Existential Therapy, Meaning, and Spirituality in Albany, NY
Certain forms of perplexity — about freedom, knowledge, and the meaning of life — seem to me to embody more insight than any of the supposed solutions to these problems. — Thomas Nagel
What I bring to the deeper questions
Most therapists are trained to address psychological symptoms. I am also trained — and have spent a career thinking carefully — about the deeper questions that lie beneath those symptoms: What does it mean to live well? What makes a life meaningful? How do we understand freedom and responsibility? What is the relationship between our past and who we are capable of becoming?
I seek to help people find more meaning in their lives. I have an interest in contemporary spirituality and am able to talk honestly with those who have questions or thoughts about the larger questions of existence — whether they approach those questions with religious faith, with secular philosophy, or with simple human curiosity about what it all means.
The kinds of questions people bring to existential therapy
The people I am drawn to work with — and who are often drawn to work with me — are what I think of as seekers: individuals who take the inner life seriously and who want to understand their experience more deeply, not just manage it more effectively.
Meaning and Purpose
A feeling that life lacks direction, that one is going through motions, or that the activities that fill each day do not connect to anything that genuinely matters. This experience deserves serious attention, not only symptom management.
Identity and Authenticity
A sense of living according to others’ expectations rather than one’s own values; a feeling of not knowing who one really is beneath the roles one plays. These are among the most important questions a person can ask about themselves.
Spirituality and Belief
Questions about faith, God, the nature of reality, and how to live spiritually in a secular world. I work with people across the full range of belief — from committed religious faith to secular philosophy to honest agnosticism.
Grief, Loss, and Mortality
Confronting the death of a loved one, the reality of one’s own mortality, or a significant loss of any kind forces existential questions to the surface. These are experiences that deserve more than coping strategies.
A practical understanding of what spirituality means
I have a practical definition of spirituality that I return to often in my work: relationship to my true self, to other important people in my life, and — for those who believe — to God.
This definition matters because it keeps spirituality grounded. It is not about transcendence or dogma. It is about the quality of one’s relationship to oneself and to others — and, for those for whom it is meaningful, to something larger. Someone without religious faith can engage deeply with this understanding of spirituality. Someone with strong religious convictions can also find it useful. It is broad enough to be honest and specific enough to be workable.
I believe we are often held back by anxiety and fear — living halfheartedly — but also by a fear of living more joyfully, more freely, more fully. This is one of the most interesting and important things I have observed in many years of working with people: that the obstacle is not always the fear of suffering. Often it is the fear of genuine aliveness.
“Certain forms of perplexity — for example, about freedom, knowledge, and the meaning of life — seem to me to embody more insight than any of the supposed solutions to these problems.”
— Thomas Nagel
Questions about existential therapy in Albany, NY
Existential therapy is an approach rooted in philosophy that focuses on fundamental questions of human existence: meaning, freedom, responsibility, identity, and mortality. Rather than treating symptoms in isolation, it helps people understand the deeper questions underlying their struggles and develop a more authentic relationship with their own lives.
No. Spirituality and religion are not the same thing. I work with people across the full range of belief and non-belief. Someone without any religious faith can engage deeply with questions of meaning, purpose, and how to live well.
Common concerns include a feeling that life lacks meaning or direction, a sense of living inauthentically, questions about identity, difficulty with grief or mortality, a disconnect between one’s values and daily life, and a longing for a more genuinely intentional existence.
I have a PhD in philosophy from Tulane University and taught college philosophy for fifteen years before becoming a therapist. That background gives me a distinctive foundation for working with clients asking the deeper questions — engaging seriously and precisely with questions about meaning, freedom, and identity as practical tools for understanding one’s actual situation.
Yes. Anxiety and depression frequently have an existential dimension — they may be signals that something important in a person’s life is out of alignment with who they are or what they genuinely value. Addressing both levels together is often more effective than treating symptoms alone.
For those who take the inner life seriously.
If you are a seeker — someone who wants to understand their experience more deeply, not just manage it more effectively — I would be glad to have a conversation. I usually respond within one business day.
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I usually respond within one business day. No pressure — just a conversation.