Boundaries are not selfish but important lines of what one can or cannot do, or is willing to endure from another person. They are healthy and help clarify where one begins and ends in relationship to other people. This video takes a closer look at why they are so important for all aspects of life that go beyond personal but also to professional and relational. Please also review AIHCP’s Healthcare Certification Programs
Counseling looks to help people change for the better. Habit in either direction is wired in our brain and it can be a difficult journey to incorporate good change. This video takes a closer look at a change and the process
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Fritz Pearls and his wife are considered the pioneers behind the development of Gestalt Therapy and its numerous techniques. While, like many numerous systems, Gestalt by itself is limited by its own definitions and guidelines, but still nonetheless has supplied the counseling sciences with numerous theories as well as practices to aid counselors in helping people. Pearls, a German immigrant, spent most of his later lifetime in the USA, developing and implementing the concepts of Gestalt. It remains to this day an original way to help individuals face psychological issues and pursue change.
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Gestalt is very focused on the now of the person. It sees current problems in how individuals hide behind their issues and avoid them. It is less concerned with issues of the past but how more so the person deals with the now and how that person transforms. It is very person centered in finding the answers in the client but unlike classical person centered therapies which has a more gentle guiding approach, Gestalt employs more direct confrontation when necessary to push a person in facing oneself in the present. Like most person centered therapies, Gestalt feels the power of change and how to live resides in the subjective reality of the person and that when a person accepts who he or she is and faces the illusions of self and takes responsibility for oneself, then one can become free and have a more healthy mental life. In this way, Gestalt looks at the wholeness of the person and challenges the person to self awareness. It is because of this approach, Gestalt is immersed in the human experience and how life is experienced. In its concern of the here and now, as well self awareness, it is more concerned with the question of how than the question of why.
Pearls utilized exercises and experiments as the way to help clients find self awareness. Exercises helped clients experience the now of emotion, but experiments were deeper techniques to help a person become self aware and challenge oneself. Many of these experiments employed by the therapist was utilized as ways for the client to become self aware and how to properly express oneself to find balance with one’s inner voice. In many cases, Pearls would identify acts of phoniness by a person due to external pressures that subdued the internal personality of a person. He would note how one’s tone of voice, or facial expressions, or body postures would not match the feeling internally. He utilized various exercises and experiments to help the person break free of these uncomfortable anxieties and to better express oneself.
Pearls employed various linguistic alterations to a person’s vocabulary or how the person stated something in therapy. This involved utilizing personal pronouns more in the client’s speech. Instead of making a statement that was void of personal need, Pearls would instruct the person to utilize the pronoun “I” to own the statement. Instead of a passive declaration of what one desired or wanted or disliked, Pearls instructed the client to say “I need, or I want, or I dislike”. In addition, he removed such contractions as “can’t” to “won’t”. Instead of stating I cannot do something, he pushed clients to say I will not do something. Also, instead of the conjunction “but” used to imply an excuse, he instructed clients to use the word “and”. For example, if someone has a paper to write and states “I cannot write the paper tonight, but I may try to do it tomorrow”, Pearls would have the client transfer the statement to “I will not write the paper tonight and I will try do it tomorrow”. Pearls also would emphasize the use of the phrase, “I take responsibility for this”. Hence a person would say “I take responsibility for not writing the paper tonight”. This clearly shows an emphasis of owning one’s inner feelings more deeply and also expressing what one wants in a more authoritative, responsible and personal way. Excuses, passive language and not asserting one’s own needs into a sentence were signs of the person not being self aware of what one needs and not taking responsibility for it. Hence, Pearls was less concerned about other pronouns of “them” or “us” or how others make one feel but more interested in how oneself makes one feel.
In addition to speaking with more authority and emphasizing responsibility for one’s words, thoughts and actions, Pearls would help individuals identify body posture, nervous ticks, or uncomfortable laughs as the ways the body and its physiology would manifest discord between expression and the actual feeling. Pearls would frequently call a person out with confrontation for expressing oneself in contradiction to how one felt. He would suggest exaggeration of these tics, or tones, to see how truly silly or phony they were in contrast to how the person felt in the moment. Through the experiment of exaggeration, Pearls encouraged one to bite one’s lip harder, or tense their jaw more pronounced so that the person could recognize these manifestations when internal feelings emerged. The key for Pearls was to help the client discover and become aware of one’s deeper feelings in the now moment and how to properly communicate and express them. This involved analyzing one’s own bodily reactions in correlation with the feelings internally.
