What is Philosophical Counseling?
Philosophical Counseling is a form of individual counseling that seeks to provide the client with answers and solutions to the problems and questions that challenge our lives.  Philosophical Counseling is not Psychology, Psychoanalysis or Psychiatry.  The goal of a Philosophical Counselor is to help clients reach a deeper understanding of their problems and themselves through reasoned, rational discussion allowing the clients to make better decisions and live a more gratifying life...an Examined Life.

How can Philosophical Counseling help you?
Do you have questions about meaning in your life?  Values? Morality? Religion? Ethics? Relationships either romantic, personal, or professional?  Your own identity? All of these are philosophical questions and a philosopher would be the perfect person to ask.  Just as you ask a medical doctor about your physical health, a psychologist about your mental health, an accountant about your financial health you should ask a philosopher about your spiritual health. 

A Philosopher can help you figure out and resolve some of the hardest problems to identify and deal with...problems of the soul.  There are very few simple problems and that means very few simple solutions.  Philosophical Counseling is probably not capable of completely solving all your problems, especially those of a non-philosophical nature (there is no amount of philosophical counseling that will cure a cold) but the understanding and perspective a session of Philosophical Counseling can provide will prove priceless as a tool for living your life.

How is Philosophical Counseling different from other forms of counseling?
Philosophical Counseling is considered a kind of "talk therapy", meaning that there is no physical contact involved as in massage therapy, or physical therapy.  As a talk therapy Philosophical Counseling is similar to psychoanalysis, and other psychotherapies in that the mode of therapy is conversation, however that is where most similarities would end.

A typical Philosophical Counseling Session could take place in almost any environment conducive to conversation.  Depending upon the issues under discussion the counselor will often engage in a productive dialogue with the client responding and answering questions, not only asking questions. 

As a Philosopher and not a medical doctor I DO NOT PRESCRIBE MEDICATIONS.  I do NOT suggest that Philosophical Counseling is a substitute for psychological counseling or therapy and I do not give medical advice.  However, I suggest Philosophical Counseling as a supplement to other therapies such as psychotherapy.

Philosophy 2.0