EXISTENTIAL HUMANISTIC THERAPY
in-person in Las Vegas and virtual anywhere in Nevada.
Existential humanistic therapy is a depth-oriented form of psychotherapy that focuses less on what you are talking about and more on how you are experiencing yourself while you talk.
It is a therapy of process rather than content.
The work happens in the here and now. In how you speak, pause, hesitate, tighten, soften, explain, withdraw, or reach. In how you experience yourself internally, and how you show up in relationship, including in the therapy room itself.
Many people come to therapy not because they are falling apart, but because they are holding everything together. On the outside, life looks functional, capable, even successful. On the inside, there may be anxiety, shame, self-doubt, or a quiet sense of disconnection that is hard to name.
This work is for people who want more than symptom management. It is for people who want depth, honesty, and a more authentic relationship with themselves.
Presence, Meaning, and the Courage to Be Seen
Shame, Vulnerability, and the Parts We Hide
There is a moment in therapy that matters more than the story being told.
Someone begins speaking, then pauses. Not dramatically. Just long enough to feel the question underneath the words.
“Do I say the part that actually matters?”
That pause is often where shame lives.
Shame is not loud. It is subtle. It shows up as self-editing, intellectualizing, staying composed, or presenting the acceptable version of ourselves. Many people learn early that being competent, strong, or put-together is safer than being honest.
Existential humanistic therapy creates a space where vulnerability is not rushed and not forced. Where honesty does not mean collapse, and being real does not mean losing control.
When people feel genuinely seen without being judged, fixed, or reassured away, shame begins to loosen. What was hidden becomes speakable. What felt isolating becomes human.
A Relational, Here-and-Now Approach
This approach is rooted in the existential humanistic tradition associated with Irvin Yalom and James Bugental, which emphasizes presence, responsibility, meaning, and authentic encounter.
I trained extensively in this tradition for several years under Victor Yalom, completing hundreds of hours of advanced existential humanistic training, group process work, and supervision grounded directly in this lineage.
In addition to formal training, I also had the privilege of a one-on-one consultation with Dr. Irvin Yalom himself. That consultation focused specifically on therapist presence, the ethical use of self-disclosure, and how real change emerges through the quality of the therapeutic relationship rather than technique alone. That conversation continues to shape how I practice.
Just as important, this work is not only something I studied. It is something I have lived.
I have spent many years in my own therapy, sitting in the other chair. Wrestling with anxiety, shame, and the experience of appearing fine while feeling flooded inside. Learning, firsthand, the difference between being managed and being met. Between insight that stays in the head and insight that reaches the nervous system.
That lived experience matters. It informs how carefully I listen, how I respect silence, and how I understand the risk involved in being real with another person.
Process Over Content
Many therapies organize sessions around content. Symptoms. Diagnoses. Thoughts. Behaviors. Past events.
Existential humanistic therapy focuses on process.
James Bugental described this work as attending to lived experience rather than explanation alone. What matters is not only what happened to you, but how you are experiencing yourself right now while talking about it.
In sessions, we pay close attention to subtle but meaningful moments. Hesitations. Shifts in breath or tone. The pull to minimize, intellectualize, or stay composed. What happens between us when you take the risk of being more honest.
These moments are not side details.
They are the work.
Change happens when you stop talking about yourself and begin encountering yourself.
Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Depth
This work unfolds on two levels at the same time.
Internally, we explore how you experience your thoughts, emotions, anxiety, values, and sense of meaning. Many clients realize they have been living on autopilot, reacting quickly while rarely slowing down enough to feel what is actually happening.
Relationally, we notice how patterns show up between people, including in the therapy relationship itself. How you experience being seen, misunderstood, careful, responsible, guarded, or alone.
Insight becomes lasting when it is not only understood intellectually, but felt and practiced in relationship.
Slowing Down the High-Functioning Mind
High-functioning people often move quickly. Thoughts race. Language tightens. The nervous system speeds up before anyone notices.
Speed can feel safer than stillness. Slowing down means feeling what has been avoided.
In therapy, we look for the earliest signals that this shift is happening. A jaw tightening for half a second. A breath that shortens. A subtle change in tone.
Sometimes the most meaningful moment in a session is when someone notices it and says,
“There it is. That’s the moment everything speeds up.”
That pause is powerful. Not because it is calm, but because it is honest. It marks the beginning of responding instead of reacting.
A Human Stance
A core belief of existential humanistic therapy is simple and demanding.
You are not a problem to be solved.
You are a person to be encountered.
Many clients resonate with the experience of appearing together while carrying anxiety, fear, or self-doubt internally. Therapy becomes meaningful when you no longer have to present the acceptable version of yourself.
This work is not about fixing who you are.
It is about meeting yourself more fully.
Common Questions
Is existential humanistic therapy too abstract or philosophical?
No. While it draws from existential thought, sessions are grounded in real-time emotional and relational experience. Most clients experience the work as practical, clarifying, and deeply human.
Do we still work on anxiety or specific struggles?
Yes. Anxiety, shame, relationships, meaning, and life transitions are common entry points. The difference is that we work with how these struggles live inside you, not only how to manage them.
Who tends to benefit most from this approach?
People who are thoughtful, self-aware, high-functioning, or existentially curious, and who want depth rather than scripts or quick fixes.
Ready to Begin?
If this approach resonates, the next step is simple.
You do not need to have the right words yet.
Contact me to schedule a consultation and explore whether this work feels like a good fit.