Philosophical Counseling
At Curious Soul, we focus on the practical value of philosophy for everyday problems, and develop the art of living philosophically. Individual philosophical counseling is a way to pursue this work in tailored one-on-one consultation.
In philosophical counseling, our focus is on your concerns, your struggles, and your dilemmas. Instead of studying a specific text together, we study your life together.
Philosophical counseling approaches life problems by dealing with their philosophical dimensions, like the search for meaning and purpose, clarifying core beliefs and values, dealing with ethical dilemmas, grappling with issues of identity, coping with change and loss, understanding power relations and challenging oneself to create an empowered, authentic life.
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, and thinking critically and creatively about life. Your philosophical counselor's agenda is simply to help you to discover, examine, and execute your agenda in a reflective and deliberate way.
Want to learn more? Read "What is Philosophical Counseling?"
In philosophical counseling, our focus is on your concerns, your struggles, and your dilemmas. Instead of studying a specific text together, we study your life together.
Philosophical counseling approaches life problems by dealing with their philosophical dimensions, like the search for meaning and purpose, clarifying core beliefs and values, dealing with ethical dilemmas, grappling with issues of identity, coping with change and loss, understanding power relations and challenging oneself to create an empowered, authentic life.
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, and thinking critically and creatively about life. Your philosophical counselor's agenda is simply to help you to discover, examine, and execute your agenda in a reflective and deliberate way.
Want to learn more? Read "What is Philosophical Counseling?"
Meet Your Counselor
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 away from academic life to focus on philosophy's practical value, and turn my efforts to sharing philosophy in a way that speaks to the problems we deal with everyday -- the problems of this human condition and of seeking meaning, integrity, creativity, and fulfillment.
I am certified in philosophical counseling, which you should know is different from psychological counseling. I do not diagnose or treat emotional or behavioral disorders, but 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:
Dare to ask big questions! I can help you to examine your core beliefs, values and priorities, pursue a greater sense of meaning and purpose in your life, cope with change, work through ethical dilemmas, and develop a greater sense of empowerment and authenticity in your life. We'll work through your concerns together, uncover the implicit beliefs and values that seem to be directing your life, examine them, figure out what you want to revise and how you want to put those revisions into action.
You might think of a philosophical counselor as a navigation partner for the uncharted waters of life . . . someone you'd like to have along on your journey who's got a lot of good questions, a discerning ear, a pocket-full of critical thinking tools, a memory chocked full of interesting philosophical perspectives, an empathetic heart, and a smattering of good jokes.
I'm endlessly interested in the human drama and ready to help you to develop your own philosophy of life, and live it!
My influences . . . in case you were trying to see if I'm in to your fave philosopher
My primary interest in philosophy is Ethics. Ethics is the field of philosophy that deals with how to live better, and asks what "better" even means for human beings. It examines values, and deals with questions surrounding priorities, commitments, developing character, acting with 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:
I am certified in philosophical counseling, which you should know is different from psychological counseling. I do not diagnose or treat emotional or behavioral disorders, but 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 really care about?
- Who am I really, and who do I want to be?
- Are my time and efforts really aligned with my beliefs and values?
- How can I face change and loss?
- How can I improve or redesign my life?
- How can I best respect others in my life and myself?
- How can I better communicate with those I care about?
- How can I cope with power relations and fight for justice?
Dare to ask big questions! I can help you to examine your core beliefs, values and priorities, pursue a greater sense of meaning and purpose in your life, cope with change, work through ethical dilemmas, and develop a greater sense of empowerment and authenticity in your life. We'll work through your concerns together, uncover the implicit beliefs and values that seem to be directing your life, examine them, figure out what you want to revise and how you want to put those revisions into action.
You might think of a philosophical counselor as a navigation partner for the uncharted waters of life . . . someone you'd like to have along on your journey who's got a lot of good questions, a discerning ear, a pocket-full of critical thinking tools, a memory chocked full of interesting philosophical perspectives, an empathetic heart, and a smattering of good jokes.
I'm endlessly interested in the human drama and ready to help you to develop your own philosophy of life, and live it!
My influences . . . in case you were trying to see if I'm in to your fave philosopher
My primary interest in philosophy is Ethics. Ethics is the field of philosophy that deals with how to live better, and asks what "better" even means for human beings. It examines values, and deals with questions surrounding priorities, commitments, developing character, acting with 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 |
Jean-Jacques Rousseau |
Friedrich Nietzsche |
Michel Foucault |
My qualifications . . . in case you were secretly wondering about street cred
- Ph.D. in philosophy from the New School for Social Research in New York
- Certification in Philosophical Counseling through the American Philosophical Practitioners Association
- Over a decade of teaching in philosophy and gender studies as a college professor at various colleges and universities (earning tenure at Roanoke College in Virginia)
- Co-creator of the Gender & Women's Studies program at Roanoke College
- 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)
- Winner of Roanoke College's "Exemplary Professional Achievement Award"