In The Virtuous Therapist, authors Elliot D. Cohen and Gale Spieler Cohen provide a systematic, philosophical approach to mental health ethics. Their comprehensive model of ethical decision making is developed to a number of difficult ethical problems counselors will experience. The issues raised in the book are timely, ethically engaging, and of practical importance to those working in the field.

Counseling Ethics for the 21st Century prepares students to address ethical issues arising in contemporary counseling practice. Drawing on their own clinical and practical experiences, authors Elliot D. Cohen and Gale Spieler Cohen present detailed, realistic, and engaging clinical case studies along with a comprehensive five-step model that can be used to manage the complex ethical problems raised throughout the book. Each chapter focuses on particular virtues in the context of examining a particular counseling issue, including online (...) counseling, digital record keeping, and social media. Students will be empowered to define problems, identify relevant facts, conduct ethical analyses, and make the best decisions for their clients. (shrink)

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. (shrink)

Edwin J. Delattre, Character and Cops: Ethics in Policing Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, 1989, xviii + 247 pp.

Demonstrating the practical relevance and import of many historically significant philosophers , Critical Thinking Unleashed presents a practical, non-technical, and comprehensive approach to critical thinking. In contrast to other treatments of practical reasoning, Elliot D. Cohen not only teaches students how to identify and refute irrational premises_he also teaches them how to construct rational antidotes to combat the personal, social, and political obstacles they confront in everyday life.

This paper sets the framework for a hybrid theory of Logic-Based Therapy and Psychoanalysis through an examination of Sigmund’s Freud’s theory of perfectionism.

This case-based approach to the philosophical practice modality of logic-based therapy demonstrates the utility, versatility, and accessibility of LBT for dealing effectively with the emotions of everyday life, such as anxiety, worry, guilt, anger, and sadness. Through engaging, illustrative case studies, this book serves as a guidebook for philosophical and psychological practitioners, as well as a text for instructors of philosophy and psychotherapy who wish to demonstrate the practical value of philosophy in their respective fields.

--Do patients have the right to know their physician's HIV status?-Can a dentist refuse treatment to an HIV-positive patient?-How do educators determine whether to allow an HIV-positive child to attend school, and if they do, should the parents of other children be informed?-Should a counselor break confidentiality by disclosing to a wife that her husband is infected with HIV?This collection of original essays carefully examines the difficult moral choices the AIDS pandemic has presented for many professionals-physicians, nurses, dentists, teachers and (...) school administrators, business managers, psychotherapists, lawyers, clergy, journalists, and politicians. In the workplace, problems posed by HIV and AIDS have led to a reexamination of traditional codes of ethics. Providing systematic and reasoned discussions, the authors explore the moral, legal, and ethical issues involved in the reconsideration of policies, standards of conduct, and the practicality of balancing personal and professional ethics. Author note: Elliot D. Cohen is Professor of Philosophy at Indian River Community College and Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Applied Philosophy.Michael Davis is Senior Research Associate at the Center for the Study of Ethics in Professions, Illinois Institute of Technology. (shrink)

The American Society for Philosophy, Counseling, and Psychotherapy (ASPCP) was founded on the premise that philosophical and psychological practices are interdependent and mutually supportive. While psychological practice can benefit from becoming more philosophical, the converse is also true. In contrast, the American Philosophical Practitioner’s Association, under the direction of Louis Marinoff, has driven a wedge between these two practices. In this paper, I show how philosophical therapies such as my own Log­ic-Based modality, and psychological therapies, especially Rational-Emotional Behavior Therapy (REBT) (...) work together synergistically. I hold that the APPA bifurcation of psycho­logical from philosophical practice is artificial, impractical, and self-defeating. Further, I maintain that Marinoff’s position that there is a distinct class of “sane” clients appropriate for the latter form of therapy serves to propagate a dangerous popular stereotype, that clients who “need” conventional psychological therapy must therefore be “insane.”. (shrink)

This paper distinguishes between two types of emotion: “bottom-up” largely “prewired” or conditioned responses to environmental stimuli and “top-down” “evaluative” emotions that are a function of a person’s evaluative inferences and use of “emotive” language. The paper, in turn, develops an analysis of the latter type of emotion and formulates a definition that tracks three interrelated levels of activity transpiring during an emotional episode: logico-linguistic, phenomenological, and neurological. In the light of this analysis, it shows how Logic-Based Therapy, a prominent (...) form of philosophical counseling created by the author, can be used to overcome self-destructive forms of evaluative emotions such as intense anxiety, anger, and guilt, and depression. (shrink)

This article traces the rise of philosophical counseling in the United States, from its roots in the applied philosophy movement to the establishment of the National Philosophical Counseling Association, including a code of ethical standards for practitioners and a program for certification of philosophical counselors. The article demonstrates, through a brief discussion of the philosophical counseling modality of Logic-Based Therapy (LBT), how individuals who have Masters or Ph.D.’s in philosophy can become certified members of this burgeoning new profession.

