“Critical Thinking”
All philosophical counselors agree that philosophical counseling involves philosophical thinking carried out together with clients. The central issue, however, is how this thinking is conducted in counseling sessions and for what purpose. Different answers to this question give rise to different approaches.
One response is that the counselor should use philosophical thinking mainly as a tool to help clients overcome personal problems by analyzing their beliefs and attitudes (Cohen, 1995). In this model, philosophy becomes instrumental: its function is to make the client feel better, regardless of whether the process is intellectually deep or conceptually rigorous. Ran Lahav criticizes this reduction and prefers calling it “philosophy-therapy” rather than philosophical counseling (Lahav, 2001).
Elliot D. Cohen’s logic-based therapy rests on four assumptions: 1- People infer the cognitive-behavioral elements of their emotions from premises. 2- People are naturally prone to error, and premises in emotional/behavioral reasoning often contain fallacies. 3- Behavioral and emotional problems tend to arise from absolutist and perfectionist conceptions of reality. 4- People possess an inherent will that can be used to overcome faulty emotional and behavioral reasoning.
Tim LeBon, both a cognitive therapist and philosophical counselor, also emphasizes critical thinking in counseling. He defines philosophical counseling as using philosophical insights and methods to help people think more wisely about important life issues. LeBon integrates this with cognitive therapy because rational processes can be blocked by psychological mechanisms such as decision paralysis.
For LeBon, critical thinking means testing whether arguments stand up to scrutiny and whether we have good reasons to accept them. In counseling, this can foster emotional wisdom, better decisions, and clarified values.
“Socratic Perspective”
Many practitioners who orient philosophical practice toward Socrates rely on critical thinking. Their key idea is that Socrates demands clarification and justification of our views so they can withstand rational examination.
This approach implies that counselors should help clients clarify concepts, uncover hidden assumptions, examine internal logical consistency, and construct more coherent worldviews. The aim is self-understanding through dialectical dialogue and reflective questioning about everyday concerns and existential meaning.
Pierre Grimes’s “Philosophical Midwifery,” inspired by Plato’s Theaetetus, extends this model by using Socratic questioning to uncover hidden self-conceptions he calls pathologos. Through analysis and dialogue, clients can recognize inherited or internalized misconceptions and re-evaluate their core life commitments.
“Worldview”
Ran Lahav describes philosophical counseling through the principle of worldview interpretation (Lahav, 1995). Counseling helps clients articulate and critically examine the worldview structures that shape their everyday lives.
The counselor supports this process by:
- identifying implicit assumptions,
- clarifying conceptual implications,
- revealing hidden patterns,
- presenting alternatives,
- and connecting clients with relevant philosophical literature.
Eckart Ruschmann develops this framework by emphasizing: 1- reconstruction and coherence of clients’ conceptual systems, 2- alignment between worldview and lived practice, 3- and the role of these processes in supporting meaningful life orientation.
Wisdom
For Lahav, philosophical counseling differs fundamentally from psychotherapy because its central orientation is philo-sophia - the love of wisdom. The aim is not merely solving practical problems, but opening oneself to broader horizons of meaning.
In his early work, Lahav emphasized clarifying the conceptual web underlying clients’ attitudes. Later he argued that this is not enough: philosophy should not stop at articulating what is already present in the person, but should open new horizons of thought and transform one’s way of being.
On this view, the role of counseling is not simply to make clients happier, but wiser. Personal problem-solving can be a side effect, but not the primary aim.
Gerald Rochelle similarly treats wisdom as a process rather than a possession. Wisdom is cultivated through openness, transformation, and sustained engagement, not achieved as a fixed endpoint.
“Virtues”
Arto Tukiainen likewise considers wisdom key to philosophical counseling. He links wisdom to knowing how to live well and argues that virtues are central to that process. Counseling can thus be understood as cultivating virtues.
He distinguishes cognitive and practical virtues, including:
- self-knowledge,
- good judgment,
- openness to new perspectives,
- honesty,
- patience,
- justice,
- and humility.
Lydia B. Amir also emphasizes that counseling should develop intellectual courage, autonomy, and moral formation. Jess Fleming offers an extended list of useful counseling virtues, including balance, listening, empathy, authenticity, and humor.
Conclusion
Critical thinking is one of the most useful methods in philosophical counseling because it helps clients become more rational in decisions, values, and judgments. Socratic approaches focus on conceptual clarification and justification. Worldview interpretation examines the structures through which clients make sense of life.
Many authors also underline that philosophical counseling is ultimately a pursuit of wisdom rather than a narrow technique for immediate problem-solving. In this context, virtue cultivation plays a major role in helping individuals face personal and social challenges.
References
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Achenbach, G. (1998). On wisdom in philosophical practice. Inquiry: Critical thinking across the disciplines, 17(3).
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Footnote: This text is translated from Blanka Sulavikova’s article “Key concepts in philosophical counselling.” You can access it here.
Translator: Ahmet Er
In philosophical counseling, many concepts play an important role in interpreting meaning throughout the counseling process. This article focuses on concepts such as critical thinking, worldview, Socratic perspective, wisdom, good life, and virtues.