Humanistic–existential and solution-focused approaches to psychotherapy

The humanistic–existential approach has long served as a foundation for psychiatric nursing with its emphasis on holism, self-actualization, facilitative communication, and the therapeutic relationship. In undergraduate programs, psychiatric nursing students are commonly taught Abraham Maslow's theory of human needs and Carl Rogers's facilitative communication techniques. This chapter provides an overview of humanistic–existential therapy and solution-focused therapy (SFT) for the advanced practice psychiatric nurse (APPN). It addresses the influence of the humanistic–existential approach in nursing and traces its historical evolution. The chapter describes four major humanistic–existential approaches, explicating their key concepts, goals, and therapeutic interventions: person-centered therapy, existential therapy, Gestalt therapy, and emotion-focused therapy (EFT). It includes SFT, a postmodern, social constructivist psychotherapy with humanistic–existential elements. The chapter focuses attention on the practical aspects of conducting psychotherapy and delivering therapeutic interventions that a beginning level APPN would be able to use. It presents evidence-based research in humanistic–existential therapy and SFT, and provides case examples to illustrate therapeutic interventions. The chapter concludes with a description of post-master's training and certification programs for humanistic–existential therapy and SFT.