Emmy van Deurzen – författare

'One of the most profound and potentially life-altering encounters I’ve had' Sophie McBain, GuardianA user's guide to the everyday challenges of living, which looks to philosophy to reframe the way we understand ourselves and our relationshipsHow can we find our own direction and purpose? When life feels too much, is it possible to free ourselves from the concerns that weigh us down? Whether you’re in therapy or prefer to find your own way through life’s struggles, pioneering therapist Emmy van Deurzen offers a lifeline for rebuilding trust in the world.Beginning to Live is a practical invitation to step back and discover what really matters by considering each of the four key aspects of our experience in turn: physical, social, personal and spiritual.Harnessing over fifty years' experience, this book is filled with wisdom and moving stories that show how to deal with dilemmas and difficulties of every kind, so that even when survival takes all you have, you can rekindle confidence in your own abilities and revitalize your capacity to relate to others. It is not about a quality of personality or character, which you either have or don’t have, van Deurzen shows. It is about a way of being, which is available to each of us – enabling us all to find a more engaged way of living that is purposeful, deliberate and buoyant.Your future is a work of art in progress. And it starts here.

Offering a concrete framework and practical methods for working from an existential perspective, the bestselling Existential Counselling and Psychotherapy is now in its third edition.

Central to the book is the belief that many of our problems arise out of the essential paradoxes of human existence, rather than from personal pathology. From this perspective, the purpose of counselling and therapy is not viewed as problem-solving, but as a mean of enabling people to come to terms with living life as it is, with all its inherent contradictions.

Emmy van Deurzen, a leading existential philosopher and therapist, presents a practical method of working, using systematic observation, clarification and reflection to help clients rediscover their inner strengths. She shows how personal assumptions, values and talents, once acknowledged, can be turned to constructive use. Using wide-ranging case examples, the author also demonstrates the effectiveness of the existential appoach in many different situations - from crisis work to dealing with chronic unhappiness.

The existential approach is a well-respected form of psychotherapy, but most writing on the subject tends to be heavily theoretical. This book offers a practical and accessible alternative, which will be invaluable to those in training as well as to more experienced practitioners.

In Existential Therapy: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions, the authors address those questions most frequently asked by potential clients of existential therapy or by people beginning their training or by those interested in counselling or psychotherapy. The book is divided into five parts, with each focusing on responding to questions about different elements of existential theory and its practice and applications:Part 1: Existential philosophyPart 2: Existential method and theoryPart 3: Existential skills and practicePart 4: Existential applications in different contextsPart 5: Existential relevance to everyday lifeThe Q&A format, presented in accessible language, emphasises commonly unknown or misunderstood areas that are typically overlooked. The book will appeal to a wide audience of potential clients and trainees, practitioners from other approaches, and those outside of the profession who are curious to understand more about existential therapy.

Supervision is an essential part of counselling and psychotherapy practice. It is increasingly recognised as a tool for ensuring high professional standards. In an era of regulation and tightening control, there is a growing professional need to take stock and reflect on what it means to work with human problems. It is vital that therapists address the moral and philosophical dimensions of their profession and ask themselves what it is to be human.This rich and far-reaching book explores supervision from this timely philosophical perspective. Designed both for trainees and more seasoned professionals, whatever their theoretical orientation, it makes a clear case for seeing existential perspectives on supervision as complementary to, rather than as a substitute for, other forms of supervision.

This book provides an in-depth introduction to existential psychotherapy. Presenting a philosophical alternative to other forms of psychological treatment, it emphasises the problems of living and the human dilemmas that are often neglected by practitioners who focus on personal psychopathology.Emmy van Deurzen defines the philosophical ideas that underpin existential psychotherapy, summarising the contributions made by Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger and Sartre among others. She proposes a systemic and practical method of existential psychotherapy, illustrated with detailed case material. This expanded and updated second edition includes new chapters on the contributions of Max Scheler, Albert Camus, Gabriel Marcel and Emmanuel Levinas, as well as on feminist contributors such as Simone de Beauvoir and Hannah Arendt. In addition a new extended case discussion illustrates the approach in practice.Everyday Mysteries offers a fresh perspective for anyone training in psychotherapy, counselling, psychology or psychiatry. Those already established in practice will find this a stimulating source of ideas about everyday life and the mysteries of human experience, which will throw new light on old issues.

