aS A cOUNSELOR
As a licensed social worker and experienced therapist, my approach to counseling is to adapt to the person before me. Sometimes a cognitive approach is best. Sometimes a creative and emotive approach works better.
But no matter how cognitive and deep and philosophical a conversation becomes,
our bodies and brains are physical things and they must be nourished and refreshed. Coping skills and stress managment help us to survive and thrive and I want us to do that!
AS A pHILOSOPHER
My alma mater is Thomas Aquinas College and I am convinced that Aristotle and Aquinas take a commonsense approach to things. Aristotle, for example, says that everyone desires happiness and that we learn how to be good by observing good people. But no worries if you're unfamiliar with Aristotle and Aquinas. Philosophical counseling is more about being philosophical than it is about talking about famous philosophers.