If a school counselor is using the existential counseling approach, what type of knowledge is the counselor relying on?

The existential counseling approach emphasizes individual choice, personal responsibility, and the search for meaning in life. In this context, humanistic knowledge plays a crucial role as it aligns closely with the principles of existentialism. This approach focuses on understanding clients as whole individuals and acknowledges their unique experiences and perspectives.

Counselors using this approach rely on humanistic knowledge to foster a supportive environment that encourages self-exploration and the recognition of personal values and aspirations. The underlying belief is that individuals have the capacity for self-awareness and growth, which is a fundamental concept in humanistic psychology.

In contrast, the other types of knowledge—behavioral, cognitive, and psychodynamic—do not fully encompass the existential emphasis on the inherent value of personal subjective experience and the quest for authenticity. Behavioral knowledge focuses more on observable behaviors and the modification of those behaviors, while cognitive knowledge addresses thought patterns and beliefs. Psychodynamic knowledge is concerned with unconscious processes and past experiences shaping behavior, which are not the primary focus of the existential approach. Thus, humanistic knowledge is the most relevant and fitting in the context of existential counseling.