The most famous experiments of Pearls was the empty chair. This created an opportunity for one to confront oneself, or another in the safety and privacy of therapy. It permitted one to become aware of self, but also to express emotions that may have been kept in check. The first usage of this experiment was direct dialogue between self. For example, a middle age man may have many regrets in life and has two images of himself; namely the driving and commanding side of himself and then the more relaxed version of self. At direction of the therapist, the man would move from his chair to the other chair and imagine speaking to himself in a more authoritative way. In response, the man then would remove to his original chair and respond to his more aggressive and demanding side. This dialogue would continue to until the man discovered his many needs. In other cases, the empty chair can be utilized as a way for an individual to confront another person. This may be an ex spouse, a parent, a boss, a deceased family member, or even God. The client is encouraged to speak to this person if as the person was truly sitting there. Obviously this is an advanced therapeutic tool and should be conducted by a trained therapist due to emotional eruptions that can occur. Pearls saw this as a way for a person to truly express one’s emotions without filter or restraint free from possible danger of physical confrontation.
Gestalt has many beneficial applications to help people properly express their feelings, be aware of themselves and become more connected to how they truly feel. It is beneficial for those suffering from anxiety as well as depression. However it does possess some limitations. It is more emotional in nature and does not give enough attention to the intellectual and cognitive issues surrounding mental health. It also focuses more the now without less concern for the past. Questions such as why and what are more replaced with how can we handle this now. It is also weighs heavily on one’s own personal needs for self actualization and less concern for the needs of others. This is a double edged sword if not properly put into context. Further, it possesses a more subjective morality in place of universal objective standards of behavior or morality. Yet, many of its experiments and uses are widely accepted and utilized in daily practice. Very few counselors completely adhere to one particular school over another, so the percentage is quite low of a counselor being a strictly Gestalt therapist. Most modern day counselors share Gestalt techniques and implement them with person centered therapies and behavioral therapies for maximum results.
Please also review AIHCP’s Behavioral Health Certifications and see if any of them meet your academic and professional goals.
Person Centered Counseling. Access here
Existential Counseling. Access here
Jungian Psychology. Access here
Tan, S-Y. (2022). Counseling and psychology: A Christian perspective (2nd Edition). Baker Academic.
Clark, J. (2025). How Gestalt Therapy Works. Very Well Mind. Access here
Gestalt Therapy. Psychology Today. Access here
Guy-Evans, O. (2025). Gestalt Therapy: Definition, Types, Techniques, and Efficacy. Simply Psychology. Access here
Lindsey, C. (2022). All About Gestalt Therapy. PsychCentral. Access here
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A simple review of certain medications for basic depression and anxiety as well as their Holistic counterparts
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AIHCP has numerous blogs based on Carl Rogers and his Client or Human/Person Centered Based Counseling. This blog will focus some on the general themes, goals and history of the therapy and how it set the standard for many modern day counseling techniques. Whether one belongs solely to Rogerian Counseling, or instead mixes and matches some of the philosophies and skills where needed, it remains nearly impossible for numerous Rogerian ideals not to be part of any counseling curriculum and utilized within the professional and clinical spectrum.
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In essence, Rogers possessed a more optimistic account of human nature and believed that helping people involved helping them help themselves and find inner healing. Instead of diagnosis, or pre-determined psycho-analysis, Roger developed a psychology and counseling that frowned upon diagnosis as well as counselor authoritarian directives but saw the counselor more as a guide and helper in unlocking a person’s potential to find happiness and balance in life. This type of counseling took some key core concepts from Adler and then became a main stay in the counseling fields since the Mid 20th Century.
Rogers taught that counselors need to help clients self-actualize to become their best self. This was accomplished through guidance that helped the person choose what is best for them. The counselor could help a person reach self actualization by helping them find congruence or genuineness with their true self. When a person was at odds with their true self or their words did not match their deeds, a counselor could help a person see this incongruence (Tan, 2022). In addition to helping a person actualize self, counselors within Rogerian schools of thought help clients understand the value of their own subjective experiences. Rogers believed that the subjective experience of a person was the most true form of self and the best way to find congruence within a person. However, the most lasting and important aspect involves the client’s condition of worth. Rogers emphasized that counselors must show deep empathy, unconditional positive regard and genuineness as core concepts in helping people (Tan, 2022). Ultimately the basis of Rogerian therapy is to not solve problems but to unlock an individual’s own solving problem abilities (Tan, 2022).
