Optional Track II, Integrating of Philosophical Counseling with Psychiatric Treatment, is designed for those who desire to augment their psychiatric treatment with this new area, philosophical counseling.  Philosophical counseling is an emerging area in the field of philosophy, and is described in more detail under the tab above, Areas of Professional Practice.

Modern psychiatry has attempted to deal with philosophical topics over the past 100 years through the ‘existential psychology’ movement, but this was an informal movement and many psychiatrists had little formal training in philosophy.  Now, the advent of the philosophical counseling movement may foster more formal training for psychiatrists in philosophy and theology.

It has been noted by some in psychiatry that psychological problems often seem to raise difficult questions of a philosophical or theological nature in the minds of patients, and patients may have never had to deal with such questions before.  Augmenting  one’s psychiatric treatment with philosophical counseling offers the client a more explicit means of addressing nagging or troubling philosophical dilemmas, doubts, and needs in a confidential and nurturing setting.

Such an integration may take the form of Socratic dialogue, guided readings, or group discussions.  It generally involves study in some of the major areas of philosophy, including metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of religion.  For more information, please check regularly for upcoming video-lectures on selected topics in philosophy by going to the tab above, Educational Seminars.