Philosophical Counseling

At Curious Soul Philosophy, we develop the practical value of philosophy for everyday life.

Individual philosophical counseling is a way to explore, in one-on-one dialogue, the philosophical dimensions of your life-challenges and quests, such as:
  • the search for meaning and purpose
  • the clarification of core beliefs and values
  • ethical dilemmas
  • issues of identity, change, and loss
  • dealing with alienation and injustice
  • developing a self-determined and authentic life
In philosophical counseling, our focus is on your concerns, your struggles, your goals, and your dilemmas. Instead of studying a specific text together, we study your life, your situation, and your potential choices together.

What you get from your philosophical counselor is a thinking and deliberating partner with 20+ years of experience studying and teaching wisdom traditions, identifying and examining lines of reasoning and their effects, exploring different worldviews, and thinking critically and creatively about life and fulfillment.

Your philosophical counselor's agenda is simply to help you to discover, examine, and execute your agenda in a reflective and deliberate way.

Meet Your Counselor

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Hi, I'm Monica Vilhauer and I have been studying and teaching philosophy for over 20 years.  A few years ago, I decided to shift my focus from academic philosophy to the practical value of philosophy, and turn my efforts to sharing philosophy in a way that speaks to the problems we deal with everyday — the problems of meaning, values, integrity, empowerment, freedom, creativity, and fulfillment. 

I am certified in philosophical counseling, which is different from psychotherapy in some important ways. Philosophical counseling is a non-medical intervention into life's problems, with the goal of enhancing clarity, choice, and self-realization in one's life. I do not diagnose or treat emotional or behavioral disorders. I do help you to work through big questions that can be at the root of many kinds of human distress, angst, and perplexity, like:
  • What do I really believe?
  • What do I care about most?
  • Who am I really, and who do I want to be?
  • Are my time and efforts aligned with my beliefs and values?
  • How can I redesign my life so it is more my own?
  • How can I face change, loss, and uncertainty?
Dare to ask big questions!
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You might think of a philosophical counselor as a navigation partner for the uncharted waters of life . . . someone with a lot of good questions, a discerning ear, a box full of critical thinking tools for examining ideas, and a broad array of philosophical perspectives that can open up thinking.

I approach life problems with an open mind and an empathetic heart, and I always try to hold on to humor, even when the waters get rough.
Client Testimonials
"For a long time, I have been looking for a female therapist that I could have productive conversations with. I had not managed to find this, until I began counseling with Monica. Monica meets you on every level: she’ll readily engage with any abstract ideas you have about the world or the self, and analyze those ideas with you, but she also has a way of making you feel that she viscerally understands the difficulty of the situations you’re describing. When I talk to her, I have the feeling that I’m talking to someone who is very present, who is on my side, and who has also fought to be able to live her own life on her terms. I look forward to our sessions each time, and afterwards feel mentally clearer and as though a load has been lifted from me; like a warm, re-generating energy is now going through me."
"There are just not very many people you can talk to about this stuff. I feel like she really hears me, helps me draw connections, and helps me to see things from new perspectives. She doesn’t have some side agenda. She isn’t telling me what to do. She is a partner and support."
"I get the sense that philosophical counseling for Monica is an extension of who she is. These difficult topics are a part of her own life, and she is comfortable talking about what is uncomfortable."
"Conversations with Monica feel non-hierarchical. She is working through the questions with you, not diagnosing you or analyzing you."
My Influences

My primary interest in philosophy is Ethics.

Ethics is the field of philosophy that deals with the question of how to live better, and asks what "better" even means for human beings. It examines values and deals with questions surrounding priorities, commitments, character, integrity, treating others and oneself with care and respect, and pursuing freedom, justice, and authenticity.

I'm deeply influenced by the ancient Greeks, existentialists, and feminists in my own thinking, but I draw on insights from a broad array of thinkers and traditions in conversation (though I don't always mention them by name), such as:
Socrates
Plato
Aristotle
The Stoics
Karl Marx
Henry David Thoreau
Friedrich Nietzsche
Martin Heidegger
Jean-Paul Sartre
Simone de Beauvoir
Martin Buber
Victor Frankl
William James
Hans-Georg Gadamer
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Arne Naess

My Qualifications

  • Ph.D. in philosophy from the New School for Social Research in New York
  • Certified in Philosophical Counseling through the American Philosophical Practitioners Association
  • Over a decade of teaching experience in philosophy and gender studies as a college professor (earned tenure at Roanoke College in Virginia)
  • Over a decade of coaching and counseling college students in critical thinking, analytical writing, effective communication skills, conflict resolution, ethics and values, issues surrounding gender and gender inequity, academic and life direction.
  • A number of published articles on ethics and communication, and a book called Gadamer's Ethics of Play: Hermeneutics and the Other (Lexington Books, 2010)
  • Co-creator of the Gender & Women's Studies program at Roanoke College
  • Winner of Roanoke College's "Exemplary Professional Achievement Award"