What is a common goal of existential therapy?

A common goal of existential therapy is to help individuals confront and embrace their full range of human experiences, which includes both positive and negative aspects of life. This therapeutic approach emphasizes personal responsibility, the search for meaning, and the understanding of one’s existential condition within the context of freedom and choice. It recognizes that every individual faces unique challenges and dilemmas, and part of the therapeutic process is to guide clients in exploring their own existence, values, and authenticity.

By encouraging individuals to fully experience their thoughts and feelings, existential therapy fosters greater self-awareness and acceptance. This process often leads to personal growth, as clients learn to navigate their existential anxieties and discover their own pathways to meaning and purpose. Embracing the full spectrum of human experience is central to living a fulfilling and authentic life, which is a profound aim of existential therapy.

Other options do not align with the core principles of existential therapy. For instance, diagnosing mental disorders based on symptoms shifts the focus toward pathology rather than the individual's lived experience. Providing easy solutions to complex life issues overlooks the necessity of grappling with those complexities, while creating uniformity in client treatment contradicts the personalized and individualized nature of existential therapy.