Despite its status as one of the key therapeutic orientations, existential therapy is one of the most under-researched approaches in counselling and psychotherapy. Since 2005, a group of academics from the Universities of Strathclyde, Surrey, Abertay and Sheffield have worked together to develop the Existential Psychotherapy and Counselling Research Network (EPCORN). The aim of this network is to encourage and facilitate the gathering of empirical evidence on the process and outcomes of existential therapy. A brief summary of our initial pilot research (PDF - 19kb).
Published work
- Cooper, M. (2004) ‘Viagra for the brain: Psychotherapy research and the challenge to existential therapeutic practice,’ Existential Analysis, 15: 1, 2-14. [(PDF - 56kb)]
- De Sousa, D. (2004) ‘A short note underlying reflection on psychotherapy research’ Existential Analysis, 15: 2, 194-202. [(PDF - 60kb)]
Presentations
- Cooper, M. (2003) ‘Viagra for the brain: Psychotherapy research and the challenge to existential therapeutic practice,’ The Im-Possibility of Research: Annual Conference of the Society for Existential Analysis, London. [ (PDF - 81kb)]
Bibliographies
- Existential Therapies: An Annotated Bibliography[ (PDF - 126kb)]
Current work
- Significant events in existential therapy [(PDF - 28kb)]
- Existential therapists' understanding of how clients choose existential therapy.
[(PDF - 25kb)]
Potential research questions
- Outcomes of existential therapy: quantitative, qualitative, impact on wellbeing
- Helpful factors in existential therapy
- Significant events in existential therapy
- Discourse analysis of existential therapy
- The content and nature of existential therapy
- Comparisons of existential therapy with other therapies
- Hermeneutic single case studies of existential therapy
- Phenomenological exploration of clients’ experiences in existential therapy
- Existential therapy with particular client groups (e.g., bereaved clients, depressed clients)
- Process and outcome of existential therapy in particular settings (e.g., primary care, healthcare settings).
Active researchers
- Mick Cooper (contact)
- Emmy van Deurzen (University of Sheffield)
- Martin Milton (University of Surrey) - Email: Martin Milton
- Daniel Sousa (Higher Institute of Applied Psychology, Lisbon) - Email: Daniel Sousa
- Digby Tantum (University of Sheffield)