Antalya - Existential Analysis and Logotherapy Training

Logotherapy (from the Greek ‘logos’, meaning ‘meaning’), an approach within psychology and philosophy, was developed by the psychiatrist and neurologist Dr Viktor Frankl (1905–1997). He survived the concentration camps during the Second World War. His approach is referred to as the “Third Viennese School of Psychology” and is distinguished from the Freudian psychoanalytic approach and Adler’s Individual Psychology. Through his successful work with suicidal patients and his subsequent personal experiences in four different concentration camps, Frankl discovered that even under the most brutal conditions, people’s primary and most important aim is to live a life imbued with meaning. Meaning, even on its own, motivates the will to live.

Numerous studies to date have demonstrated the therapeutic necessity of finding meaning and purpose in life. Logotherapy, a structured system centred on the search for meaning, is the only existential approach within psychology. As a holistic approach, Logotherapy is a proven method for addressing a wide range of issues, including stress, depression, trauma, chronic and terminal illnesses, addictions and grief.

LOGOTHERAPY

• It brings optimism and a positive outlook to life.
• It boosts self-confidence and improves interpersonal relationships.
• It builds resilience and confidence to cope with, and even overcome, difficulties.
• It enables people to see new possibilities and opportunities for growth.
• By revitalising both the client and the practitioner, it moves beyond the traditional perspective on biopsychosocial factors towards the dimension of meaning and values.
• It helps clients identify the most constructive response to a situation.
• It teaches them that they are not powerless, but possess the freedom and the power to overcome problems, and that this leads to a highly fulfilling and meaningful life. 

CERTİFİCATİON TRAİNİNG

Dr Teria Shantall (Board Member of the Viktor Frankl Institute, USA)

(She will be delivering training at the Level 2 / Logotherapy Practitioner Training level)

Teria Shantall, PhD, trained as a clinical psychologist in South Africa and at the Tavistock Clinic in London and studied Logotherapy with the late Dr Viktor Frankl at the United States International University in San Diego. Her doctorate research with Holocaust survivors was published by the Magnes Press of the Hebrew University entitled: Life‘s Meaning in the Face of Suffering. She presently heads the training courses in Logotherapy at the University of South Africa, is helping to establish another Logotherapy training centre in Australia, and participates in running the courses in Logotherapy at the Gordon College of Education in Haifa. She was nominated for a Jewish Achiever Award in South Africa in 2003 and won the 2005 and 2007 Presidential awards for distinguished service in promoting the work of Viktor Frankl by the Viktor Frankl Institute for Logotherapy in the United States. She sits on the international board of the Viktor Frankl Institute for Logotherapy in the United States, is President of the Viktor Frankl Institute for Logotherapy in South Africa and vice-President of the Viktor Frankl Center for Logotherapy in Israel.

Dr Batya Yaniger, PSYD (Logotherapist) (will be delivering training at Advanced and Diplomate levels)

Batya Yaniger, PsyD is a logotherapist in private practice and co-trainer of the English language logotherapy training program in Israel. Batya received her Clinical Diplomate in Logotherapy from the Viktor Frankl Institute and is a licensed social worker in Israel. Batya has worked successfully with people who have lost their sense of purpose in life in areas of depression, anxiety and illness. She has been teaching innovative informal education for the past 20 years and in addition to her clinical work gives workshops, teaches and supervises. 

• BS in social work, Loyola University, Chicago, USA
• MS and PsyD in psychology, California Coast University,USA
• Certified clinical logotherapist, Viktor Frankl Institute, Dallas,USA
• Co-trainer of logotherapy training program in Israel, recognized for certification by Viktor Frankl Instituteof Dallas,USA

Dr Erkan Kalem

Erkan Kalem graduated from Kadıköy Anadolu High School in 1985. He completed his Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology between 1996 and 1999 and his PhD between 2011 and 2018 at the Department of Psychology, Istanbul University.  He is the translator of Nancy McWilliams’ book *Psychoanalytic Diagnosis: Understanding Personality Structure within the Clinical Process* (2009). He is one of the co-translators of *The ‘Other’ Face of Psychoanalysis: Heinz Kohut* (2003). He is a co-author of “The Rorschach Scoring Manual 3 – Norms for the Elderly” (2013). He is a member of the Turkish Psychological Association (TPD) and the Rorschach and Projective Tests Association. He has been working at the Insight Psychotherapy Centre since 1997. His psychotherapy approach is based on psychoanalytic psychotherapy and existential psychotherapy. Within this framework, he has been awarded the title of “Diplomate in Logotherapy”, which grants him the authority to train in the field of logotherapy and is accredited by the “Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy” in Texas, USA. His area of practice involves individual psychotherapy with adolescents and adults.

