How is existential therapy best described?

Existential therapy is best described as a phenomenological approach to therapy because it focuses on individual experiences and perceptions of existence. This therapeutic approach emphasizes understanding a person's subjective reality, exploring how they perceive their world, make meaning of their experiences, and navigate concepts such as freedom, choice, and the search for purpose.

In existential therapy, therapists encourage clients to explore their feelings, thoughts, and beliefs in a deeply personal context, allowing them to come to terms with their existence and the inherent anxieties that come with it. This exploration helps clients confront foundational questions about life, relationships, and their own identities, which are central themes in existential thought.

While cognitive-behavioral, eclectic, and behavioral approaches focus on different aspects of psychological treatment, existential therapy distinctly prioritizes subjective experience and the human condition, which aligns it more closely with phenomenological principles.