In other blogs, we discuss the critical importance of unconditional positive regard, congruence and empathy. These again are the most lasing elements of Rogerian psychology. While many adhere to some of the other concepts of subjective experience, or the role of the counselor, these three standards of counseling remain core in most counseling schools as essential elements in helping people. Beyond just being taught, these lasting qualities of the counselor also show empirically and in clinical studies strong effectiveness in helping the client. While classic Rogerian counseling swayed away from diagnosis or various therapeutic strategies, it always emphasized the importance of the counselor/client relationship. In many studies, this is the most key part whether counseling works or not. While various therapeutic strategies are essential, which ones used or not used, has more power when amplified with the counselor/client relationship.
In recent years, Rogerian Counseling has also been transformed by modifications, such Motivational Interviewing. Tan points out that this is also a person centered approach and also has many shared core elements (2022). Initially developed by William Miller, Motivational Interviewing utilizes Rogerian strategies and counselor based qualities to help clients reach goals. Tan points out that Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative approach of strengthening a person’s motivation and commitment to change. He also points out that it looks to address the ambivalence about change and is designed to help the person’s motivation by assigning goals and also exploring a person’s reasons to look for change (2022).
Interviewing involves utilizing empathy, congruence as well as unconditional positive regard, but also involves the counselor rolling with resistance of the client in a non-confrontational way. Instead helping to facilitate a picture for the client to see on one’s own to desire the change. In doing so, the counselor helps to support self efficacy and freedom of choice to fully embrace a change and work towards a goal (Tan, 2022).
Like any counseling system or psychological school of thought, one can be tied down and limited if only subject to one way of doing things with the psychological mind. This bears true with one who only utilizes psychodynamic ways without integration of other possible therapies in the cognitive fields, or for that matter approaching one from a cognitive or behavioral school of thought. Like wise, person centered psychology and counseling has strengths that can be employed, but also weaknesses when isolated and used as a the only way conducting counseling.
From a strength standpoint, the utilization of the concepts of unconditional positive regard, congruence and empathy are all staples of modern counseling. Person centered therapy also has a very optimistic view of a the human person and is rich in encouraging and helping someone find the ability to change through one’s innate abilities. It treasures freedom to choose which is the only way true change can occur.
From a weakness standpoint, it ins purest form, it avoids diagnosis and some therapies which when involving deeper trauma or pathology require more than just discussing an issue but also helping the mind heal through other proven strategies. Also, it emphasizes a complete subjective form of happiness and process of making decisions. This can lead to one’s own selfish motives, as well as choosing incorrectly in the overall scheme of life. Counselors while observing need to sometimes direct. Rogers did point to empathetic confrontation, but it needs to sometimes go farther than merely helping a person see the contradiction in one’s life but to also sometimes guide the person to the right choice. In Rogerian psychology, the counselor remains as benign a source of authority as possible in regards to direction. Many clients need guidance. This is not to assert they need told what and how to do something, but sometimes, a person needs direction. The concepts of subjective truth also come into conflict with many ideals on objective truth, as well as the person belonging to more than merely oneself but also belonging to a social construct that includes other people, as well as religious beliefs. For some, God is the source of self actualization, not the human person. For others, self actualization can become a very selfish design that ignores others and their needs. (Tan, 2022).
So again, I feel there always needs to be a measure of balance with any systems of psychology and counseling. While schools of thought exist in their purity, many counselors utilize the best of all the schools and fit it to meet the unique needs of a client.
Carl Rogers ideas and philosophies presented to counseling were revolutionary when compared to Freudian systems. It expressed that individuals were not preprogrammed and had the innate ability to find congruence when guided by a trained counselor. The counselor was not there to solve problems but help untap the ability of the client to solve their problems. This leads to a very subjective experience of self actualization which has its strengths and weaknesses in counseling. The largest contribution of Rogers was the counseling qualities he demanded from all counselors. Namely congruence, empathy and unconditional positive regard. These elements help forge a healthy counselor and client relationship which according to studies is more important and a bigger factor in client progress than any particular therapeutic strategy employed alone. It is the counselor and client’s relationship that is the biggest factor in whether the counseling experiment works or does not work.
