A therapeutic approach that addresses fundamental human concerns such as meaning, freedom, death, and isolation. It helps clients confront existential anxiety and take responsibility for creating meaning and authentic choices in their lives.
Developed from existential philosophy of the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly the works of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Sartre. The term 'existential' comes from Latin 'existentia' (existence), emphasizing that existence precedes essence—we exist first, then create our meaning and identity through choices.
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