Özkan Kenarlı

Kenarlı completed his undergraduate studies in the Department of Guidance and Psychological Counselling at Istanbul University in 2001. After completing his master’s degree between 2004 and 2007, he began his doctoral studies at İnönü University in 2009. He also undertook training in Logotherapy at the ‘Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy’ in Israel between 2011 and 2014. His psychotherapy approach is based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Existential Psychotherapy. In addition, he has conducted research examining the relationship between the levels of loneliness experienced by substance abusers and the substances they use. He has led group therapy sessions for students who have lost friends, focusing on their grieving processes. In 2014, he founded Çadem Psychology. He currently works as a psychotherapist and manager at Çadem Psychology. Between 2014 and 2015, he taught various courses in the Guidance and Psychological Counselling Department at Yıldız Technical University. She has been awarded the title of “Diplomate in Logotherapy”, which is accredited by the “Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy” in Texas, USA, and grants her the authority to train others in the field of logotherapy. Her area of practice involves individual psychotherapy with adolescents and adults.

Course Content

1) The Worldview of Logotherapy

There is no form of psychotherapy that does not encompass a theory of human nature and the philosophy underpinning it 

What are the foundations of logotherapy’s worldview and approach?

Is there anything you could not do if you were not human, yet you are able to do it?

In contrast to Freud’s ‘pleasure principle’ and Adler’s ‘will to power’, Frankl’s theory of motivation is the human ‘will to meaning’. We want our lives to have a purpose.

Instead of ‘homeostasis’ (the state of seeking balance), Frankl argued that the tension and unease we feel when our lives are not as they ought to be drives us and motivates us to change. 

Mental health requires a certain level of tension; the tension between what the individual has already achieved and what they are still striving to achieve, or the gap between the individual’s current state and what they wish to become.

Frankl opposed nihilism, determinism and reductionism in existentialist philosophy

What is required of us, as some existentialist philosophers have taught, is not to endure the meaninglessness of life, but rather to endure our inability to rationally comprehend its unconditional meaningfulness. Logos is deeper than reason.  

2) Three-Dimensional Ontology

We are composed of body, mind and spirit. Our spirit acts independently and utilises all our other faculties.

The noetic dimension is also referred to as the spiritual dimension, and it is this aspect that makes us human. 

A human being is a ‘decision-making entity’ and is therefore unpredictable in nature. As human beings, we can reflect on our own lives and thus form a response to situations and to ourselves, and decide how we wish to shape our lives

In therapy, we can always turn to the healthy core

3) Consciousness and Responsibility 

Consciousness is the part of us that recognises what is meaningful.

Meaning transcends the ordinary and, as such, cannot be invented—it must be discovered.

The ‘Unconscious God’ relates to the intuitive space we have possessed since infancy and to establishing a connection with another human being. This is the essence of human development.  

The demands of the superego are coercive; consciousness, by contrast, is the intuitive recognition of what is meaningful. 

Performing a task that is fully in keeping with one’s personality gives life meaning.

‘The better one understands the purpose of life, the more meaningful life will appear to them’ (The Doctor and the Soul, p.58).

4) Small Group Discussions: 

Think of a situation where you are struggling to make a decision. Ask yourself the following questions:

What are my options?

What are the foreseeable consequences of each option for everyone involved, including myself?

What makes this decision particularly difficult for me?

If there are conflicting values, which consideration takes precedence and why?

What is my specific role? 

5) Three Paths to Meaning: 

How does one live a meaningful life?

Write down the ten most meaningful experiences in your life. What makes them meaningful?

The creative path is the meaning we derive when we do something meaningful 

The experiential path is the meaning we gain from drawing inspiration from art, nature, music or love

The attitudinal path is the meaning we find through our attitudes in situations where we have no power to change the circumstances, such as pain, guilt and death

Small group discussion exercise: 

Looking back at your list of meaningful experiences, how many are creative? How many are experiential? How many are attitudinal? What are your thoughts on this?

Happiness is not something to be chased; it emerges as a result of discovering meaning 

6) The Three Pillars of Logotherapy 

Freedom of Will

To be free is not to be an object but a subject; it is to make one’s own decisions; it is not to be dependent on, coerced by, or in need of anything or anyone who might decide for us—provided, of course, that we do not relinquish our freedom. We are not free from the conditions around us; we are free to choose how we respond to these conditions. We have limits, but we are free to determine our attitude in the face of these limits. We are free to take responsibility, that is, to respond to what life demands of us.

The Quest for Meaning

The strongest and most fundamental human motivation is the effort to make our lives purposeful and meaningful. By awakening a person’s quest for meaning, we help them discover their greatest source of strength. What they value must be something worth striving for.

