Philosophical Counselling
Welcome. My name is Matthew Bishop. I have qualifications in philosophy, and in counselling and psychotherapy. I combine the two, in a service called Philosophical Counselling. I see people by Zoom and phone in Australia and internationally.
What follows is a summary of the nature of this approach.
Philosophical counselling
It was while teaching philosophy at The University of Melbourne that I decided to become a philosophical counsellor. My approach to philosophy is rooted in the ancient Greeks--Socrates, Plato, Aristotle--as well as later classical philosophers such as Epictetus (Stoicism) and Plotinus (Neoplatonism). Classical philosophy is the cultivation of wisdom, and virtue, for the sake of a strong, good, happy way of being, and a meaningful, flourishing life.
To cultivate wisdom, is to strive to see life in ways that are as true and good as possible. This means shaping our perception, by improving our attention (its direction and quality), our reasoning (thinking well), our intellectual virtues (thinking with courage, compassion, creativity and so forth), and the use of our imagination (to see possibilities, and to work through emotional challenges). Because these are activities, you can work on them, you can get better at them, which means you can cultivate greater wisdom, you can become more wise.
Virtue is the alignment of our desires, emotions, and actions with the above wisdom. For example, through intentional repetition, you cultivate a habit of emotional courage, or behavioural self-control, in situations where more of that is needed.
Some people come to philosophical counselling purely to make sense of life--the cultivation of wisdom. Others want to work on both wisdom and virtue. It is your choice. I help you cultivate these, both to deal with your challenges, and to make yourself and your life better.
It was while teaching philosophy at The University of Melbourne that I decided to become a philosophical counsellor. My approach to philosophy is rooted in the ancient Greeks--Socrates, Plato, Aristotle--as well as later classical philosophers such as Epictetus (Stoicism) and Plotinus (Neoplatonism). Classical philosophy is the cultivation of wisdom, and virtue, for the sake of a strong, good, happy way of being, and a meaningful, flourishing life.
To cultivate wisdom, is to strive to see life in ways that are as true and good as possible. This means shaping our perception, by improving our attention (its direction and quality), our reasoning (thinking well), our intellectual virtues (thinking with courage, compassion, creativity and so forth), and the use of our imagination (to see possibilities, and to work through emotional challenges). Because these are activities, you can work on them, you can get better at them, which means you can cultivate greater wisdom, you can become more wise.
Virtue is the alignment of our desires, emotions, and actions with the above wisdom. For example, through intentional repetition, you cultivate a habit of emotional courage, or behavioural self-control, in situations where more of that is needed.
Some people come to philosophical counselling purely to make sense of life--the cultivation of wisdom. Others want to work on both wisdom and virtue. It is your choice. I help you cultivate these, both to deal with your challenges, and to make yourself and your life better.
Psychotherapy?
Philosophy is the attempt to see what is true and good, and to be transformed by that. Psychotherapy is a set of insights and practices for shaping our psychological patterns.
I studied counselling to master's level, and spent a decade and a half working as a mainstream psychotherapist, both within organisations, and in a private practice offering Existential Therapy. My goal was, in time, to integrate the psychological know-how of an experienced therapist into my philosophical counselling, which is what I do today. Hence, if you are seeking help to make your life better, and are trying to decide between psychotherapy (including existential therapy) or philosophical counselling, you may find much of what you seek in my service.
With some clients I integrate much psychotherapeutic reflection into my philosophical counselling. With others, the conversation is pure philosophical reflection. In either case the essence remains.
Philosophy is the attempt to see what is true and good, and to be transformed by that. Psychotherapy is a set of insights and practices for shaping our psychological patterns.
I studied counselling to master's level, and spent a decade and a half working as a mainstream psychotherapist, both within organisations, and in a private practice offering Existential Therapy. My goal was, in time, to integrate the psychological know-how of an experienced therapist into my philosophical counselling, which is what I do today. Hence, if you are seeking help to make your life better, and are trying to decide between psychotherapy (including existential therapy) or philosophical counselling, you may find much of what you seek in my service.
With some clients I integrate much psychotherapeutic reflection into my philosophical counselling. With others, the conversation is pure philosophical reflection. In either case the essence remains.
Who is this for?
My philosophical counselling is for:
On the following page, here, I offer a longer discussion of who I am, my professional background, and the nature of this philosophical counselling.
My philosophical counselling is for:
- Those who seek wisdom: a deeper, transformative vision of life
- Those want to cultivate know-how and virtue for a strong, good, happy, way of being, and a meaningful, flourishing life
- People who want to above, as an alternative form of help to mainstream therapy, for many of the same concerns
- Secular individuals who wish to construct a richer, more meaningful secular worldview
- Spiritually-oriented people, who will encounter in Plato a "rational spirituality" of unrivalled depth
- Psychotherapists and other helping professionals, who wish to deepen the meaning and purpose of their work, or who wish to enrich it philosophically
- Anybody else who senses that philosophical reflection and effort can help them
On the following page, here, I offer a longer discussion of who I am, my professional background, and the nature of this philosophical counselling.
