THE EXISTENTIALIST COUNSELOR AT WORK

This paper presents the author's experience of Existentialism and its relationship to the counseling process. The basic concepts of the philosophy are presented, described in terms of personal experience, then translated into operational behavior. with the focus on the development of the Existentialist oriented public-school counseling center. These concepts are used to delineate the scope of Existentialism in counseling: (1) Existence Precedes Essence, the need for a personal experience of definition and creation of one's self, (2) Man Is Condemned To f-reedom, the necessity of personal responsibility for one's self and choices, (3) When Man Chooses, He Chooses for All Men, that personal choices define the ideal man and affirm the values of what is chosen, and (4) Man Defines Himself Through His Actions and Only Through His Actions, that what a person does reflects his essence, not what he intends or wishes. (BP)