What are the differences and similarities between philosophical counseling and psychotherapy?
The most obvious difference is that philosophical counseling is rendered by a trained philosopher who uses philosophical methods and approaches to resolve the client’s problems, whereas most psychotherapies are rendered by mental health professionals or by practitioners whose focus is on the mental health of their clients. The goal of psychotherapy is therapeutic in a psychological sense: mental health. The goal of philosophical counseling is self-understanding, in the sense that the client examines her or his beliefs and problems through the light of reasoning, values, and alternative belief systems. One of the beneficial effects of philosophical counseling is usually therapeutic, but “feeling better” is not the primary goal. Self-knowledge is the primary goal. Also, most psychotherapies have a diagnostic function: the client is presumed to have a mental or emotional disorder that requires intervention in order to restore the client’s psychological state to normalcy. Philosophical cou
