What is philosophical Counselling?

Philosophical counselling is a form of personal counsel. The purpose of philosophical counselling is simply to dialogue philosophically about issues that are meaningful to the client, or interlocutor. It is a form of dialogue that attempts to put everyday problems into a philosophical framework. Socrates, in ancient Greece, hoped that his philosophical interlocutors, those with whom he conversed, would in some respect improve, either their character or their situation in life, through philosophical discussion. Similarly, the philosophical counsellor attempts to facilitate clarity for the interlocutor by addressing problems that are amenable to philosophical reflection.

The term “philosophy” has its roots in two Greek words philo and Sophia, meaning “love” and “wisdom” respectively. The philosopher is someone who has a love of wisdom. The philosopher uses many tools in his attempts to discover wisdom, and such tools are readily applicable to problems that face us all in our everyday affairs. Problems suitable for philosophical counselling include, but are not confined to, issues of meaning, purpose, religion, ethics, morality, fulfilment - conflicts of interest, work related difficulties, interpersonal relations, existential matters, and any further topic that requires logical clarity or is amenable to philosophical reflection.

The role of the philosophical counsellor is threefold. First, it is his role to provide a non-judgmental, warm and trusting environment within which the interlocutor may feel comfortable and capable to dialogue openly. Second, and insofar as the philosophical counselling process is educative, it is the role of the philosophical counsellor to help the interlocutor “think for themselves”. Thinking for oneself in the philosophical context amounts to:

Being critically aware of one’s beliefs, thoughts, actions, desires and judgments.
Understanding the emotional and conceptual structures which frame such beliefs, thoughts, actions, desires and judgments.
Being able to identify that which is true, authentic and logically coherent and distinguish it from that which is false, inauthentic and logically incoherent.

Third, it is the role of the philosophical counsellor to help contribute to the resolution, management or dissipation of problems affecting the interlocutor.

Set as favorite

Bookmark

Email This

Trackback(0)

TrackBack URI for this entry