In Person and Virtual LifeArt Sessions

In fact, Existential Personalistic Anthropology was an early advocate of training counselors to be capable of creating a true connection with their clients, by recognizing that while the counselor may have certain types of knowledge and expertise cultivated through years of study, training and experience, both people in the therapeutic dyad are human beings engaged in their journey of life, and their interaction in itself is a relationship.

The counselor is not “above” the client in their expertise, but is still on their own journey, and the healing they engage in with the client is seen as part of their own life journey as well. Even though it is not appropriate for the counselor to excessively disclose their own personal struggles, or the insights they may gain regarding their own life through the work with their clients, they are always in an active process themselves, throughout the session.

This is part of the high Art and science combination that is Existential Personalistic Anthropology, which sets it apart from many approaches, and particularly from the current trend towards encouraging practitioners to remain completely detached from their clients, and sees all kinds of emotional engagement with the client as being a hindrance (transfert-countertransfert). It instead recognizes that much can be gained when there is an authentic emotional and intellectual engagement and exchange between counselor and client and underlines that the genuine connection and interactions between client and practitioner is what most facilitates growth and healing, just as much, if not more than, the actual tools you will learn.

In fact, research done on the many different types of therapies now available consistently points to the fact that the most important element is not so much the actual approach used, but the relationship between the client and the practitioner. Go here to read a short article written in 2024 about these findings, that continue to point to the importance of the therapeutic relationship.

Empathetic listening and exchange, while creating a safe environment for the client, are fundamental assets that a counselor following a relational model brings to the table. Sometimes, appropriate self-disclosure by the counselor can also help the client realize they are not alone in their journey.

“Appropriate” means supplying information that is pertinent to what the client brings into the session and can create further understanding; when instead a counselor shares excessively or tends to talk too much about themselves or their ideas during a session, this can be a signal that the counselor is lacking in their own space for processing their personal issues, and clients need to be aware of the fact that not all counselors and therapists are getting the kind of support and supervision they themselves need, both for their own personal healing and evolution, and for them to be fully effective with their clients. It is always important to ask your counselor or therapist if they have a space where they do their own personal work: healthy counselors and therapists are very careful about making sure that they do, so they can avoid burnout or unconsciously leaning too much on their clients for validation or to try to understand and resolve their own problems.

A relational approach does not mean that this special relationship is carried out beyond the safe, private space of the session itself, and Martha adheres to the highest standards of the helping professions and does not engage in purely social relationships with her clients. 

This also means that when you decide you do not want to continue sessions, Martha will respect your decision and will not contact you except to follow up if it was not made clear that you have terminated, or through her newsletter and occasional emails announcing group activities, if you are on her email list. 

It is highly recommended, however, that if you feel that you no longer need or want sessions, you can let Martha, or any practitioner you may be doing sessions with, know. This creates a closure in the therapeutic relationship that is healthy for both you, and your practitioner, and helps reinforce the ability to develop and maintain healthy relationship skills.

Sessions via phone, Whatsapp, Zoom and FaceTime are all options, depending on what you find most comfortable.