This is the definitive practical introduction to a skills-based approach in existential therapy. Accessible for those without a philosophical background, it describes the concrete and tangible skills, tasks and interactions of existential practice. It covers the theoretical background and history of existential therapy, along with taking a phenomenological approach to practice and individual clients.

This second edition has been thoroughly updated to reflect recent thinking, and expanded to include:

* A new chapter on the applications of existential therapy in wider contexts, such as supervision and coaching.

* A new chapter covering professional issues and challenges, such as working in the NHS, engaging with research and the use of the Internet in existential therapy.

* A companion website which includes video content, featuring the authors explaining each chapter’s underpinning theory, and demonstrating the principles in practice.

A much needed resource for trainees as well as experienced practitioners keen to expand their knowledge, the authors make the existential approach accessible to all those who wish to find out what it has to offer.

Existential Therapy: Distinctive Features offers an introduction to what is distinctive about this increasingly popular method. Written by two practicing existential psychotherapists, with many years’ experience, it provides an accessible, bitesize overview of this increasingly used psychological therapy. Using the popular Distinctive Features format, this book describes 15 theoretical features and 15 practical techniques of Existential Therapy.Existential Therapy will be a valuable source for for psychotherapists, clinical, health and counselling psychologists, counsellors, psychiatrists, and all who wish to know more about the existential approach.

Existential philosophies are concerned with reflecting on life and the human condition, helping us to think critically and creatively about the challenges of our lives and how best to meet them. This agenda-setting text illustrates how these ideas can be brought to bear on the practice of coaching.Existential Perspectives on Coaching shows how philosophical concepts can be used to illuminate clients' concerns, conflicts and life choices, and illustrates different ways of helping clients to take stock, reconsider their options and find a new path. Bringing together contributions from leading figures in the existential coaching field, the chapters are divided into three parts: - Part I outlines the essential values which underpin the existential approach and provides a clear framework for coaching existentially.- Part II explores the wide variety of settings in which existentially informed coaching can be used, from leadership and career development to life coaching.- Part III demonstrates how existential ideas can be used alongside other coaching approaches, such as NLP, CBT and Attachment Theory.This text provides a robust foundation for existential coaching and is essential reading for all coaches, trainees, and those interested in the existential approach.

Human beings live in constant battle with issues that are fundamental to their existence and couples who seek relationship therapy are looking for a way to reconnect with one another and understand the existential predicaments that they each face. In this inspiring book, Emmy van Deurzen and Susan Iacovou bring together world renowned therapists to demonstrate how existential theories can improve therapeutic practice. Each contributor explores their own unique existential approach to relationship therapy, drawing on the great thinkers that have informed their work - from Socrates to Sartre - and revealing some of their most profound practice with their clients.Whether you are a student, trainee, or experienced counsellor, this a ground-breaking book will enrich and transform your work with relationships.

Existential Perspectives on Human Issues offers students, teachers and practitioners alike a definitive handbook for the practice of existential psychotherapy. For the first time leading figures from the existential field have been brought together to discuss a wide range of issues fundamental to human existence and consequently therapeutic work with clients.Divided into four parts, the book presents different dimensions of living; physical, social, personal and spiritual. Each chapter gives a brief overview of the literature on the topic under discussion as well as a historical background. Theory and practice are addressed with case illustrations highlighting particular relevance. Critical considerations, possible drawbacks and research needs are additionally detailed and suggested further reading is given.

Existential Perspectives on Human Issues offers students, teachers and practitioners alike a definitive handbook for the practice of existential psychotherapy. For the first time leading figures from the existential field have been brought together to discuss a wide range of issues fundamental to human existence and consequently therapeutic work with clients.Divided into four parts, the book presents different dimensions of living; physical, social, personal and spiritual. Each chapter gives a brief overview of the literature on the topic under discussion as well as a historical background. Theory and practice are addressed with case illustrations highlighting particular relevance. Critical considerations, possible drawbacks and research needs are additionally detailed and suggested further reading is given.

