Philosophical Counseling

Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), a 19th-Century Christian philosopher who has been hailed by some as the "father of depth psychology," was a devout Lutheran Christian. He was also deeply interested in alleviating human suffering, both psychological as well as physical.

One could argue that he gained all his psychological insight from his spiritual hunger to know and understand human suffering from a Christian perspective. He once said:

"For in truth to be able to help another person, I must understand more than him - but nevertheless first and foremost also understand what he understands. If I do not, then my superior knowledge does not help him at all. If, nevertheless, I assert my superior knowledge, then it is because I am vain or proud, for basically instead of helping him I essentially want to be admired by him. But all true help begins with an act of humility; the helper must first humble himself under the one he wants to help, and therewith understand that to help is not to command but to serve."

Gnosis Arts offers different counseling modalities to assist our clients. One of those counseling modalities is Christian Counseling. Christian Counseling uses theological insghts from the Bible to help clients achieve personal self-awareness and self-acutalization. Following the best traditions of Biblical counseling, the Christian counselor will above all inject compassion, empathy, and encouragement into his counsel - mixed, of course, with uncompromising truth.

Psychology IS Philosophical AND Spiritual

Over the past few decades, therapists and psychologists have become increasingly aware of the mutually beneficial relationship that exists between the philosophical and the psychological. At Gnosis Arts, we understand the interconnection between the two fields of study. The word "psyche," in fact, means "soul" - an undeniably spiritual term. Therefore, we believe that psychology--like philosophy & spirituality--pertains to the things of the soul. We see no necessary conflict between the insights of the great philosophical systems, spiritual discipline and the scientific knowledge gained through modern psychological research. As with all our teaching and counseling methods, we seek to draw the best from all the traditions of philosophical, spiritual, and psychological inquiry.

Philosophical Counseling - An Alternative To Conventional Psychology

At Gnosis Arts, we stand on the cutting-edge of the healing arts and social sciences. We like to consider ourselves "Philosophical Practitioners" (an occupation that is gaining in popularity of late, by the way). We use our philosophical, theological, spiritual, and existential understandings to provide our clients with the most comprehensive, quality counseling services available. We do not disparage psychologists, psychiatrists or psychotherapists - we take their insights and practices a step further. Our goal is, in the words of Carl Rogers: To assist individuals on their personal journey of self-actualization. To that end our counseling staff does not hesitate to utilize the fields of art, music, religion or the natural sciences to help our clients.

For more information about Philosophical Practitioners, visit:

*American Philosophical Practitioners Association