Matthew is both a philosopher and a counsellor. While teaching philosophy at university, Matthew perceived the need for a new discipline which combines philosophy and counselling, offering people the best of both disciplines. So Matthew completed a masters qualification in counselling, and now has decades of experience as a therapist in a wide variety of contexts. With this experience behind him, Matthew now formally combines the two as Philosophical Counselling, and offers this in private practice.
Philosophical Counselling helps with any concern you would take to a mainstream counsellor. Hence, the benefits include practical improvements and psychological insight and growth. The therapeutic aspect is integrated, however, into a broader philosophical ethos. Philosophy is 1) the pursuit of wisdom, and 2) the cultivation of virtue.
As the pursuit of wisdom, philosophy pays attention to reality--whether without or within--in order to understand it and to orient ourselves well within it. As the cultivation of virtue, philosophy recognises that the key to a good and happy life lies in our way of being, and the development of that. A virtue is simply any good quality, any personal strength which makes you a better and more capable person, and so makes your life better. Hence, philosophy is the cultivation of qualities such as wisdom, courage, humility, self-respect, empathy, creativity, and so on. As a form of counselling, this is not a general formula, rather we pay close attention to your situation, way of being, and needs.
The point of pursuing wisdom and virtue is to achieve such benefits as greater emotional strength, happiness, and flourishing; to become a greater source of goodness for ourselves and those around us; and to experience life as meaningful and purposeful.
