Elevate your practice. Integrate timeless philosophical wisdom to deepen insight, build resilience, and transform mental health outcomes.
Welcome to "Philosophical Tools for Psychological Practice," a course designed for mental health professionals seeking to deepen therapeutic insight and foster emotional resilience. This professional development program explores how integrating philosophical principles from ancient and modern traditions can enhance clinical outcomes.
The course introduces the historical overlap between philosophy and psychology, tracing connections from Socrates to modern positive psychology.
Epistemology: Explore the philosophy of knowledge and its role in challenging distorted beliefs, applying concepts from Plato to postmodern thinkers to refine therapeutic insight and enhance cognitive restructuring.
Ontology: Delve into the study of being and existence, examining how understanding self, meaning, and authenticity, from Aristotle to Viktor Frankl, empowers clients to navigate identity crises and build emotional resilience.
Logic: Master logical frameworks from Aristotle to modern symbolic logic, leveraging them to identify and correct irrational thought patterns in therapeutic settings and foster clear, rational thinking.
The course then transitions to applying Stoic philosophy:
Stoicism's Foundations: Understand core Stoic principles like Epictetus's dichotomy of control and Seneca's virtues, providing timeless tools for mental fortitude and guiding clients toward greater emotional regulation.
Negative Visualization: Learn this powerful Stoic technique to build mental preparedness, counteract hedonic adaptation, and reduce fear by mentally rehearsing worst-case scenarios.
Voluntary Discomfort: Explore this practice for building resilience, fostering self-control, and reducing dependence on external comforts by deliberately engaging with hardship.
Stoic Mindfulness: Cultivate presence and rational judgment through practices from Marcus Aurelius, enhancing emotional regulation and stress reduction.
Stoicism in Professional Settings: Apply Stoic virtues and principles to enhance ethical decision-making, boost team resilience, and prevent burnout in professional contexts.
Finally, the course addresses existential themes and ethical integration:
Freedom and Responsibility: Confront the radical freedom of human existence, drawing from Sartre and Kierkegaard, to empower clients to embrace agency and make authentic choices.
The Absurd and Meaning-Making: Navigate the inherent conflict between the desire for meaning and an indifferent universe, learning to create purpose through creative responses and existential rebellion.
Anxiety and Authenticity: Reframe anxiety not as pathology, but as a catalyst for authentic living, transforming "angst" into a signal for profound self-discovery and growth.
Nietzsche's Will to Power: Explore this concept as a driving force for self-overcoming and creation, fostering vitality and resilience by embracing challenges as opportunities for growth.
Through "Philosophical Tools for Psychological Practice," you will gain an integrated understanding of various therapeutic models, enhancing holistic meaning-making and client-centered depth. The course concludes with a comprehensive segment on ethical theories:
Phenomenological Tools: Master epoché, embodiment, intersubjectivity, and temporality to achieve unbiased perception, foster deep empathy, and enhance understanding of clients' lived experiences.
Virtue Ethics: Cultivate moral virtues and practical wisdom ("phronesis") to promote human flourishing and guide ethical decision-making. Learn to identify and habituate virtues like courage and compassion for wise professionalism.
Deontology: Apply Kant's categorical imperative to ensure actions adhere to universal moral rules, upholding duties like informed consent and confidentiality with rigorous ethical consistency.
Utilitarianism: Utilize the "greatest happiness principle" to optimize mental health outcomes, focusing on interventions that produce the most beneficial results for the greatest number of people.
Care Ethics: Emphasize relationships, empathy, and relational responsibilities in ethical decision-making, fostering compassionate wisdom and strengthening therapeutic bonds.
This course equips you with a pluralistic ethical toolkit, enhancing flexibility and collaboration in navigating complex clinical dilemmas, leading to more resilient practice and profound client care.
Psychologist & Training Expert
Dr. Elisaveta Pavlova, Ph.D., Ms, CEDS, IE-Pro, EDIT-I • Doctor in Psychology, Master in Counseling Psychology, BA with Double Majors in Psychology and Human Relations from Concordia University in Canada • More than 17 years of experience in working at individual and group psycho-educational, and Human-Centred type of counseling face to face, online CBT therapy, counseling parents and leading groups for eating disorders (ED), and related fields and conditions such as anger and emotions management, anxiety, depression, stress, sleep problems, interpersonal conflicts, social dificultes, binge, restrictive and emotional eating, self-esteem, confidence, body image • 90 hours Counseling (Based on Carl Rogers' Humanistic Perspective) & Active Listening Training at Peer Support Program in Concordia University, Montreal, Canada • Active listening and problem-solving phone counseling training at Tel-Aide Organisation, Montreal, Canada • Trained in internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy (iCBT) in clinical practice. This Australian CPD program provides a cognitive-behavioral model of emotional well-being and strategies that clients can use to manage the symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, and various other problematic psychological conditions • Extensive practice in online counseling and iCBT for 7 Cups, Onlinetherapy.org, and Just Answer • Partnering Clinician for "THIS WAY UP" internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy platform • Trained as a therapist in the Oxford University Therapy Program: CBT-E, which is the leading evidence-based therapy for EDs. • CEDS-Certified Eating Disorders Specialist and a Member of the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals, iaedp™, • EDIT™ Certified I - Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician, trained at the American EDIT Institute for Intuitive Therapy. • Dr. Elisaveta Pavlova is a Self-Esteem Elevation and Self-Confidence Coach at the American Center for Personal Reinvention, • Certified Life Coach and a Career Coach at The Coaching Academy of North America, • She is a Certified Body Positive Therapist from the Body Positive Institute and a Certified Professional Consultant in the Intuitive Eating Approach from the American Organization of Intuitive Eating Professionals. • She is the Founder, the President, and the Consulting Trainer of UNIKAL Online Institute, NPO Association UNIKAL, and “Emotions & Eating” Academy. • Furthermore, Dr. Elisaveta Pavlova is a Member of the Senior Advisory Committee of iaedp™, and an ex-Board Member, and ex-Member of the International Board Advisory Committee of iaedp™ • A President of the International Chapter of the International Association for ED iaedp™ • A Professional Partner to the WHO (World Health Organization) Global Clinical Practice Network.
