Socratic dialogue: c/o Louw 'Defining Philosophical Counselling'

There is a further philosophical counselling [PC] reading group tomorrow in Liverpool and online. Ordinarily I would like to be there in-person, but there are three nights in London to follow. Two papers this time, one includes:

' ... But perhaps the most popular version of PC in group format goes under the name of 'Socratic Dialogue`. This entails more than and even contradicts the well-known Socratic Approach' in which the counsellor-cum-midwife allows the client to give birth to his/her own ideas - a decidedly unstructured and unpredictable process. The 'Socratic Approach' is especially popular amongst those who advocate that PC does not and should not have any specific method (cf. Achenbach 1995). 'Socratic Dialogue', though, is exactly that: at method with strict rules of procedure. As facilitator, the philosophical counsellor puts a question to the group. Participants then need to submit concrete examples of situations in which they encountered the problem in the question. The facilitator subsequently decides on one example to serve as the focus of the discussion. The aim is for all the participants to agree on an appropriate answer to the question (excluding the facilitator: s/he remains, in this sense, disengaged) (Kessels 1997).' pp.65-66.

A different use-case of course, but I use guided discovery with students to introduce Hodges' model, taking in the course progression thus far. The students (re-)create the model through a question and answer session.

Louw D. (2013) Defining Philosophical Counselling: An Overview, South African Journal of Philosophy, 32:1, 60-70, DOI: 10.1080/02580136.2013.810417
https://doi.org/10.1080/02580136.2013.810417

Plus: Schuster, S.C., (1991) Philosophical Counselling. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 8:2. 219.

Previously: 'Socrates'

Philosophical Counselling - Reading group: Taylor 2002 'Central Value of Philosophical Counseling'

In addition to Kantian Desert (this p.m.) it is proving helpful to join a reading group on Philosophical Counselling. Being able to combine clinical and therapy experience* with philosophy is a welcome and rather overdue development. The reading for tomorrow (online for me I hope) is: 

Taylor J.S. (2002) The Central Value of Philosophical Counseling. International Journal of Philosophical Practice. 1 (2):1-9.

ABSTRACT: The title of this paper is deliberately ambiguous. It could refer either to the central value that philosophical counseling has for philosophy in general, or else it could refer to something (such as personal autonomy, or personal well-being) that philosophical counselors believe to be of value, and that they are able to help their clients pursue. In fact, this paper will be addressing both of these topics in order to demonstrate
the links that hold between them, and, in so doing, will attempt to further elucidate the nature of philosophical counseling itself.

Taylor (and related papers) also joins the dot (object?) that is Hodges' model, for example (with my emphasis):

'In this vein philosophical counseling is viewed as a Socratic drawing out of the knowledge that the client already possess, and that may be revealed through the careful questioning of a well-trained practitioner of the elenchic method.' pp.1-2.

I've long used guided discovery, by which the students (usually)/audience co-produce the model through a discussion.

'However, the difference between Socrates as a seeker after truth and the philosophical counselor as a professional who helps his or her client map out his or her own world-view in order to address particular problems that he or she is concerned with should not be overstated.' p.2.

'Furthermore—and perhaps most galling of all to philosophical counselors—academic philosophers often seem to view philosophical counseling as not being “real” philosophy at all, but more perhaps a species of social work, or an unsophisticated variant ofpsychotherapy.' p.4.

'Again, this information may be used by the counselor to help the client reflect more acutely upon her own views concerning the morality of abortion.' p.6.

'Given these two senses of “autonomy” it appears that the philosophical counselor is most concerned with enhancing autonomy in the second, Millian, sense of this concept. This is because philosophical counselors often try to aid persons in making decisions (or discoveries) about what it is that they really want to do, what their personal value-system or world-view really consists of.' p.11. 
(A contribution to person-centredness? Critical thinking is also noted by Taylor.)

 See also: https://www.igpp.org/english

 *Including, counselling, family, cognitive and behavioral therapies, plus psychosocial intervention.

Reading group: Kantian Justice - KantianDESERT

Dear all,

The KantianDESERT project's reading group will return on Tuesday 11th August, from 12-1:30 UK time. We will be starting to read Joseph de la Torre Dwyer's 2020 book 'Chance, Merit, and Economic Inequality'. The first session will focus on the Introduction and chapter 2.

The reading group will take place both in-person in Liverpool, and online via Teams. All are welcome. Please email: erc.kantiandesert.ukri AT liverpool.ac.uk if you'd like to attend and we can send you the room details/invite/reading.

My source: Kantian DESERT list and Philos-L "The Liverpool List". Messages to the Philos-L are archived at 
http://listserv.liv.ac.uk/archives/philos-l.html. Follow the list on Twitter @PhilosL. Follow the Department of Philosophy @LiverpoolPhilos

[n.b. With apologies for short-notice. PJ ].