An Existential Lens on Anxiety: an empowering approach
Online via zoom – offered nationally across 4 half-days
Thursday 13 & Friday 14 and Thursday 20 & Friday 21 JUNE 2024
In our increasingly fast-paced, technology-driven lives, anxiety has become a more prevalent feature of the human experience and is now one of the most diagnosed conditions in the arena of mental health. Everywhere, there seems to be something to trigger a sense of worry, concern or fear: new waves of Covid-19 and other viruses, ongoing weather events that put climate change literally ‘in our faces’, expansion of war, numerous perceived threats to democracy. And, through the power of the internet and our smart phones, we are made acutely aware of them all.
Existential philosophy encourages individuals to confront the fundamental questions of existence, purpose, and freedom. It invites us to explore our anxieties and to understand them as intrinsic to the human condition. Indeed, Irvin Yalom’s book Existential Psychotherapy (1980) explores how individuals defend against existential anxiety and how these defences hinder personal growth and authenticity.
So, rather than treating anxiety as a condition to be eliminated, this workshop will shine an existential light on anxiety and, hopefully, offer a refreshing and empowering approach to working with it.
Workshop Overview
Drawing inspiration from existential thinkers such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Viktor Frankl, and existential therapists such as Rollo May, Irving Yalom and Emmy van Deurzen, we will explore some of the profound questions of existence that often underlie feelings of anxiety.
Across the 4 half-days we will consider:
- The Existential Givens of life and how they relate to anxiety
- How to distinguish between ‘normal’ and ‘neurotic’ anxiety
- Your own anxieties with a view to developing personal insight
- How to listen and then navigate a way through client experiences of anxiety from an existential viewpoint
You will leave this workshop with:
- A broader understanding of anxiety and ways of working with it
- An appreciation of the existential perspective that views uncertainty and anxiety as opportunities for growth and self-discovery
- Greater confidence in facilitating an empowering approach with clients experiencing anxiety
Who should attend:
Any practitioner wishing to either learn about or deepen their understanding around the existential perspective on anxiety
Facilitators: Dr Alison Strasser & Dr Adam McLean
Alison Strasser DProf (Psychotherapy & Counselling), MA, BA Hons
Alison is a practising psychotherapist, coach and supervisor. She is also an educator with a passion for imparting how existential themes can be integrated into every therapeutic approach. She was instrumental in creating the existential curriculum for many counselling and psychotherapy trainings in Australia and her doctorate focused on the process of supervision, work that led to a framework for supervisor training, now a major component of CEP’s annual program.
Adam McLean DProf (Psychotherapy & Counselling), M Counselling, Grad Dip Psych/Couns, BCHC, BN
Adam is a clinical psychotherapist, supervisor, educator and trainer with over 30 years experience and a continuing interest in the human capacity for opening up to the possibilities in life. He is recognised as a leading group therapist and supervisor and provides training in both areas. In addition to leading groups, Adam has developed a group leadership training program that is underpinned by Yalom’s process approach.
ONLINE via ZOOM
Dates: Thurs 13 & Fri 14 and Thur 20 & Fri 21 JUNE 2024
Time: 9.00am to 12.30pm AEST each day ( break times in each session are accommodated)
Location: online via zoom (registrants will receive an invitation to participate and all the details they require in advance of the date)
Cost: $480 (flat rate)
CPD Hours: 12
note to registrants:
if you have registered for other CEP online workshops the registration form will show checked boxes for those. That is your personal record, so please just check the box for this registration – you do not need to uncheck the others.