David Brendel is a certified philosophical counselor with the American Philosophical Practitioners Association (APPA).
Many people in need of guidance are now turning to philosophical counselors to help them resolve specific problems and to better understand their situation.
The philosophical counselor is highly trained in academic philosophy, but works with clients on real-world problems in a practical way. The philosophical counselor employs an understanding of philosophical ideas and theories to help healthy clients attain deeper insight, fulfillment, and functioning in their day-to-day lives.
Although philosophical counseling has some attributes in common with psychiatric and psychological counseling, it assumes a non-medical and non-clinical point of view. Psychology and psychiatry concern themselves with diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. Philosophical counseling, on the other hand, looks at problems from a broader perspective and focuses on enhancing client strengths. It aims to support healthy individuals in gaining greater self-understanding and achieving peak performance. It can help individuals resolve existential concerns, relationship challenges, or moral dilemmas, thereby empowering them to lead more fulfilled and productive lives.
Philosophical counseling is intended for clients who are rational, functional, and not mentally ill, but who can benefit from philosophical assistance in resolving or managing problems associated with normal life experience. The most suitable candidates for philosophical counseling are clients whose problems are centered in:
Issues of private morality or professional ethics; or
Issues of meaning, value, or purpose; or
Issues of personal or professional fulfillment; or
Issues of undetermined or inconsistent belief systems; or
Issues requiring any philosophical interpretation of changing circumstances.