The Meaning of Life

‘The existential vacuum is the experience of doubting that our existence has any meaning. People try to fill this vacuum with addictions and violence, but in the end they are never satisfied. Yet what they are unconsciously seeking is meaning.

Every human life and every moment in life is, at its core, meaningful. We are finite beings, so we may not always perceive meaning, but when we say that life has unconditional meaning, we are also saying that we have an expectation of unconditional meaning.

What do you find significant in each of these three principles? How might this perspective make a difference in your life in practice? 

To be human is to respond to life’s situations and to answer the questions posed

7) A Call to Understanding

Life is waiting for us

Do not ask what you expect from life; ask what life expects from you

The meaning of the moment: Every moment consists of a unique situation, a unique individual and the unique response required

Human beings are open systems

The resources of the human spirit

• Self-transcendence
• Resilience
• Self-detachment 

8) Socratic Dialogue and Shifting the Focus of Thought

Socrates was a philosopher who engaged people in dialogues designed to encourage critical thinking and open them up to new ideas. Socratic dialogue aims to touch upon a person’s consciousness, thereby bringing new ideas to the surface and helping them discover new opportunities for meaning

We prepare Socratic questions to create a state of readiness for a shift and change in perspective by listening carefully and then addressing the consciousness and the capacity for self-transcendence

Shifting the focus of thought is based on the capacity for self-transcendence—the state of desiring life to be meaningful by living for something or someone beyond one’s own self.

When a person focuses excessively on their own performance (overthinking) and pushes too hard to succeed (over-intention), they fail.  

Shifting the focus of thought puts an end to self-sabotage and redirects the focus towards meaningful goals

9) Paradoxical Intention and Attitude Change

Paradoxical Intention relies on the capacity to distance oneself from one’s own thoughts

Symptoms

The greatest obstacle in life is fear; the greatest challenge is to overcome this fear. Paradoxical intention is Logotherapy’s most powerful tool, for it confronts us with our own difficulties and pushes us until we reach a point where we can laugh them off. Our most powerful weapon for distancing ourselves from our fears and reducing them to a laughably small size through the human spirit’s power of resistance is humour. We shall become what we ought to be! To remain (not merely become) a brave, honest, honourable and compassionate person is every individual’s duty—a duty they can fulfil and triumph in, or fail at disastrously. Loving oneself (giving one’s life a good meaning) and loving others (protecting them and helping them enjoy their lives) is the ultimate measure.  “Man’s salvation lies in love and through love” is an expression of the understanding that liberates one from everything that threatens to rob life of its fundamental meaning, as articulated by Frankl. 

10) Case Studies

About Certification

  Participants who complete the required coursework by the end of the programme will be awarded the “Academic Associate in Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy” certificate from the Viktor Frankl Institute (Central Texas, United States). 

Who Can Participate

All university students and professionals from other fields may attend the introductory course; however, only those from the fields listed below will be eligible to proceed to the second stage:

Graduates in Social Work, Psychology, Medicine, Counselling and Guidance, Nursing, and Family Counselling, as well as third- and fourth-year students currently studying in these fields

​​Training Dates:

First Stage:

 "First Stage / Introduction to Logotherapy" 20–21 April 2019

Second Stage:

"Second Stage / Logotherapy Practitioner Training": 26–27–28–29–30 April 2019

Payment Information

Stage One / Introduction to Logotherapy Fee (VAT INCLUDED) is 2,000 TL.

Stage Two / Logotherapy Practitioner Training Fee (VAT INCLUDED) is 4,400 TL. 

Payment Options

Stage 1 / Introduction to Logotherapy Fee:

Participants must pay the "Pre-registration Fee" of "500 TL"

by 10 April 2019 for the First Group.

The remaining balance will be collected at the institution on the first day of the training.

​Stage Two / Logotherapy Practitioner Training:

For the remaining fee of the course, which has a "Pre-registration Fee" of 1,100 TL, a credit card instalment option is available.

The remaining balance will be collected at the institution on the first day of the training;

Payment flexibility of up to 6 instalments is available for credit cards issued by İş Bank.

For the attention of participants:

Once you have made your payment, please send your payment receipt to [email protected]. For any questions regarding the training, please contact our Çadem Psychology Bakırköy Branch on 0212 570 06 07.

Requests for participation, cancellation, or refunds of the training fee will not be accepted after the registration date specified in the training content.

In the event of a training cancellation due to a reason attributable to ÇADEM PSİKOLOJİ, participants’ fees will be refunded within 15 days of the cancellation date. 

Bank Account Details:

Participants are kindly requested to make their payments to the İş Bankası account with the IBAN number "TR47 0006 4000 0011 0062 6542 76" in the name of "Çadem Psychology".