Please also review AIHCP’s Behavioral Health Certifications in Grief Counseling, Christian Counseling, Trauma Counseling, Crisis Counseling, Stress Management and Anger Mangement.
Empathy in Counseling: Access here
Rogerian Counseling and Depression: Access here
Humanistic Approach and Grief: Access here
Tan, S-Y. (2022). Counseling and psychology: A Christian perspective (2nd Edition). Baker Academic.
The Role of Empathy in Effective Counselling. (2024). Mental Mastery. Access here
“Accurate Empathic Understanding: A Core Component of Client-Centered Counseling” (2024). Psychology Town. Access here
Sutton, J. (2021). “Unconditional Positive Regard: 17 Worksheets & Activities”. Positive Psychology. Access here
Cherry, K. (2024). “Unconditional Positive Regard in Psychology”. Very Well Mind. Access here
Meaning of existence plays a key role in understanding one’s daily trials, anxieties, stresses, as well as losses. Meaning in life can re-interpret an event for a person. From an bad event, individuals with meaning, can move forward with a better understanding and a fuller interpretation within life. Those without meaning to loss, or meaning to horrible things can fall victim to hopelessness and despair. Without an anchor of meaning, one can be swept by the various currents of life with no true direction. Existential philosophy, as well as Existential therapy, looks to find meaning in life. In this short blog, we will examine Existentialism and its influence on Existential therapy, as well as address the critical necessity of meaning in grief counseling, as well as conflicting issues between Christian theology and Existentialism.
Please review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification, as well as AIHCP’s Christian Grief Counseling Certification and see if they meet your academic and professional goals.
Existentialist philosophy has two branches. One which encompasses a theist and sometimes Christian perspective, as well as an atheistic or nihilist branch. Philosophers such as Gabriel Marcel, Soren Kirkegaard and Paul Tillich approach existentialism from a theistic perspective, while others such as Frederick Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger and Paul Sarte present a atheistic and nihilist approach to existence. The core of the philosophy addresses humanity’s existential realities without reserve. Death, choice, freedom, isolation and meaning or lack of meaning in life are all important aspects of that cannot be ignored. Within this state of humanity, existence and its subjective and phenomenological interpretation of that existence details what a person is to be or find meaning in. There is no collective pre-existing template or essence of the human blueprint, but merely existence. As Sarte famously stated, “existence precedes essence” which at its core puts a subjective morality and choice at odds with a pre-existing objective template of reality and moral choice.
Humanity’s freedom to choose and become without fear is one of the guiding principles of non-theistic existentialist approach. As Frederick Nietzsche proposed, one must courageously drop the shackles of objective morality or the concept of God and become a “super man” who forges forward with great courage in creating one’s own essence and identity. While this is not the purpose of this blog to counter theological arguments over moral objectivity and the existence of God, this type of existentialist thought obviously places more power over one’s own decision what is good or evil.
Existentialist philosophy looks at human experience as a way one encounters life and discovers meaning. Through one’s inner self, one’s self with nature and one’s self and experiences with others. Human beings are free to relate and form one’s own meanings based on these three basic levels of existence (Tan, 2022). In this self discovery, one must be true to one’s self or authentic. It is when one ceases to be authentic with self, that pathology emerges. This becomes difficult because of natural existential dread and anxiety which in itself is not a bad thing but quite a natural thing. Within existential anxiety, one must deal with death and life, the need to act or not act, isolation versus companionship, and finally meaning or meaninglessness (Tan, 2022). A healthy existence is when these issues are faced, discussed and analyzed. When one does not dismiss these truths, as well as live authentically with oneself, then one finds a healthy balance in life.
Tan lists some of the key elements of existentialist philosophy of being human. He lists first, the capacity for awareness, second, freedom and responsibility, third, creating identity and establishing relationships, fourth, searching for meaning, fifth, accepting anxiety as part of life and finally, awareness of death and non being (2022). It is when one lies to oneself and avoids these principles that pathology can occur in life. Rollo May, a existentialist therapist contends that anxiety is a critical part of life itself and now all of it is toxic but something that needs faced and addressed. Clients need taught how to face anxiety and solve the issues and problems while remaining true to oneself (Tan, 2022).
