Humanistic Therapy Online

Have you ever wondered how you could live the most fulfilling life but have no clue on how to make it happen? Well, humanistic therapy could help you with this. Humanistic therapy is a mental health approach that stresses the importance of being your truest self in order to lead the most fulfilling life. The approach is mainly based on the principle that everyone has their own unique way of looking at the world, and this personal view can impact not only your choices but your actions too. 

Humanistic therapy is also offered via online counseling that is not only a comfortable way but also an affordable way to reach therapy. 

Here we look at how humanistic therapy looks online: 

Types of Humanistic Therapy

Currently, there are different types of humanistic therapy that exists, here we list some of them for you: 

Client-centered therapy

This approach mainly focuses on the client, where the therapist takes a non-directive approach to the overall therapy process. The client acts as an equal partner, and the therapist offers unconditional positive regard and empathy. 

Existential therapy

This philosophical approach helps people find their position in the world, their reason for living. It allows them to further explore the things that ultimately bring meaning into their lives. It also teaches people accountability, in the sense that one takes responsibility for their own choices and recognizes that they have a sufficient amount of power to make necessary changes in an attempt to bring more meaning into their lives. 

Gestalt therapy

Gestalt therapy tends to focus on people's current experiences and lives instead of focusing on their past. This approach pays special attention to how people make meaning out of their experiences in life. 

Logotherapy

This type of therapy helps people find ways of coping with the sometimes unexpected challenges that they experience in life. Although these challenges can be hard at times, finding the overall purpose and meaning behind the challenge can help relieve conditions and symptoms related to grief, trauma, and depression and, above all else, improve one's mental well-being. 

Narrative therapy

The aim of this approach is to identify the skills and values of people by taking a deeper look into their personal experiences and stories. It also helps people realize that they are separate from their problems, and their problems do not define who they are. 

What Are the Main Principles of Humanistic Therapy? 

• Empathy – Your therapist will acknowledge and listen to your problems, show genuine concern for you, and empathize with you. 
• Unconditional positive regard – You are viewed as a unique individual who is not a product of their problems; you will always be viewed in the most positive way.
• Focus on your daily life – Humanistic therapy is current and does not dwell on the past like other forms of therapy. 

How does humanistic therapy work? 

Humanistic therapy involves discovering your true self, accepting it, and forming a great understanding of your worldview. The best way of accomplishing this is to develop unconditional positive regard from others and yourself. Therefore, you will have to begin thinking that you are good enough and stop behaving in a way that is considered to be socially acceptable in order to gain respect from others. 

Remember, when you feel like you are not good enough or even worthless, it has the potential of impacting not only how you see yourself but also the way you see the world around you. Therefore, humanistic therapy helps you develop self-acceptance, improve your self-esteem, allows you to overcome disapproval by others, and it further aids in helping you shift your focus onto your own personal growth. 

Techniques Used in Humanistic Therapy 

Therapist listening techniques

This technique involves the therapist keeping you engaged in the therapy session. This is achieved by the therapist listening to you in a non-judgemental way; they pay attention to what you are saying, and when unsure, they ask questions to ensure that they are completely understanding what you have to say. 

Assuming you're good

With this technique, you are viewed as a good person regardless of whether you have mental health or any other related issues. To your therapist, you are human, and you are a good person. This technique also encourages people to view themselves as good as well. 

Acknowledging your power to decide

Often, when we are faced with challenges, we tend to feel helpless. However, this technique, in particular, aids in revealing to us that we, in fact, have the power of how we respond to certain situations regardless of whether we can change the situation or person. We have the power to decide how we respond to it. The power to decide is said to be the overall foundation of humanistic therapy. 

Treating you as a whole person

Various forms of treatments focus on specific parts of who you are. 

However, with this technique, you are viewed as a completely whole person, one who thinks, perceives, believes, and above all else, has specific needs. 

Therefore, proving that you are a combination of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects that make you, you. 

Recognizing you as an individual

There is no categorization in this technique, it simply recognizes that humans are different and no two are alike. Therefore, by acknowledging and building on your uniqueness, you have the ability to grow into a beautiful example of human goodness that exists within you. 

Dealing with issues in the here and now

Humanistic therapy deals with current issues as they are happening. This form of therapy is present and is not focused on past issues. Therefore, if you are currently dealing with issues from the past, you have the ability to choose where you are within the present moment. 

Identifying your needs

Humanistic therapy encourages you to dig deep and find out what it is that you need in your life. Therefore, therapists tend to ask open-ended questions in order to encourage you to talk about your problems and ultimately find unfulfilled needs behind your problems. 

What Can Humanistic Therapy Help With?

If your ultimate goal is to live the most fulfilling life possible while being more present and getting to know yourself better, humanistic therapy would be the best for you. Evidently, humanistic therapy helps with a lot of things, and here we give some additional examples: 

• Depression
• Coping with chronic health problems
• Trauma
• Relationship issues 
• Psychosis
• Anxiety
• Low self-esteem
• Panic disorder
• Personality disorders
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Substance use 

What Are the Benefits of Humanistic Therapy Online? 

Evidently, there are many benefits associated with humanistic therapy. Here we will further list some of the benefits of it, especially when used through the form of online counseling: 

• Affordability
• Convenience 
• Easy access
• Great source of empathy and support 
• Therapist is professional and non-judgmental
• Sessions done remotely in a comfortable environment 
• Therapist allows you to be more involved in your treatment 
• Discover coping techniques
• Improvement of your self-esteem and self-efficacy 
• Use of your own bed during hypnosis

Things to Consider Before Starting Humanistic Therapy Online

Humanistic therapy is holistic, and it will cover different aspects of your life. It also focuses on the present as opposed to focusing on the past effects of your life like many other therapies do. 

Therefore, many people tend to find this form of therapy challenging because it places emphasis on taking responsibility and direct action in order to make your life better as opposed to shifting blame. 

Another thing to consider is that you will be very involved with your therapy sessions, where the therapist will give you more control and act as a guide and mentor instead. Therefore, if you like a more structured approach, you may find humanistic therapy difficult. 

Finally, you should also keep in mind that humanistic therapy does not address specific problems, as it is, after all, a holistic approach to therapy. Therefore, if you are dealing with a specific problem that needs to be addressed, perhaps a different structured therapy would be able to assist with your needs. 

The Bottom Line

Humanistic therapy is centered on your personal experience and perspective. The therapist in humanistic therapy offers support, empathy, concern, and consideration for you and your personal experiences, and above all else, they view you in the most positive light. Therefore, humanistic therapy is a good option if you are looking for ways to live a more fulfilling and meaningful life. 

However, it is important to keep in mind that it may not be the best option for dealing with concrete mental health issues. With that being said, if you are interested in online humanistic therapy, we are here to help you.