Existential-Humanistic Psychotherapy Summary

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Psychotherapy Video: Existential-Humanistic Psychotherapy

The video Existential-Humanistic Psychotherapy in Action, Part 1& Part 2 are two videos that are collected in the series “Psychotherapy With The Experts 2”. In these two videos, Dr. James F. Bugental conducts two separate psychotherapy sessions with a same client who encounters stressful life events. In order to assist this client in coping with her stress in a positive way, Dr. Bugental applies the existential-humanistic approach throughout these two psychotherapy sessions. The existential-humanistic psychotherapy mainly emphasizes bringing the present moment into clients’ awareness and believes in human potential is an important element. (International Institute for Humanistic
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Bugental shows empathy and support for Marie’s situation. For psychotherapists, showing empathy and positive regard during the therapy session allows them to create a successful relationship with clients. According to an article that is written by Yalom and Bugental (1997), “Existential-Humanistic (EH) therapists undoubtedly offer support in many of the ways other therapists do - by conveying warmth and caring verbally and nonverbally, empathic remark, encouragement, and acknowledgement.” (Yalom & Bugental, 1997) At this point, Dr. Bugental’ reaction and empathy during the sessions is a good example of how existential-humanistic therapists help clients to tackle any psychological …show more content…
In these two videos, Dr. James F. Bugental conducts two separate psychotherapy sessions with a same client who encounters stressful life events. In order to assist this client in coping with her stress in a positive way, Dr. Bugental applies the existential-humanistic approach throughout these two psychotherapy sessions. The existential-humanistic psychotherapy mainly emphasizes bringing the present moment into clients’ awareness and believes in human potential is an important element. (International Institute for Humanistic Studies, n.d). As a prominent existential-humanistic psychotherapist, Dr. Bugental believes that individuals have more capacity and potential than they utilize, and he primarily assists his clients in utilizing their potential more thoroughly by guiding them to focus on their present moment. (Psychotherapy.net,

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