Victor Frankl, a holocaust survivor, discussed in detail the grave importance of finding meaning in life, especially, in loss and suffering. He saw a deeper purpose that could help drive one beyond the mere presence of suffering. His meaning was found in love and the dignity of the human person to push beyond mere tasks and elevate them to a higher power. In this way, Frankl was not atheistic in existential thought and like others, saw the importance of spirituality as a way to find meaning. Kirkegaard also saw the importance of emptying one’s anxiety and existential angst into the grounding of all existence which is God. Hence, while to some therapists, meaning can be subjective and coming from within the person, other theistic existentialists promote the possibility that meaning can come from an outside source.
Regardless, the power of meaning is a strong driving force in interpreting life events. Frankl helped individuals find deeper meaning in his Logotherapy which utilized four primary techniques. First, he employed the Socratic dialogue, second, paradoxical intent, dereflection and attitude modification (Tan, 2022). Within the Socratic dialogue, one is directed to take a complete inventory of one’s life. This helps the person discover direction but also what matters most. Within paradoxical intent, Logotherapy looks to present the absurdity of a habit or behavior by exaggerating it. Within dereflection, the therapist helps the client see other elements of an event. In this way it hopes to utilize a type of behavioral cognitive therapy where the individual rethinks the event in different perspectives. The idea is not to dismiss or devalue the event but to approach it from different aspects. Finally, attitude modification, helps the client to change certain views or behaviors by not lamenting over the past which cannot be changed, but instead by learning from it and making good changes.
Frankl saw in humanity that all are good initially at one’s core and that it was the purpose of the therapist to help enlighten a person of one’s inner talents to utilize the goodness of the inner core. He also pointed out that life has meaning and it is one’s goal to find meaning, which usually should be in something transcending, albeit, life does not guarantee happiness even with meaning, However, it the meaning and finding that meaning in the moment that all can find direction even in the most worst case scenarios. In this way, a person retains his core, his uniqueness as well as his freedom.
Existential philosophy and therapy plays a key role in grief and loss. Robert Neimeyer has emphasized the critical importance of meaning making in loss. Meaning is essential in understanding the nature of the loss and how the loss plays a role in the overall life of a person. Individuals who utilize meaning and find meaning not only in loss but overall life can find smoother ways to adapt to the loss and move forward with the loss incorporated into one’s life. Those without meaning struggle with suffering and loss. This was also the case that Frankl noticed in the Nazi concentration camps. Those who lost hope or meaning, even meaning in the most dire situations, would gradually fade quicker to despair and death.
Existential philosophy also demands that we do not hide from natural anxieties. In the modern world, death becomes a taboo subject, but in the lens of existentialism, it is something that should be addressed, confronted and spoken about. If we ignore death, if we ignore unpleasant thoughts of non being, then one is not living authentically according to existentialist philosophy. Existentialist therapists will help clients face the loss, understand it, and find meaning moving forward from the loss. These are all concepts and techniques that coincide with modern bereavement science.
As stated, there are many forms of existentialism. Some forms adapt a Christian view on life that surrenders the existential experience to God under the example of Christ. In addition, many of the concepts are concepts to use in counseling. Seeking to find answers about existence, freedom, responsibility and meaning are important concepts for the Christian but the answers from secular existentialism seeks the inner self and experience instead of the moral law of God and established dogma. In secular settings, existentialism can allow one to become one’s own god in decisions. It also tends to find most pathology from within or failure to acknowledge the existential anxieties of life and ignores many other sources of issues. Many issues stem from also biological or social settings, not just one’s imbalance with authenticity and existential anxieties (Tan, 2022).
Again, when one surrenders oneself to the autonomous self, one does not find true peace or meaning as secular existentialists would contend. That peace is through surrender of one’s anxieties to God, which is a self grounding in the Self (Tan, 2022). Kierkagaard illustrates this importance, and even Frankl addresses the surrender of self to something to a higher transcendence as something more benefitting and long lasting than merely surrender to the autonomous self. In these ways, some concepts of existentialism are useable in Christian Counseling with a strong precaution of avoiding its more secular and atheistic roots.
Existentialist therapy while more so a philosophy than a true therapeutic concept employs meaning as a key concept for modern counseling. Meaning is essential for understanding loss, suffering and death. Existentialist therapy also helps one to not ignore the anxieties of life but to face them and find meaning in them. While some aspects of it have theistic wrappings, other elements are more atheistic in thought and look for the autonomous self and one’s authenticity to help build one’s character. This leads one ultimately to a subjective perspective on each person’s meaning of life as opposed to an objective and more dogmatic one. Regardless of belief, it has numerous benefits for counseling, in particular for Grief Counseling. Obviously, if not religious, the power of meaning in life, even if subjective, can be a powerful source for success in the world.
Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Program as well as AIHCP’s Christian Grief Counseling Program and Christian Counseling Program. AIHCP also offers a wide range of secular programs in grief but also as well in both healthcare and behavioral healthcare programs.
Jungian Psychology: Access here
Tan, S-Y. (2022). Counseling and psychology: A Christian perspective (2nd Edition). Baker Academic.
Perera, A. (2025). Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy. Simply Psychology. Access here
Existential Therapy. Psychology Today. Access here
Existentialism. PhilosophiesOfLife.org. Access here
Sidor, S & Dubin, K. (2025). The Search for Meaning: An Existential Perspective on Human Experience. Existential Therapy: Sweet Institute. Access here
Producing change from a psychological standpoint is difficult. Subconscious trends and neuropathways make it difficult to change. This can make things difficult for changes in health as well as addiction. In addition, changes of habit from a counseling perspective can be difficult without a good plan and goals. Theologically, one can also see the idea of change and habit closely associated with vice and virtue which are considered habits of bad or excellence.
Please also review AIHCP’s Healthcare Certifications and see if they meet any of your academic or professional goals.
Natural responses to survive are not pathological but healthy. However, human beings whose natural survival mechanisms become survival strategies that leave the person in a constant state of hyper or hypo arousal. This video takes a closer look at the neurobiology behind the brain during and after trauma responses.
Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.
Carl Jung is one of the pioneers of modern psychology, along side Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler. In fact, Jung for the longest period was part of Freud’s Psychoanalytic society, but like Adler, Jung also soon became at odds with all of Freud’s concepts. Despite this, Jung nevertheless maintained a strong affinity for the study of the conscious and unconscious mind and how they can be better aligned for optimal health. In this blog, we look briefly at some key concepts of Jungian psychology and what aspect of these theories hold strong modern day weight and significance for counselors.
Please also review AIHCP’s numerous behavioral and healthcare certifications, including programs in Grief Counseling, Christian Counseling and as well as Trauma Informed Care and Crisis Intervention.
Carl Young’s psychology was based upon the conscious mind, subconscious mind and collective unconscious. Jung looked to help individuals find find individualization by awakening the subconscious mind but also integrated both the subconscious and conscious for a more healthy and whole person (Tan, 2022). Jung considered the conscious mind to be a person’s accessible aspect of one’s nature in which the psyche or personality of the person resided. Within the psyche, the ego exists as a unifier of memories and conscious thoughts of the entirety of the person. Within this development, the self emerges as the center of self realization. One’s personality is comprised of both the self and persona. The persona is the mask or behavior one exhibits in public, but the true self is what defines the person. Personas that overlap to far into self, can cause complexes and deeper issues in knowing oneself perfectly. Jung, also developed theories that have been more developed today with two of the most core basic personality traits of introvert or extrovert (Tan, 2022).
Beneath the layer of consciousness, the personal unconscious exists. This, according to Jung, is the aspect of one’s personality where thoughts, feelings, experiences, as well as perceptions are screened out of the conscious mind. These unconscious aspects of oneself need to be discovered and integrated with the conscious self. It is there that one can find repressed memories, forgotten experiences or various personal complexes. Finally, unique to Jung was the concept of the collective unconscious which consists of all universal human qualities that are shared and transpersonal to all human beings. People, according to Jung, are predisposed to certain feelings or archetypes in how one perceives oneself and experiences. Archetypes have form but not true content (Tan, 2022). Archetypes work in such a way to help the unconscious connect to the conscious and influence one’s behavior.
Jung spent many years studying diverse populations and cultures to try find universal archetypes and symbols of those archetypes in the human collective unconscious. Among the many included death, birth, power, the child, the hero, the sage, the earth mother, the snake, the demon and unity (Tan, 2022). Also included were the anima or animus sexual archetypes that exist within male and female. The anima representing the female qualities within a male, and the animus representing the male qualities within a woman (Tan). Also of importance was the persona or mask of the individual’s personality as well as the darker more primitive side of the shadow, which correlated with Freud’s ID.
Jung believed that through understanding one’s unconscious mind, both personal and collective, as well as identifying one’s archetypes, one could find self actualization and balance in life. However, since many of these concepts took time to unearth, he did not feel that anyone until their middle age could truly emerge as their true self.
