2015
KEYNOTE SPEAKER & WORKSHOP
Dr. Elliot Cohen, Founder of LBT & Executive Director of The National Philosophical Counseling Association, will be delivering the keynote address in Taiwan at the International Conference on Philosophical Counseling & Humanities Therapy and conducting a 2-Day LBT workshop.
CALL FOR PAPERS! * SPEAKER PANEL COMPLETE*
The National Philosophical Counseling Association is seeking papers, panel proposals, and commentators on a topic relevant to philosophy and counseling for its meetings that will be held in conjunction with the Central Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association in Chicago, IL, March 2nd to March 5th, 2016. Proposals for other types of presentation are also welcome!
NPCA UPDATE
The NPCA now recognizes two kinds of philosophical practitioners in the field of philosophical counseling: (1) philosophical counselors and (2) philosophical consultants. For details on the distinction and scope of practice, visit our practice areas/boundaries page.
CALL FOR PAPERS! * SPEAKER PANEL COMPLETE*
The National Philosophical Counseling Association is seeking papers, panel proposals, and commentators on a topic relevant to philosophy and counseling for its meetings that will be held in conjunction with the Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association in Washington, D.C., January 6th to 9th, 2016. Proposals for other types of presentation are also welcome!
Papers should be of approximately 25 minutes’ reading time. Please submit paper abstracts (of at least 100 words) or panel proposals by snail mail or e-mail to the NPCA Eastern Division Coordinator, James Stacey Taylor, at the address below BY MAY 23rd, 2015. Persons who wish to serve as commentators should also contact Dr. Taylor.
James Stacey Taylor
Department of Philosophy
The College of New Jersey
2000 Pennington Road
Ewing, NJ 08628
jtaylor@tcnj.edu
Papers presented at the NPCA meetings have the opportunity of being peer-reviewed for publication in the International Journal of Philosophical Practice. To print this information, please click here.
NEW PHILOSOPHICAL COUNSELOR DIRECTORY!
We are pleased to announce that we have added a national & international philosophical counselor directory to our website. Please visit our practitioner directory to find a philosophical counselor in your area!
Please also visit our philosophical practice Page for information about philosophical counseling & LBT.
2014
NEW INSTITUTE OF LOGIC-BASED THERAPY ESTABLISHED IN TAWAIN!
The National Philosophical Counseling Association and the Institute of Critical Thinking are proud to announce the founding of the Taiwan Logic-Based Therapy Institute in Taiwan under the direction of Dr. Bernard Li. The Institute will cooperate with the US Institute in the continued research and development of LBT. Please click here to see a chronicle of the history of events and activities leading to the establishment of the Taiwan Institute.
NPCA WEBSITE UPDATES IN PROGRESS: PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICE Q & A
We are excited to announce several in progress changes to our website. We have recently added a Q & A section to our site discussing our stance on the relationship between philosophical counseling and psychological counseling. To read more click here. We will are also planning on adding a Philosophical Counselor directory. Stay tuned!
PURDUE UNIVERSITY NORTHWEST: 3-DAY INTENSIVE WORKSHOP A SUCCESS!
Thank you to all who participated in our 3-Day Intensive Workshop in October and helped to make it such a success. Stay tuned for event updates and photos…as well as future events!
PURDUE UNIVERSITY NORTHWEST: NEW PRICE ANNOUNCEMENT
*REGISTRATION CLOSED* We are pleased to announce a new student price for our upcoming LBT workshop. For more information, please contact:
Samuel Zinaich, Jr., Ph.D.
Dept. of English & Philosophy
Purdue University Calumet/Northwest
E-Mail: zinaich@purduecal.edu
Office: CLO-260
Tel: 708.297.4518
In light of this newest option, we have also decided to lower the cost for our non-student participants. Please click here for more information.
PURDUE UNIVERSITY NORTHWEST: ON-LINE REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
*REGISTRATION CLOSED* On-line registration for our 3-day intensive workshop is now OPEN!!! To register NOW click here or to learn more (including info about NBCC credit hours) click here.
