Being Sexual: Existential Contributions to Psychotherapy with Gay Male Clients

SUMMARY

This paper outlines the existential-phenomenological (E-P) approach to psychotherapy and considers some of its core concepts, the stance taken to understanding sexuality and the implications for therapeutic practice with gay male clients. Three previously published case studies are reviewed to provide illustrations of the approach, and the paper concludes by arguing that a non-pathologising view of sexuality is useful in assisting clients in therapy and in assisting therapists and services in understanding their clients without problematising them.

KEYWORDS:

• Authenticity
• construction
• Dasein
• embodiment
• existential
• freedom
• gay
• HIV
• homosexuality
• phenomenological
• psychotherapy
• sexual minority