PHILOSOPHY
Existential philosophers and
therapists, Soren Kierkegaard, Martin Buber, Rollo May, Viktor Frankly
and Irvin Yalom, address the meaning of suffering, life and death, the need to
be transparent and have a direct encounter with reality. Their source of
understanding emanates from the awareness that humanity must encounter
something greater than itself to achieve meaning in life. Existential
social workers emphasize five central themes: - disillusionment and
self-deception, discovering the meaning of suffering, freedom of choice and
accompanying responsibility, centrality of dialogue for personal identity
and growth, and personal commitment and integrity[i]. To that end, existential
social work focuses on the use of family, significant others, neighborhood and
community to specify problems and identify potential solutions. The ideal
outcome of counseling is a movement of the client towards his or her sense of
personal destiny. Sometimes this outcome is best achieved through family
or group modalities.
PROFESSIONAL
The counselor’s personal and spiritual
integrity demand that she maintain an acute self-awareness and assessment
of the client’s desire to change during the counseling process. The
client and counselor establish a clear understanding of expectations, goals,
confidentiality and timelines to ensure both are accountable to one another.
Ms. Rountree is a California Board Certified Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 30 years of experience in human services. She received her Master of Social Work from the University of Denver and her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work with a minor in Spanish from the University of Nebraska. She has worked with older adults, families, youth and victims of abuse.