Can Philosophy ever snap out of a thick, Gothic textbook and find its application in our daily life?
Ever thought of Philosophy in the dimension of Counseling? Hence, we bring to you an article that truly illustrates the importance of Philosophical Counseling.
Aside from some of the most promising careers in philosophy like Public Relations, Religion, and Ministry, Public Policy; there is another important avenue of Counseling that is blossoming of late. One may tweak a way around Counseling using the capsules of wisdom shared by profound, stellar philosophers.
A quick glance at the history of Philosophical Counseling.
Socrates, Plato, Martin Buber, Stoicism, Buddhism, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Jean-Paul Sartre, and a bunch of other philosophers have done a job par excellence concocting deep insights about leading a good life.
Both Buddhist and Hellenistic schools of philosophy maintained that “philosophical argument could bring about tranquility by changing the beliefs on which emotional turbulence depends.”
A methodology employed in psychological counseling that can be construed as being close to the central idea of philosophical counseling is REBT. This is short for Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy which operates on replacing irrational beliefs with rational, more adaptive ones, so to speak. If one reads a philosopher’s work, not merely to digest information but take it to further levels of knowledge and on the next level transform it into wisdom, in the words of Cleveland, this would be a simulation of bringing philosophy into practicality.
Socrates has made a vivid verbal contribution to the world of philosophy which is absolutely relevant to real-life problems that one may have to combat on a daily basis. As much as he was controversial and disputed, he was also revered and held in high regard for the courage he manifested to start a dialogue among the youth, inspiring them to question the authorities whenever needed.
Two of the gripping quotes by him that hold pertinent to counseling are as follows:
- To find yourself, think for yourself.
- An unexamined life is not worth living.
Both these quotes by Socrates emphasize the imperative, almost indispensable activity of engaging in introspection. The moment one attains a more-or-less accurate self-concept, irrational beliefs and cognitive distortions surrounding the self are likely quashed, gradually of course. When one calmly sits down, delving into objective thought, they may see themselves growing less critical of others as well as of the self.
The ever-growing, malicious greed, in the disguise of consumerism that has transpired into depletion of natural resources, can be answered by Socrates, as he quotes, “He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.” Contentment is an illusion, after all.
Yet another quote being “Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” Burnout rates among the working class can be received by this quote which subtly impresses while guiding them in taking regular breaks; explaining to them what buttons to push and when. Taking some time off work at certain intervals is a realization, not every employee reaches at the right time.
Epictetus, one more epic philosopher that we edge this discussion toward, a Stoic, gave axioms almost evergreen that has the caliber to greet/treat common issues ranging from exam anxiety to minimalism to death. In his ideology, he assigned priority to pragmatism over any other approach, you shall know why soon!
“Don’t worry about death, worry about lunch!” This points to the concept of internal/external locus of control. Death is beyond one’s control, however, lunch is well within one’s own control, so one must skip worrying about death which is unprecedented, inevitable even, and get practical instead.
He also propounded that situations in life pan out as neutral, it is up to us how we decide to perceive them. A somewhat congruent notion held by Logic-Based, Rational Emotive Behavior and Cognitive Behavior Therapies, states that none of the events are capable of rendering us aggrieved or gladdened, it is our irrational beliefs that influence our perception of the events.
A special mention of how he highlighted the toxicity emanated by people and its detrimental effects that subsequently follow. It is advised by him to distance from individuals in our life who do not aid in our growth. In colloquial terms, sit in the driver’s seat of your own car and do not let anyone else operate your steering wheel. You get to steer your life into the desired direction, not the people you care about, not the society, not even the evil! One thing stands obvious that Epictetus was easily the kind of person who believed in carving one’s own fate rather than executing what is already written under the name of D.E.S.T.I.N.Y.
Philosophical Counseling
In a nutshell, philosophical counseling is a collaborative and conversational activity between a trained philosopher and a client in which the client’s life-problems are worked through by identifying, examining, and revising as necessary the operating beliefs, values, and habits of action that inform those problems.
What is the main job of a Philosophical counselor?
A philosophical counselor’s job profile does not, however, encompass diagnosing or treating emotional or behavioral disorders and if problems arise out of a medical nature, such a counselor will assist the client in seeking out appropriate mental health professionals.
This discipline of counseling focuses primarily on the emotional first aid that can be highly beneficial to solve people’s everyday hassles. A Personnel specializing in this domain looks to identify red flags even before the problem aggravates to being worthy of clinical/medical assistance.
Can Philosophical Counseling be considered someone’s bread and butter?
Philosophical Counseling is certainly a promising career for someone who is invested in counseling or philosophy, for further reading, you may glimpse through a couple of other articles linked below. Hope this article intrigued you enough to set you thinking along the lines of a brand-new career avenue.
Thank you, worthy readers, for gripping around till the end of this article!
Awesome Blossom!
Artwork by:
Netra
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References:
- https://npcassoc.org/
- https://www.curioussoulphilosophy.com/what-is-philosophical-counseling.html#:~:text=Philosophical%20counseling%20is%20a%20collaborative,action%20that%20inform%20those%20problems.
- https://qz.com/804534/is-philosophical-counseling-the-new-therapy/
Further Reading:
