Philosophical Counselling - Existential Therapy
Welcome. My name is Matthew Bishop. I am a philosopher and a counsellor, and I combine the two. This is called Philosophical Counselling.
It was while teaching philosophy at The University of Melbourne and elsewhere that I decided to become a philosophical counsellor. I am rooted in the classical tradition of philosophy: Plato and Aristotle. That tradition extends through later variations, such as the Stoicism and Neoplatonism of ancient Rome, and the Scholasticism of medieval Europe. This is different to the detached, theorising mentality of modern philosophy. The word "philosophy" is an ancient Greek and means "love of wisdom." Classical philosophy is a guide to life. It guides you in cultivating your head and heart, your intellect and character, in order to see well, to steer yourself well, and to embody all the personal qualities which make life good.
I studied counselling in order to provide a framework for my philosophical counselling. However, I fell in love with psychotherapy in itself, and so developed that as a second career which I practiced for decades. The final goal was to work purely as a philosophical counsellor, and so I no longer practice mainstream counselling and psychotherapy. However, this background provides a rich resource on which I readily draw: I provide Philosophical Counselling only, but my approach to it is radically transformed by my knowledge, skill, and honed instincts from my years as a psychotherapist.
During that long journey through mainstream therapy and toward Philosophical Counselling, I ran a private practice in Melbourne which focused on a philosophical approach to counselling and psychotheray called Existential Therapy. Today, I integrate many aspects of Existential Therapy into my Philosophical Counselling, especially the use of phenomenology. Phenomenology is a practice for clarifying the contents and patterns of a person's conscious life, i.e. for gaining insight into your mind. It is analogous to psychoanalysis but without the theoretical assumptions. The insight which is gained becomes the basis for much of the work we do. We can see here that, while I am rooted mainly in classical philosophy, yet I draw on valuable insights from across the whole history of philosophy (as well as from other fields of knowledge).
Philosophical Counselling is for people who desire philosophical guidance for living well. That is a challenge which includes the cultivation of your head and heart, intellect and character, wisdom and virtue. Philosophical Counselling is also for people who want a philosophical angle and form of help for those same issues which they might otherwise take to a mainstream counsellor: anxiety, depression, anger, boredom, grief, loss, change, relationships, career, or so on. Philosophical Counselling is for anybody who wants to exercise more wisdom and to develop their better qualities.
Many people feel lost in the world of modernity, with its ultimate denial of all meaning and value, and have no idea of the profound richness of classical philosophy which is our heritage. It is like we have a room full of treasure, and yet we never enter, and so live in poverty. Here is the hard-won wisdom of the ages, the insights of the some of humanity's greatest hearts and minds: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and many others. It is said that we live in "the therapeutic age," that we see ourselves in largely therapeutic terms. Having worked for a decade and a half as a mainstream therapist, I recognise how incredibly helpful modern therapy can be, however I recognise also that ancient philosophy is often much deeper and more effective for creating a good life. Modern therapy is an expression of modernity, which encourages passivity and a naive faith in technology. Ancient philosophy challenges us to take life in hand. To look more deeply, and to draw forth all that is best in us. Instead of waiting for a technology to save us, we cultivate our greater potential for wisdom, virtue, for making ourselves and our lives good.
You can read more about my approach here. You can read about making a booking here. See my other, central website here, where I describe my other projects, writing, and services.
It was while teaching philosophy at The University of Melbourne and elsewhere that I decided to become a philosophical counsellor. I am rooted in the classical tradition of philosophy: Plato and Aristotle. That tradition extends through later variations, such as the Stoicism and Neoplatonism of ancient Rome, and the Scholasticism of medieval Europe. This is different to the detached, theorising mentality of modern philosophy. The word "philosophy" is an ancient Greek and means "love of wisdom." Classical philosophy is a guide to life. It guides you in cultivating your head and heart, your intellect and character, in order to see well, to steer yourself well, and to embody all the personal qualities which make life good.
I studied counselling in order to provide a framework for my philosophical counselling. However, I fell in love with psychotherapy in itself, and so developed that as a second career which I practiced for decades. The final goal was to work purely as a philosophical counsellor, and so I no longer practice mainstream counselling and psychotherapy. However, this background provides a rich resource on which I readily draw: I provide Philosophical Counselling only, but my approach to it is radically transformed by my knowledge, skill, and honed instincts from my years as a psychotherapist.
During that long journey through mainstream therapy and toward Philosophical Counselling, I ran a private practice in Melbourne which focused on a philosophical approach to counselling and psychotheray called Existential Therapy. Today, I integrate many aspects of Existential Therapy into my Philosophical Counselling, especially the use of phenomenology. Phenomenology is a practice for clarifying the contents and patterns of a person's conscious life, i.e. for gaining insight into your mind. It is analogous to psychoanalysis but without the theoretical assumptions. The insight which is gained becomes the basis for much of the work we do. We can see here that, while I am rooted mainly in classical philosophy, yet I draw on valuable insights from across the whole history of philosophy (as well as from other fields of knowledge).
Philosophical Counselling is for people who desire philosophical guidance for living well. That is a challenge which includes the cultivation of your head and heart, intellect and character, wisdom and virtue. Philosophical Counselling is also for people who want a philosophical angle and form of help for those same issues which they might otherwise take to a mainstream counsellor: anxiety, depression, anger, boredom, grief, loss, change, relationships, career, or so on. Philosophical Counselling is for anybody who wants to exercise more wisdom and to develop their better qualities.
Many people feel lost in the world of modernity, with its ultimate denial of all meaning and value, and have no idea of the profound richness of classical philosophy which is our heritage. It is like we have a room full of treasure, and yet we never enter, and so live in poverty. Here is the hard-won wisdom of the ages, the insights of the some of humanity's greatest hearts and minds: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and many others. It is said that we live in "the therapeutic age," that we see ourselves in largely therapeutic terms. Having worked for a decade and a half as a mainstream therapist, I recognise how incredibly helpful modern therapy can be, however I recognise also that ancient philosophy is often much deeper and more effective for creating a good life. Modern therapy is an expression of modernity, which encourages passivity and a naive faith in technology. Ancient philosophy challenges us to take life in hand. To look more deeply, and to draw forth all that is best in us. Instead of waiting for a technology to save us, we cultivate our greater potential for wisdom, virtue, for making ourselves and our lives good.
You can read more about my approach here. You can read about making a booking here. See my other, central website here, where I describe my other projects, writing, and services.