Existential Coaching & Counselling
Most of my clients come to me either when they are challenged by a situation that they feel unclear how to respond to or when they are making a major change in their lives. I help them gain clarity of mind, deeper self-awareness, a better understanding of their own emotions in order to see clearly where they are, what options they have and how to make choices to deal with their issues in order to reach their goals.
Who is Existential Coaching & Counselling suitable for?
Anyone who is challenged by a situation which they feel unclear about how to respond or who are undergoing important life changes can take Existential Coaching & Counselling.
Examples include:
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an expat who is establishing his life in a new and unfamiliar environment
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a mother who recently gave birth to her child and has difficulties with restructuring her daily life
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a graduate who is at the beginning of her career and has existential anxiety
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a husband who is worried about his relationship with his wife
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an entrepreneur who is developing a project or a business and wants to make sure that she is on the right track
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a PhD student who cannot make adequate progress with her work and feels stuck
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a son who has difficulties in dealing with the expectations of his elderly mother
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an employee who often has conflicts with his manager
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a person who has difficulties related to a recent bereavement
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a manager who has issues with his team
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a person who cannot stand her working environment anymore
Existential Coaching and Counselling has a holistic approach. It is based on the idea that specific issues can be solved by raising the awareness of one's worldview. Thus, Existential Coaching & Counselling deals with all issues in all areas of a person's life which are mostly inter-connected and do not separate into different fields of coaching, such as career coaching, executive coaching, relationship coaching, etc.
What awaits you in an Existential Coaching & Counselling process?
At the initial consultation, I explore the coachee's current issues, enquire about their background and personal history, then agree on the goals that they wish to attain. In each and every subsequent session, we work on each goal.
Every coaching process is unique in character. Existential Coaching & Counselling does not use standard techniques, because the coach simply accompanies their clients to set their own goals, to find their own methods to deal with their issues and develop action plans in their own style, with their own competencies, available resources and potentials.
Time and Duration
Coaching & Counselling is not necessarily an open-ended process. It requires a minimum of three sessions. The total number of sessions is decided by the coach together with the client at the end of the first session. The duration of the process can be prolonged if necessary.
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Each session starts punctually at the agreed time and lasts for 45 minutes. If the client arrives late, the session ends at the previously agreed time. Longer sessions can be done if arranged in advance. The initial session last for 90 minutes.
Cancellation and Change
Appointments can be cancelled or changed up to 72 hours before the agreed time. The client is charged in full if there is a no-show or delayed cancellation.
Confidentiality and Other Ethical Rules
I follow the confidentiality and other ethical rules set by international organizations and the legal regulations of Austria.
Coaching and Counselling are not mental health services. In case of necessity, clients may be directed to a relevant mental health specialist (psychotherapist or psychiatrist).
Languages
English, German and Turkish.
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Please feel free to contact me via email if you require any further information.
Photo: Osseily Hannah
What is Existential Coaching & Counselling?
Coaching, in general, is a collaborative, solution-focused, result orientated and systematic process in which the coach facilitates the enhancement of work performance, life experience, self-directed learning and personal growth of the coachee (Grant, 1999). The coach raises the right questions for the coachee to improve their self awareness and make their own decisions.
Existential coaching is a uniquely philosophical and deeply relational way of examining the paradoxes and challenges of human existence so as to empower clients to move forward in an authentic and reflective way. (NSPC). It is a coaching approach which is developed out of existential therapy and based on, and informed by, humanistic and existential philosophies.
While we strive for reaching our objectives, we often face uncertainties, tensions and limitations, which are unavoidable facts of life. There are situations and times when we are not able to deal with them, feel desperate, waver and get stuck. These situations may appear in various forms in private life or work: we may find ourselves in crisis, experience great losses or some other major event which may trigger feelings of anxiety, despair, insufficiency or self-pity.
Sometimes we overestimate our physical or psychological limits or even the limits of our competencies, we may unconsciously force ourselves to perform beyond them and one day we come to a state that we cannot take it anymore. Sometimes we underestimate our potentials and remain in our comfort zone, which causes a lack of satisfaction with life. We sometimes perceive that what we are doing is meaningless, which may result in a loss of motivation to move forward.
The existential coaching approach encourages clients to be realistic about life. Uncertainties, tensions and limitations are essential aspects of life and therefore cannot be avoided. Existential coaching helps to deal with these aspects of life with courage and responsibility. Identifying and accepting our limitations can help us turn our focus from trying to avoid the unavoidable towards recognizing new possibilities and realizing them.
Existential coaching is not just about reaching short term goals, which in some cases can have negative consequences in the long run, it is about enabling clients to see their specific issue within the context of the bigger picture.
The Specificities of Coaching, Counselling and Psychotherapy
The specificities of various professions are as follows:
Psychiatry: medical intervention dealing with mental health issues
Psychotherapy: talking treatment to heal deeply rooted emotional problems
Counselling: Talking through current emotional and personal issues for greater understanding
Coaching: focussed conversation dealing with specific issues, conflicts or dilemmas.
(Emmy van Deurzen, Existential Approaches in Coaching, 2012)
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As can be seen from the descriptions above, the main difference is that psychotherapy involves mental health issues while coaching and counselling help mentally well people deal better with their life issues. None of them is an alternative to any of the others. Each of them has their own specificities. In some cases, they can be complimentary.
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