Why Humanistic-Existential Psychotherapy Was Utilized, Why It Was the Treatment of Choice, and the Expected Potential Outcome if the Second Approach Had Been Used

The humanistic-existential psychotherapy was utilized because the patient notes that he does not feel alive in his life. Although he has been in therapy before, he still had issues with getting in touch with his feelings and felt constricted. He feels unhappy, incomplete, and frustrated and is trying to find fulfilment. The patient’s feelings of unhappiness with their life and lack of settlement and fulfilment create a case of humanistic and existential concerns. In this case, humanistic-existential psychotherapy was the treatment of choice because it would help develop a therapeutic relationship that would help the client explore his deep-seated feelings and life experiences. This would guide the patient in finding fulfilment in his life and making peace with his experiences. Humanistic/existential approaches in counselling effectively address issues in an individual’s life transition points, which helps them be less anxious about their future (Lubis et al., 2023). The expected potential outcomes if CBT was used would be an improved connection between the client’s current cognition and their current emotions, feelings, and behaviors.

Notably, the CBT approach provides more positive outcomes in the case as it employs a more technical approach to resolving the underlying cognitive factors leading to certain emotions and behaviors. The therapeutic relationship focused on humanistic-existential psychotherapy risks compromising the therapist’s connection with the client as the therapist may focus on the employed intervention while the client focuses on the relationship (Bland, 2022). Regardless, as a PMHNP, it is best to collaborate with the patient in planning for the intervention as it allows the entire treatment to be centered on the client’s preferences.

Why Each of My Supporting Sources Is Considered Scholarly

The articles by Bland (2022), Heidenreich et al. (2021), and Lubis et al. (2023) are considered scholarly as they follow a formal structure including using an abstract, an introduction, a review of literature, a presentation research method employed, a discussion, and a conclusion. The articles also have listed all cited and referenced sources and are context-specific. All of the articles also present quality and researched evidence that can be reviewed and critiqued against existing research evidence. The article by Wheeler (2020) is considered scholarly as it is curriculum-based and is a part of the course’s learning materials.

 References

Bland, A. M. (2022). A 15-year progress report on the presence of humanistic/existential psychology principles in mental health outcome measurement: Thematic discourse and summative content analyses. Journal of Humanistic Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/00221678221077475

Heidenreich, T., Noyon, A., Worrell, M., & Menzies, R. (2021). Existential approaches and cognitive behavior therapy: Challenges and potential. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 14(1), 209–234. https://doi.org/10.1007/S41811-020-00096-1