Group Therapy with Existential Approach

What is Group Therapy?

It is a form of psychotherapy in which individuals come together in a structured manner to create a therapeutic environment, and develop insight by sharing their feelings and thoughts with other group members. (Fehr, 2004).

The Purpose of Group Therapy from an Existential Approach (Meaning-centred)

In this context, the aim is to ensure that individuals become fully aware of their life tasks. In other words, the essence of group work lies in helping clients, through mutual influence within the group process, to define their goals and become aware of their responsibilities. The individual remains responsible for their behaviour, come what may. This is because, in order to resolve their problems, people must first be aware of their responsibilities towards life and their own purposes.In this context, the aim is for individuals to draw conclusions from their life stories, confront the reasons for living, exercise their will, and take responsibility. The more freedom a person seeks, the more responsibility they must assume. Otherwise, the freedom they attain will be subject to the constraints of others.People often find life meaningless. Within this meaninglessness, people may fall into an existential void or seek the meaning of life in different places. The existential void gradually drains our energy, distancing us from life and from ourselves. The individual loses their authentic self. Group Therapy facilitates action to help individuals rediscover their authentic self.

In the existential approach, the aim is for clients to be influenced by one another’s life stories and experiences, to confront the challenges life presents, and to demonstrate their own agency and take responsibility.Group members experience moments of awareness and learn within the group setting. This is the most striking aspect of the group experience. Together with the group members, you can make new discoveries within the group setting at that very moment and begin to move forward and re-establish yourselves as a collective.

How Do You Know If You Need Existential Analysis Group Psychotherapy?

If you feel that your existence and life experiences have meaning but you cannot make sense of them,

If you feel lost on this difficult journey despite believing that, by many standards, you are leading a fairly fulfilling life,

If you cannot shake off the weariness of your soul and cannot find the hope within yourself to overcome it,

If you cannot find fulfilment in the moments you are living and feel you are wasting your present with thoughts of the past and future,

If your mood is ambivalent, affecting your social and work relationships, and you cannot resolve it, Existential Analysis Group Psychotherapy will serve as a guiding light for you.

What Can Group Therapy Using an Existential Approach (Meaning-Centred) Offer Me?

By becoming aware of one’s purpose and responsibilities, one’s perspective broadens. It gives life meaning. A reason to live emerges (one that is meaningful), and meaningful and meaningless elements become more clearly distinguished. One can tolerate, or even resist, the ‘hows’.

Individuals learn how their behaviour is perceived by others. Through feedback from other participants in the group, you will learn to see yourself through the eyes of others.

By sharing the reactions group members have towards one another, individuals learn how their own behaviour evokes emotions in others.

By sharing experiences of the here and now, the individual begins to change by becoming aware of different aspects of themselves.

Group members realise that their behaviour within the group experience influences their own views of themselves, and they learn from this.

How Group Therapy Works

This therapy group will operate on a closed-group basis. Participants who join the group commit to remaining in the group for 12 weeks.

Regular and punctual attendance at sessions is essential for both the participants themselves and the smooth running of the group.

Participants are responsible for the cost of any sessions they miss.

This therapy group is subject to the fundamental rules applicable to all therapy processes, such as confidentiality and privacy. The framework and rules will be discussed in detail during the first session.

About the Group Leader

Özkan Kenarlı, a Psychological Counsellor and Psychotherapist, completed his undergraduate studies in the Department of Guidance and Psychological Counselling at Istanbul University in 2001. He completed his master’s degree between 2004 and 2007 and began his doctoral studies at İnönü University in 2009. He 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 grieving the loss of friends. In 2014, she 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. He has been awarded the title of “Diplomate Clinician in Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy”, which is accredited by the “Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy” in Texas, USA, and grants international training authority in the field of logotherapy. His area of practice involves individual and group psychotherapy with adolescents and adults.

Location

Psychotherapy sessions will take place at the ÇADEM Psychology Caddebostan Branch. The first session will be on Monday 21 January 2023 at 8.00 pm, and will continue every Monday at 8.00 pm for the following seven weeks.

Fee Information

The fee for each session is 250 TL.

Requests for participation, cancellation, or refunds of the course fee will not be accepted after the registration deadline specified in the course details.

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

For Further Information

You can send an email to [email protected] or call 0545 350 34 00.