The theoretical framework used by many counsellors and psychotherapists is predominantly p̀sychodynamic', rooted in psychoanalytic theory and frequently felt to be inadequate for an understanding of the many-shaded spectrum of disturbances experienced by clients within themselves and in their relations to others. Although many practitioners have discovered existential-phenomenological thought, they may wonder what relevance these philosophical ideas have to their actual practice, to their day-to-day meetings with clients and to the relation between client and therapist. There is often a divide between thought and practice, and this book bridges that gap. The author introduces the history and ideas of existential phenomenology and existential psychotherapy, and shows how therapeutic phenomena familiar to all therapists and counsellors can be understood from an existential viewpoint. Hans W Cohn also demonstrates how the existential approach opens up access to issues that other therapeutic orientations.