Client and Therapist Existential Isolation & Self-Care During the Holidays

The holiday season can intensify various emotions, including positive and negative emotions. In addition, the holidays increase stress and can intensify engagement with existential issues, including existential isolation and loneliness. In this workshop, we begin by describing existential isolation and distinguish it from related constructs. Yalom (1980) describes existential isolation as “an unbridgeable gulf between oneself and any other being. It refers, too, to an isolation even more fundamental—a separation between the individual and the world” (p. 355). There are various factors that contribute to the experience of existential isolation, including awareness of other existential issues and feelings of being different or not understood. Especially during the holidays, existential isolation can impact therapists as well as clients, making it important for therapists to recognize and address their own feelings of isolation in order to be able to assist clients with their relational struggles. Due to relational challenges, including existential isolation and loneliness, that one experiences during the holidays, self-care becomes more vital for both clients and therapists. The second half of the presentation builds from the discussion of existential isolation to address self-care strategies that can be employed to help address holiday stress. This includes practical strategies for therapists and for clients.

Holiday Party Following Workshop

Be sure to stay around for our holiday party immediately after the workshop!!

Continuing Education Credits

The Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counseling and Psychological Association (RMHCPA) has a collaborative agreement with the Society for Humanistic Psychology to provide Continuing Education Certificates for approved training events. Division 32 (Society for Humanistic Psychology) of the American Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Division 32 (Society for Humanistic Psychology) of the American Psychological Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Accommodations

Please reach out to Louis Hoffman for disability accommodations and for additional questions regarding continuing education programming. Email [email protected] (please note this is a shared email) or call at (855) 764-2721.

Host or Publisher Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counseling and Psychological Association