Structural Existential Analysis (SEA) is a qualitative research method which uses an existential-phenomenological framework that has been developed through decades of therapeutic and research practice. This book describes the method of SEA and how to apply it to qualitative research.The book starts with a detailed description of the existential underpinnings of SEA, drawing on a range of phenomenologists, to demonstrate the need for a phenomenology of interiority. The method is described in full, explaining the use of a specific form of self-reflection (SOAR) and of the Existential Research Dialogue. The second part focuses on the analysis of the research data. A full description is given of each of the filters, in terms of their origin, their meaning and of the specific ways in which they are applied. The text is enlivened by ample examples demonstrating how the filters can be used and how the analysis can draw out different aspects of human experience throughout the process.The book will be essential reading, for all those involved in education, training or research in existential therapies, clinical psychology and counselling psychology.

Structural Existential Analysis (SEA) is a qualitative research method which uses an existential-phenomenological framework that has been developed through decades of therapeutic and research practice. This book describes the method of SEA and how to apply it to qualitative research.The book starts with a detailed description of the existential underpinnings of SEA, drawing on a range of phenomenologists, to demonstrate the need for a phenomenology of interiority. The method is described in full, explaining the use of a specific form of self-reflection (SOAR) and of the Existential Research Dialogue. The second part focuses on the analysis of the research data. A full description is given of each of the filters, in terms of their origin, their meaning and of the specific ways in which they are applied. The text is enlivened by ample examples demonstrating how the filters can be used and how the analysis can draw out different aspects of human experience throughout the process.The book will be essential reading, for all those involved in education, training or research in existential therapies, clinical psychology and counselling psychology.

This book provides an in-depth introduction to existential psychotherapy. Presenting a philosophical alternative to other forms of psychological treatment, it emphasises the problems of living and the human dilemmas that are often neglected by practitioners who focus on personal psychopathology.Emmy van Deurzen defines the philosophical ideas that underpin existential psychotherapy, summarising the contributions made by Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger and Sartre among others. She proposes a systemic and practical method of existential psychotherapy, illustrated with detailed case material. This expanded and updated second edition includes new chapters on the contributions of Max Scheler, Albert Camus, Gabriel Marcel and Emmanuel Levinas, as well as on feminist contributors such as Simone de Beauvoir and Hannah Arendt. In addition a new extended case discussion illustrates the approach in practice.Everyday Mysteries offers a fresh perspective for anyone training in psychotherapy, counselling, psychology or psychiatry. Those already established in practice will find this a stimulating source of ideas about everyday life and the mysteries of human experience, which will throw new light on old issues.

This book confronts the taboo of the psychotherapist?s personal history and emotions being involved in the therapeutic process. Emmy van Deurzen shows that therapists can draw on the full richness of their own experience in order to be truly credible and inspiring mentors to their clients. Paradox and dilemmas in human life?such as loneliness versus social integration, safety versus adventure, and confidence versus humility—are discussed clearly and directly, and related to a broad spectrum of questions that psychotherapists and their clients would do well to ask themselves. Throughout the book the author reveals her personal struggles with the same predicaments that her clients seek to understand and resolve. This process of disclosure, and the weaving of vivid client cases and issues together with more general philosophical issues, make this a practical and inspiring book that demonstrates the reality and passion of psychotherapy. "Passion and Paradox will become a classic celebration of the sheer power of existential thinking, living, being, and doing. Existentialism comes to bristling life as you walk with Professor van Deurzen through the world of psychotherapy, the world of psychotherapy professionalism, and the deeply personal world of the person who is a psychotherapist."—Alvin R. Mahrer, PhD, author of The Complete Guide to Experiential Psychotherapy"Of the vast number of books written on psychotherapy this is one of the very few that are really worth reading. Emmy van Deurzen has the essential attributes of the truly gifted psychotherapist: experience, intelligence, cultural breadth and?above all?the courage to strive after truth. There is much to be learned about psychotherapy and psychotherapists from what she has to say."—David Smail, Nottingham, UK

"A passionate and thought-provoking book, particularly in our present economic climate" -

Therapy Today, May 2009

"A vibrant, passionate, and hugely readable text which goes to the heart of the therapeutic project: how to help clients lead fuller and more meaningful lives" - Mick Cooper, Professor of Counselling at University of Strathclyde

The unspoken yearning that brings people to therapy is often that of a desperate desire for happiness. Should therapists ignore this desire, interpret it or challenge it? And what does our preoccupation with happiness tell us about contemporary culture and the role of the therapist?