CALL FOR PAPERS: APA EASTERN DIVISION MEETING
*SPEAKER PANEL COMPLETE – PLEASE SEE THE APA CONFERENCE MEETING PROGRAM FOR DETAILS* The National Philosophical Counseling Association is seeking papers, panel proposals, and commentators on a topic relevant to philosophy and counseling for its meetings that will be held in conjunction with the American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division Meeting, in Philadelphia, PA, December 27-30, 2014. Abstracts are due by May 23, 2014. For more information click here.
PURDUE UNIVERSITY NORTHWEST: 3-DAY INTENSIVE WORKSHOP
*REGISTRATION CLOSED* 3-day intensive workshop to be held at the Institute of Critical Thinking Purdue University Northwest satellite office (formerly Purdue University Calumet) Friday, October 24-26, 2014. To learn more about this exciting opportunity (including info about NBCC credit hours), read here.
2013
NEW EDITED VOLUME FROM THE DIRECTORS OF THE NPCA
PHILOSOPHY, COUNSELING, AND PSYCHOTHERAPY
Edited by Elliot D. Cohen and Samuel Zinaich, Jr.
Can philosophy help ordinary people confront their personal or interpersonal problems of living? Can it help a couple whose marriage is on the rocks, or someone going through a midlife crisis, or someone depressed over the death of a significant other, or who suffers from anxiety about making a life change? These and many other behavioral and emotional problems are ordinarily referred to psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical social workers, or other mental health specialists. Less mainstream is the possibility of consulting a philosophical counselor or practitioner. Yet, there is presently a steadily increasing, world-wide movement among individuals with postgraduate credentials in philosophy to harness their philosophical training and skills in helping others to address their life problems.
But is this channeling of philosophy outside the classroom into the arena of life a good idea? Are philosophers, as such, competent to handle all or any of the myriad emotional and behavioral problems that arise in the context of life; or should these matters best be left to those trained in psychological counseling or psychotherapy?
Through a diverse and contrasting set of readings authored by prominent philosophers, philosophical counselors, and psychologists, this volume carefully explores the nature of philosophical counseling or practice and its relationship to psychological counseling and psychotherapy. Digging deeply into this relational question, this volume aims to spark more rational reflection, and greater sensitivity and openness to the potential contributions of philosophical practice. It is, accordingly, intended for students, teachers, scholars, and practitioners of philosophy, counseling, or psychotherapy; as well as those interested in knowing more about philosophical counseling or practice.
Other
The American Society for Philosophy, Counseling, and Psychotherapy (ASPCP) has a new name!
The ASPCP has changed its name to the National Philosophical Counseling Association. We believe that this change of name better describes its focus on the practical application of philosophy to problems of living, which has been the organization’s focus for the past twenty-two years. At the same time, we have taken the opportunity to build a new website, which is well overdue. The NPCA intends to maintain its association with the American Philosophical Association and to conduct its regular meetings at the APA (Eastern, Central, and Pacific) meetings.
ASPCP Original Documents have been Preserved.
The NPCA’s new website includes the documents posted to the old website, including its Standards of Practice, Constitution, and its early newsletters, which track the historical development of philosophical counseling in the United States.
Free Access to IJPP
The NPCA will continue its policy of making the International Journal of Philosophical Practice available free of charge in order to provide the widest circulation of the contributions of IJPP to philosophical practice. Visitors can still freely access all back issues of journal articles simply by clicking on the Journal link and then selecting the volume/issue they wish to view. Copies of the articles may be downloaded, distributed and used for scholarly and professional purposes but may not be sold without express permission of the Editors. While the IJPP has not published new issues in some, it plans to continue publishing new articles beginning in 2012.
The NAPC is a nonprofit organization and would greatly welcome your contributions, which it will in turn use to continue its main mission of advancing the professional and theoretical development of philosophical practice throughout the world. A contribution of $35.00 will also entitle you to status as voting member of the Association. You can download an ASPCP Membership Application Form in MS Word or PDF format. Simply fill out the on-line membership application and send it along with your check or money order to:
Dr. Samuel Zinaich, President & Secretary-Treasurer
National Philosophical Counseling Association
Purdue University Calumet
2200 169th Street Hammond, IN 46323-2094
NAPC Affiliates with the Institute of Critical Thinking to offer Primary Certificates in Logic-Based Therapy (LBT).
The NPCA is now offering Primary Certificates in LBT to qualified individuals through its new training program. For details please check out the Instititute of Critical Thinking website.