanistic-existential therapy is founded on determining the patient’s unique existential themes. These themes are then examined philosophically via therapeutic dialogues. This context aids the psychotherapist in associating with the patient in a phenomenological manner (Pristipino et al., 2019). The basis is by evaluating the baseline ideology of why the symptoms are the way the patient manifests them. The patient is then helped to differentiate between a humane and a negative way of living.

Conversely, cognitive-behavioral therapy delves into a learning theme reflective of the classical alongside operant functioning ways. Through this ideology, there is a concentration on the patient’s construed reality of how they are behaving cognitively. The patient is then helped to recognize the reality of how the actions are negatively impacting them (McGuire & Storch, 2019). Consequently, the patient is aided in changing the harmful cognitive and behavioral traits.