In this book, Emmy van Deurzen addresses the taboo subject of the moral role of psychotherapists and counsellors. Asking when and why we decided that the aim of life is to be happy, she poses searching questions about the meaning of life. Psychotherap y and the Quest for Happiness seeks to define what a good life consists of and how therapists might help their clients to live well rather than just in search of happiness.

This text makes stimulating reading for all trainee and practising counsellors and psychotherapists, especially those interested in the existential approach.

Emmy van Deurzen is Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Conflict and Reconciliation, and honorary Professor at the School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield

"A passionate and thought-provoking book, particularly in our present economic climate" -

Therapy Today, May 2009

"A vibrant, passionate, and hugely readable text which goes to the heart of the therapeutic project: how to help clients lead fuller and more meaningful lives" - Mick Cooper, Professor of Counselling at University of Strathclyde

The unspoken yearning that brings people to therapy is often that of a desperate desire for happiness. Should therapists ignore this desire, interpret it or challenge it? And what does our preoccupation with happiness tell us about contemporary culture and the role of the therapist?

In this book, Emmy van Deurzen addresses the taboo subject of the moral role of psychotherapists and counsellors. Asking when and why we decided that the aim of life is to be happy, she poses searching questions about the meaning of life. Psychotherap y and the Quest for Happiness seeks to define what a good life consists of and how therapists might help their clients to live well rather than just in search of happiness.

This text makes stimulating reading for all trainee and practising counsellors and psychotherapists, especially those interested in the existential approach.

Emmy van Deurzen is Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Conflict and Reconciliation, and honorary Professor at the School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield

The Dictionary of Existential Psychotherapy and Counselling is a comprehensive lexicon of existential terms, their meaning and application. With over 350 entries

(cross-referenced throughout), the book is the ideal companion to studying the the ideas of existential pioneers, such as Kierkegaard, Heidegger and Sartre.

Drawing on their experience as existential practitioners, Emmy van Deurzen and Raymond Kenward achieve the difficult task of making complex philosophical concepts accessible and practically relevant. Through the use of illustrative quotations and examples, they translate existential terminology into everyday language and show how the ideas are employed in practice. They also examine associated themes such as sexuality and religion and appraise the main strengths, weaknesses and limits of the existential approach.

The Dictionary of Existential Psychotherapy and Counselling will be invaluable to all trainees and practitioners of the existential approach and to all counsellors and psychotherapists who recognise the centrality of philosophical concepts to their practice.

The Dictionary of Existential Psychotherapy and Counselling is a comprehensive lexicon of existential terms, their meaning and application. With over 350 entries

(cross-referenced throughout), the book is the ideal companion to studying the the ideas of existential pioneers, such as Kierkegaard, Heidegger and Sartre.

Drawing on their experience as existential practitioners, Emmy van Deurzen and Raymond Kenward achieve the difficult task of making complex philosophical concepts accessible and practically relevant. Through the use of illustrative quotations and examples, they translate existential terminology into everyday language and show how the ideas are employed in practice. They also examine associated themes such as sexuality and religion and appraise the main strengths, weaknesses and limits of the existential approach.

The Dictionary of Existential Psychotherapy and Counselling will be invaluable to all trainees and practitioners of the existential approach and to all counsellors and psychotherapists who recognise the centrality of philosophical concepts to their practice.

In Existential Therapy: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions, the authors address those questions most frequently asked by potential clients of existential therapy or by people beginning their training or by those interested in counselling or psychotherapy. The book is divided into five parts, with each focusing on responding to questions about different elements of existential theory and its practice and applications:Part 1: Existential philosophyPart 2: Existential method and theoryPart 3: Existential skills and practicePart 4: Existential applications in different contextsPart 5: Existential relevance to everyday lifeThe Q&A format, presented in accessible language, emphasises commonly unknown or misunderstood areas that are typically overlooked. The book will appeal to a wide audience of potential clients and trainees, practitioners from other approaches, and those outside of the profession who are curious to understand more about existential therapy.