Albert Ellis is widely recognized as one of the most influential psychologists in the history of psychology. However, his importance as a pioneer of applied philosophy is not as widely acknowledged. This paper, in memoriam, pays tribute to Ellis’s contributions to applied philosophy. In particular it discusses his revolutionarily important applications of philosophy to the field of psychology and briefly discusses his influence on the emerging field of philosophical counseling.

Albert Ellis is widely recognized as one of the most influential psychologists in the history of psychology. However, his importance as a pioneer of applied philosophy is not as widely acknowledged. This paper, in memoriam, pays tribute to Ellis’s contributions to applied philosophy. In particular it discusses his revolutionarily important applications of philosophy to the field of psychology and briefly discusses his influence on the emerging field of philosophical counseling.

This paper shows how Logic-Based Therapy can constructively employ philosophical theories (such as those of Augustine, Aquinas, Spinoza, Hume, and Epictetus) as potent antidotes to the fallacy of Demanding Perfection.

David Hume is well known for his philosophical doubts about such things as whether there is an external world beyond our sense perception, and whether there are any rational grounds for believing that the future will resemble the past. But what would it be like to entertain such doubts in the context of one’s everyday life? In this paper, a fictional dialogue is provided in which a descendent of David Hume who brings such skeptical doubts to life, and consequently suffers (...) from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), is counseled by a Logic-Based Therapy practitioner. (shrink)

Logic-Based Therapy, a mode of philosophical counseling I invented beginning in the mid 1980s, under the auspices of Cognitive Behavior Therapy founder Albert Ellis, takes metaphysical security as a sin qua non for human happiness. The goal of LBT is to help people overcome irrational thinking that leads to metaphysical insecurity and to help build constructive, philosophical thinking that promotes metaphysical security. However, the advent of augmented and digital reality are beginning to present new challenges to obtaining metaphysical security. Applying (...) the tenets of LBT, this paper examines the implications for attaining metaphysical security in this brave new world of advancing technologies. (shrink)

This paper brings to bear empirical evidence from a sample of undergraduate students to show that perfectionism can be a fundamental cognition behind the essential symptoms of some anxiety and mood disorders, notably Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depression; and it suggests that this popular “philosophy of life” may helpfully be used in diagnosing these disorders.

Confidentiality in psychological counseling is necessary if clients are to feel comfortable in revealing their darkest secrets. But this bond of trust has its moral limits. These limits are crossed in some cases in which HIV positive clients are sexually active with unsuspecting third parties. Distinguishing between Type 1 and Type 2 cases, the author shows how he has used applied ethics in drafting and defending a model rule for the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics that permits, and sometimes (...) morally requires disclosure in the former cases, but not in the latter. (shrink)

Confidentiality in psychological counseling is necessary if clients are to feel comfortable in revealing their darkest secrets. But this bond of trust has its moral limits. These limits are crossed in some cases in which HIV positive clients are sexually active with unsuspecting third parties. Distinguishing between Type 1 and Type 2 cases, the author shows how he has used applied ethics in drafting and defending a model rule for the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics that permits, and sometimes (...) morally requires disclosure in the former cases, but not in the latter. (shrink)

This text examines the principles of sound reasoning concerning deduction, induction, and observation brought to bear upon the activity of value judgements. It has practical exercises, to aid application, and avoids technical jargon.

Bringing together major writings on a wide range of conceptual issues underlying the theory and practice of journalism, this unique anthology covers topics such as what makes a story newsworthy, journalism and professional ethics, the right of free speech, privacy and news sources, politicsand the power of the press, objectivity and bias, and the education of journalists. Including papers by key contemporary and classical authors such as Walter Lippmann, Joshua Halberstam, Tom L. Beauchamp, Fred Smoller, Edward J. Epstein, Herbert Gans, (...) John Stuart Mill, Philip Meyer, and Theodore L.Glasser, this book introduces provocative issues in press ethics and philosophy that color or determine much of what we see and hear in today's media. (shrink)

This paper introduces and examines the concept of permitted suicide in the context of philosophical counseling. It argues that clients suffering from serious, irremediable physical illnesses, such as Lou Gehrigs, multiple sclerosis, cancer, and HIV, should be free to philosophically explore the option of suicide with their philosophical counselors without undue fear of paternalistic intervention to thwart a rational suicide decision. Legal liability, professional duties, and qualifications of philosophical counselors who counsel such clients are explored. It is argued that, within (...) certain professional and legal limits, philosophical counselors are uniquely qualified to take on this professional challenge. (shrink)

