Workshop Description
Existential therapy is a diverse, vibrant, and wonderfully rich tapestry of understandings and methods that has the potential to make a valuable contribution to the work of any counsellor, psychotherapist or psychologist—both training and in practice.
The existential approach is one of the oldest forms of therapy, yet still one of the most innovative and radical. Existential therapy is orientated around the development of a deep relational bond with the client, which allows the client to explore the most fundamental aspects of their existence. This includes questions like: ‘What is the meaning of my life?’ ‘What choices can I make?’ and ‘How do I face the limits of my circumstances?’
This workshop introduces participants to the basic principles of existential philosophy and therapy, and looks at how practitioners of all orientations can integrate these ideas and practices into their own work.
The workshop will be particularly tailored to therapeutic practice in the current COVID-19 crisis, looking at how existential insights can be used to support clients during this time. This includes helping clients come to terms with the givens and uncertainties of existence, and to make the most of their time despite challenging and disorientating circumstances.
The workshop will be delivered online and includes self-development exercises (via a workbook), theoretical input, and large group discussion.
Participation in the workshop is on a self-selected fee basis, and a self-completion CPD certificate will be available for participants. Our one ‘ask’ is that participants commit to attending for the full day (10.00-16.00, see schedule below) so that we have a consistent community of participants throughout the day.
Once you complete your registration you will receive an email with the link to a Zoom online meeting room.
The workshop will consist of theoretical input, self-reflection exercises, and whole group discussions. All formats will be hosted via Zoom, and procedures for participating in the different formats will be explained on the day (they’re very straightforward). We ask all participants to commit to maintaining strict confidentiality: not disclosing something that has been shared by another participant outside of the workshop.
Participants in this workshop should be counsellors, psychotherapists, counselling/clinical psychologists, or other mental health professionals – either qualified or on an established training course. Practitioners from outside of the UK are very welcome to attend, but you should be fluent in English to get the most from the day.
This workshop will be recorded and you can use the ticket function to pre-purchase the recording before the event. This will be useful for colleagues who are not able to attend the event live and also for those who attend the event live and want to watch it again.
To support practitioners in this time of extraordinary circumstances we are offering access to this group for a self-select fee.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand the core principles of existential philosophy
- Understand the principal aims and forms of existential counselling and psychotherapy
- Apply existential understanding of freedom and choice to their therapeutic practice
- Apply existential understanding of limitations to their therapeutic practice
- Apply existential understandings of meaning and purpose to their therapeutic practice
- Understand the relevance and value of existential practices during the current COVID-19 crisis
The process group at the end of the day will be a place to find support for anything personal that has arisen throughout the day and that still needs attention.
Course Content
Presenter
Mick Cooper is an internationally recognised author, trainer, and consultant in the field of humanistic, existential, and pluralistic therapies. He is a Chartered Psychologist, and Professor of Counselling Psychology at the University of Roehampton.
Mick has facilitated workshops and lectures around the world, including New Zealand, Lithuania, and Florida.
Mick’s books include Existential Therapies (Sage, 2017), Working at Relational Depth in Counselling and Psychotherapy (Sage, 2018), and The Handbook of Person-Centred Psychotherapy and Counselling (Palgrave, 2013).
His latest work is Integrating Counselling and Psychotherapy: Directionality, Synergy, and Social Change (Sage, 2019).
Mick’s principal areas of research have been in shared decision-making/personalising therapy, and counselling for young people in schools.
In 2014, Mick received the Carmi Harari Mid-Career Award from Division 32 of the American Psychological Association. He is a Fellow of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and the Academy of Social Sciences.
