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Frequently Asked Questions

 

Philosophical Practice and Philosophical Consultancy in particular are endevours few people know much about. Here is list of questions aimed to put your initial reservations and/or curiosities to rest. For further inquiries or elaboration contact me directly, or make an appointment and I will clarify in person.

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Are Philosophical Consultants Psychologists?

No. Philosophical Practitioners and Philosophical consultants (or counselors) are not psychologists. We are philosophers. We have a formal education in philosophy, though in varying areas of concentration. I personally have an MA and a PhD in philosophy, and my areas of concentration are ancient Greek philosophy, moral philosophy (applied and theoretical) and philosophy of education. 

 

What we do is best understood as an educational activity rather than a mental health activity. We do not adopt either the paradigm of inquiry (types of questions and answers) or methods of application endorsed by psychologists, psychotherapists, or anyone within this tradition or field of expertise.

 

We do, however, take on clients that have what is often times thought to be a psychological issue. This is likely the result of having been previously diagnosed by a mental health practitioner or self-diagnosed according to popularised psychological categories, common amongst these "panic disorder", "Attention Deficit Disorder", and "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder".

 

Are Philosophical Consultants Life Coaches?

 

No. Philosophical consultants and Philosophical practitioners are not life coaches. We are philosophers, and minimally holders of a BA and MA in philosophy; though many of us also have PhDs. Many had or have university appointments. Life coaches do not have these qualitifcations, indeed, many life coaches don't possess any accredited qualifications at all.

 

We do, however, share the very general stance adopted by Life Coaches which is according to The International Coach Federation "partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential". Where we differ drastically with life coaches is with regards to method and goals. Our goal is not to motivate as such; it is with the cultivation of self-understanding which has a revitalizing impact, and can help people change the course of their (unhappy) lives. Our methods are informed by the teachings of philosophy giants - Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epictetus, Marx, Nietzsche, Rousseau, Mill, Kant, and more - and the development of reasoning skills.

 

Do I need to know anything about philosophy?

Absolutely not! This is not a classroom and I do not have to answer to administrative standards. What we do is an educational activity in the broadest sense, not in this narrow sense. Thinking philosophically is a guided form of discourse akin to what Socrates famously did. Like Socrates who would engage anyone, anywhere, at any time on issues concerning human happiness, practioners of philosophy do the same. Come with the desire to learn about yourself and an openness to listen to alternative perspectives and we're in business.

 

 

Do you provide diagnoses?

We do not diagnose because we are not psychologists or psychotherapists. We do not work within this tradition. We often times aim to work ouside of these paradigms and parameters in order to cultivate new perspectives and alternative modes of self-understanding from which clients develop new life strategies.

 

 

 

Do you have a model?

This is a difficult and philosophical question. The answer is both yes and no. In fact, some philosophical counselors argue that no method is appropriate to this practise, opting instead for structured dialogue a la Socrates. Others, like myself, opt for a methological apparatus that concerns inter and intra-human forms of dialogical exchange. That's fancy talk for working out how people can best communicate using dialogue to cultivate what the truth is and how to acquire it.

 

 

 

Will I have homework?

People hear "philosophy" and "professor of philosophy" together and think: HOMEWORK! There's no homework and no assignments in the traditonal sense of the word. However, literature, films, short stories and the like are sometimes introduced into sessional discussion which require some home reading. A client's particular interests would determine the genre, of course. 

 

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