Paradox and Passion in Psychotherapy , second edition, is a fully updated edition of a classic guide to existential psychotherapy by one of its leading practitioner. Examines the personal and subjective dimensions of psychotherapy in a fresh and bold mannerOffers practical and common-sense approaches to tackling sensitive issues when working with clients with an emphasis on transparency and authenticityWeaves together concepts of existential psychotherapy with case studies and the author’s experiential observations in a seamless narrativeCovers a wide range of intimate existential issues, including loneliness, survival, self-understanding, love, and passion

Existential Therapy: Distinctive Features offers an introduction to what is distinctive about this increasingly popular method. Written by two practicing existential psychotherapists, with many years’ experience, it provides an accessible, bitesize overview of this increasingly used psychological therapy. Using the popular Distinctive Features format, this book describes 15 theoretical features and 15 practical techniques of Existential Therapy.Existential Therapy will be a valuable source for for psychotherapists, clinical, health and counselling psychologists, counsellors, psychiatrists, and all who wish to know more about the existential approach.

This is the definitive practical introduction to a skills-based approach in existential therapy. Accessible for those without a philosophical background, it describes the concrete and tangible skills, tasks and interactions of existential practice. It covers the theoretical background and history of existential therapy, along with taking a phenomenological approach to practice and individual clients.

This second edition has been thoroughly updated to reflect recent thinking, and expanded to include:

* A new chapter on the applications of existential therapy in wider contexts, such as supervision and coaching.

* A new chapter covering professional issues and challenges, such as working in the NHS, engaging with research and the use of the Internet in existential therapy.

* A companion website which includes video content, featuring the authors explaining each chapter’s underpinning theory, and demonstrating the principles in practice.

A much needed resource for trainees as well as experienced practitioners keen to expand their knowledge, the authors make the existential approach accessible to all those who wish to find out what it has to offer.

Offering a concrete framework and practical methods for working from an existential perspective, the bestselling Existential Counselling and Psychotherapy is now in its third edition.

Central to the book is the belief that many of our problems arise out of the essential paradoxes of human existence, rather than from personal pathology. From this perspective, the purpose of counselling and therapy is not viewed as problem-solving, but as a mean of enabling people to come to terms with living life as it is, with all its inherent contradictions.

Emmy van Deurzen, a leading existential philosopher and therapist, presents a practical method of working, using systematic observation, clarification and reflection to help clients rediscover their inner strengths. She shows how personal assumptions, values and talents, once acknowledged, can be turned to constructive use. Using wide-ranging case examples, the author also demonstrates the effectiveness of the existential appoach in many different situations - from crisis work to dealing with chronic unhappiness.

The existential approach is a well-respected form of psychotherapy, but most writing on the subject tends to be heavily theoretical. This book offers a practical and accessible alternative, which will be invaluable to those in training as well as to more experienced practitioners.

In June 2016, the UK voted to leave the European Union. The decision plunged the five million EU residents in the UK into a toxic abyss of fear, anger, shock and shame. Suddenly they were ‘citizens of nowhere’ in a country they regarded as home and faced having to move back to their country of origin and start life again, often without their British partners and children. In 2019, a virus born in a little-known Chinese city over-ran the entire world, causing many millions of deaths and bringing national economies and people’s usual ways of life to a standstill. So much of what we took for granted crumbled to ashes as countries locked down and families mourned their dead. In this book, leading existential theorist and practitioner Emmy van Deurzen explores how we handle such existential crises, and how and what we can learn from them to better prepare ourselves psychologically for the future. Inevitably, we will face many more such calamities due to climate breakdown and the consequent international instability, she warns. One of those five million EU citizens, Emmy had to fight for her right to stay. Here she draws on her personal experiences of such crises, the accounts of others and on her extensive clinical, theoretical and research knowledge to argue that such events need not spell the end of life as we know it. Rather, they can open the door to different, richer and more thoughtful, relational ways of being in the world.