A key aspect of Jungian psychology and therapy involves dream analysis. The trained Jungian therapist is able to help individuals understand the subconscious and collective unconscious mind through dreams and better identify one’s true self. Jung did not necessarily see dreams as repressed thoughts as did Freud, but Jung saw dreams as reminders to important things or what one should be attentive towards. He believed dreams could display a person’s fear, wishes, impulses or solutions to problems (Tan, 2022). In analysis, the parts of the dream, if recalled, are divided and interpreted through various symbols in dreams. Jung, believed that therapy is a journey between therapist and client, not so much a distant observation. He believed that through thee interpretation of dreams, as well as other techniques, therapists could help clients transform, individualize and self actualize their true self.
While only a small percentage of therapists identify as Jungian or for that matter train within the school of Jungian Psychology, there still exists therapists who employ his methods and train under this discipline. Like Freudian Psychology, there still are many benefits that can have been seen in case studies to show benefit, although many lack a more intensive case study with controlled and uncontrolled groupings. Many counselors may utilize some concepts from Jung and apply as needed to individual cases, while not completely and totally undertaking a Jungian theme in their practice.
According to Tan, Jung made meaningful contributions to the developments on the study of personality, the focus on midlife, and the potential of wisdom and knowledge latent within the unconscious mind. In addition, Jung emphasized in these dialogues of self with the unconscious to become aware of the shadow self, or the darker side of one’s nature, to not free it, but to acknowledge it and learn to control it. Finally, Jung contributed greatly to the concepts of dream analysis as well as transference and countertransference between counselor and client.
Tan also discussed possible weaknesses within Jungian psychology. He points out that the concept of the collective unconscious as theory remains impossible to verify empirically and also the lacks controlled case studies. In addition, many of the concepts are very gnostic in theory. Tapping into unknown levels of unconsciousness to discover knowledge resembles a gnostic ideal, as well as Jung’s belief in the spiritual realm, which instead of finding a spiritual relationship with a personal God, views this spiritual relationship as a archetype to help one to know thyself. Obviously, Jung’s spirituality was something that drew a wedge between Freud and himself. Jung’s spirituality is far from one that would resemble most Christian traditions but better resembles those who consider themselves more spiritual than religious. In addition, evil or the shadow side of human nature while identified as not good, remains in many ways more so like an equal power to the good that must be balanced. This also differs greatly from many monotheistic ideals on morality.
One can still state overall that Jungian psychology has numerous unique elements and many useful techniques and tools in understanding the human mind. For that reason, many of his concepts are still studied and adapted to modern therapies and can be used for a wide variety of issues ranging from anxiety to depression, to phobias and and issues of self esteem.
Carl Jung remains a pioneer in the area of psychology and one would be very naive to discredit many of his contributions or even not apply when applicable some of his ideas, especially in the areas of human philosophy, personality, human development and self actualization and individualization to a more holistic and mental health.
From a grief perspective, human loss and pain involves adjustment and change. Jungian concepts of helping the conscious mind and subconscious mind find each other can help one find more meaning in loss and work out any pathological reactions to loss itself. Dream analysis can also aid the person in understanding the loss and the time it takes for the mind to process the loss. The same can be true for trauma. Trauma exists within the subconscious mind. Traumatic memories due to intense emotional imprinting and survival mechanisms can leave the subconscious mind in a survival default mode causing anxiety. Understanding the unconscious mind, finding balance and self actualization can all play key roles in helping one process trauma properly.
Please also review AIHCP’s numerous Healthcare Certifications, as well as its Grief Counseling Program. Other programs include Christian Counseling, Trauma Informed Care, Anger Management, Crisis Intervention and also Stress Management. Many Jungian theories can help counselors in these areas.
Freudian Defense Mechanisms- Access here
McCleod, S. (2025). Carl Jung’s Theory of Personality. Simply Psychology. Access here
Jungian Therapy. Psychology Today. Access here
Heyl, J. (2025). Carl Jung: Biography, Archetypes, Theories, Beliefs. VeryWellMind. Access here
What is Jungian Psychology? (2024). Routledge. Access here
Predators and perpetrators groom children in advance and usually know the child as compared to the more rare brazen kidnapping scenarios. This video takes a closer look at grooming. Please also review AIHCP’s Healthcare Certification Program as well as AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care Program