Key Concepts of Philosophical Counseling
This article aims to provide a systematic overview of the key concepts that form the theoretical foundation of philosophical counseling, clarifying both its practical and conceptual dimensions. Unlike psychotherapy, philosophical counseling does not rely on clinical diagnosis; instead, it seeks to understand individuals through their values, worldviews, modes of reasoning, and existential concerns. Within this framework, the article examines central concepts such as autonomy, worldview, philosophical health, practical philosophy, self-awareness, critical thinking, value clarification, emotional reasoning, meaning and purpose in life, perspective shifting, guiding virtues, the Socratic method, existential awareness, and personal responsibility. Each concept is grounded in the works of major thinkers including Aristotle, Epictetus, Kant, Dewey, Jung, Heidegger, Frankl, Yalom, Hadot, Paul & Elder, and Marinoff, demonstrating how these ideas translate into concrete counseling practices. The analysis emphasizes the role of philosophical counseling in fostering clarity of thought, strengthening personal coherence, deepening meaning-making processes, and cultivating an ethically oriented life practice. Ultimately, this study offers a comprehensive conceptual framework for the emerging field of philosophical counseling in Turkey and serves as a methodological reference for practitioners and researchers.
- Aristotle. (2004). Nicomachean Ethics. (Trans. S. Babür). Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları.
- Beck, A. T. (2011). Cognitive Therapy and Emotional Disorders. (Trans. A. Türkcan). Litera Yayıncılık.
- Camus, A. (2018). The Myth of Sisyphus. (Trans. V. Günyol). Can Yayınları.
- Cohen, E. D. (2003). New Rational Therapy: Thinking Your Way to Serenity, Success, and Profound Happiness. Rowman & Littlefield.
- Cohen, E. D. (2016). Logic-Based Therapy and Everyday Emotions. Lexington Books.
- Çevik, M. (2024). Mantık Temelli Terapiye Giriş. MC Kitap.
- Çevik, M. (2025). Felsefi Danışmanlığın Psikolojik Dayanıklılık Üzerindeki Etkileri: Felsefi Sağlık Modeli Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme. Beytulhikme: An International Journal of Philosophy, 15(1), 203-220.
- Dewey, J. (1910). How We Think. D. C. Heath & Co. Publishers.
- Ellis, A. (2004). Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy: It Works for Me – It Can Work for You. Prometheus Books.
- Frankl, V. E. (1984). Man's Search for Meaning. Beacon Press.
- Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Bantam Books.
- Hadot, P. (2006). What Is Ancient Philosophy? (Trans. M. Chase). Harvard University Press.
- Heidegger, M. (2008). Being and Time. (Trans. J. Macquarrie and E. Robinson). Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
- Hill, T. E. Jr. (1991). Autonomy and Self-Respect. Cambridge University Press.
- Jung, C. G. (1954). The Practice of Psychotherapy: Essays on the Psychology of the Transference and Other Subjects. Princeton University Press.
- Kant, I. (1997). Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Cambridge University Press.
- Lipman, M. (2003). Thinking in Education. Cambridge University Press.
- Marinoff, L. (1999). Plato, Not Prozac!: Applying Eternal Wisdom to Everyday Problems. Harper Collins.
- Nagel, T. (1979). Mortal Questions. Cambridge University Press.
- Nietzsche, F. (2003). Thus Spoke Zarathustra. (Trans. R. J. Hollingdale). Penguin Classics.
- Nussbaum, M. C. (2011). Creating Capabilities: The Human Development Approach. Harvard University Press.
- Paul, R. & Elder, L. (2006). Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Learning and Your Life. Pearson.
- Platon (2013). Sokrates’in Savunması. (Çev. A. Erhat). Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları
- Raabe, P. (2001). Philosophical Counseling: Theory and Practice. Praeger.
- Rogers, C. (1961). On Becoming a Person: A Therapist’s View of Psychotherapy. Houghton Mifflin.
- Sartre, J.-P. (2007). Existentialism is a Humanism. Yale University Press.
- Yalom, I. D. (1980). Existential Psychotherapy. Basic Books.