State statutes, case law, and professional codes of ethics in the mental health professions typically stress either a duty or the permissibility of disclosing confidential information in order to prevent clients from seriously harming themselves. These sources are intended to address cases where clients are deemed to be suffering from cognitive dysfunction for which paternalistic intervention, including involuntary hospitalization, is considered necessary to prevent self-destructive behavior.The counselor’s moral and legal responsibility is less apparent when mentally competent clients desire suicide as (...) release from irremediable suffering due to severe physical illness, and this desire is defensible within these clients’ value systems. This paper will explore moral and legal dimensions of a counselor’s decision not to intervene in such cases. The concept of permitted suicide will be introduced and defined, and guidelines for its application developed. (shrink)

LOCKE IS FREQUENTLY CALLED AN EMPIRICIST. HOWEVER, THE\nROLES OF REASON AND EXPERIENCE IN LOCKE'S EPISTEMOLOGY\nHAVE, THEREBY, BEEN OBSCURED. IN THIS PAPER, DIFFERENT\nSENSES OF "EMPIRICISM" AND "RATIONALISM" ARE DISTINGUISHED,\nAND RELEVANT PASSAGES FROM LOCKE'S WRITINGS ARE SCRUTINIZED\nFOR PURPOSES OF EXPLICATING HIS EPISTEMOLOGY. THROUGH THIS\nEXAMINATION, IT IS SEEN THAT LOCKE, LIKE KANT, SEEKS A\n"REASON-EXPERIENCE SYNTHESIS" AND THAT THE BLANKET LABEL\n"EMPIRICIST," AS APPLIED TO LOCKE, IS MOST UNFORTUNATE.

Encouraging students to apply classroom knowledge in their personal, everyday life is a major problem confronting many teachers of critical thinking. For example, while a student might recognize an ad hominem argument in a classroom exercise, it is quite another thing for him or her to avoid the same in interpersonal relations, say with parents, siblings, and peers. One approach to this problem is the creation of interaction software to which students can turn for input on the rationality of their (...) own thinking. Students can then speak to computers rather than instructors about their private lives without having to share confidential information with any other human being, yet still receive relevant feedback. I discuss software technology that actually performs this function. The software in question is an interactive, artificial intelligence program that checks beliefs for faulty thinking, including inductive and deductive errors. The system "scans" student essays for possible fallacies; asks questions at relevant junctions; provides individualized feedback on fallacies committed; provides summaries of fallacies found; diagnoses thinking problems; issues recommendations; and provides other pertinent information. (shrink)

This article describes some core elements of Logic-Based Therapy and Consultation and examines some of their epistemic properties.

This article examines four key metaphysical assumptions of LBT regarding human emotions, human fallibility, reality, and human freedom. By way of examining these assumptions it shows how the theory of LBT systematically integrates philosophy and logic into a cognitive-behavioral approach to philosophical practice.

Throughout the ages, great thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Aquinas,Descartes, Spinoza, Kant, Nietzsche, and many others have had incredibly useful things to say about overcoming the strife of everyday living and attaining happiness. Unfortunately contemporary approaches to psychology have made only limited use of this guidance. At last, here is an uplifting psychology that systematically applies the wisdom of the ages to attaining life pregnant with insight, meaning, value, and purpose. Guided by the vision of great minds, this book (...) shows you how you can still feel secure and hopeful in a precarious, uncertain universe; face evil with life-affirming courage; build self-esteem, respect for others, and global reverence; become your own person; take control of you're emotions and behavior; strengthen your willpower; confront moral problems creatively; build rapport and solidarity with others; and hone your practical decision-making skills. Unlike classical approaches to rational psychology that only scratch the surface of what's deeply wrong in your life, The New Rational Therapy gets to the core and offers you penetrating, philosophical antidotes for transcending your malaise, and for attaining an enduring, profound happiness. (shrink)

In these essays, we are concerned with virtue in journalism and the media but are mindful of the tension between the commercial foundations of publishing and broadcasting, on the one hand, and journalism's democratic obligations on the other. Adam outlines, first, a moral vision of journalism focusing on individualistic concepts of authorship and craft. Next, Craft attempts to bridge individual and organizational concerns by examining the obligations of organizations to the individuals working within them. Finally, Cohen discusses the importance (...) of resisting the powerful corporate logic that pervades the news media in the United States and calls on journalists to be courageous. (shrink)