Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts, Disputes, and Personal Confusion
Philosophical Counseling
About Personal or Business Relationships, Goals, Values,
Ethics, Morality, Religion, Education, and Other Personal,
Work-related, and Social Issues of a Conceptual or Philosophical Nature

Richard Garlikov
(205) 223-0270
1277 Grants Way
Irondale, Alabama 35210
e-mail: garlikov@hiwaay.net


Philosophical counseling or consulting is NOT psychological counseling or psychological therapy; it is philosophical mentoring or teaching. It is often useful because many problems that bother people turn out to be caused by conceptual misunderstanding or confusion, rather than by deep or nebulous psychological causes.  There are many areas in life where philosophical understanding, and a perspective based on philosophical knowledge, is extremely important and helpful.  Often such knowledge is not difficult to attain, and requires only being exposed to some reasonable ideas you just had not heard or thought of before or which had not previously been made meaningful.

Examples:

A typical conceptual misunderstanding that causes problems is confusing strong emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attraction with love. There is a logical difference between these things that must be understood in order to feel the psychological difference.

Another typical problem is confusing "feeling guilty" with having a sense of regret one cannot make things better for someone else, such as a parent or child. But again, there is a difference in the logic of the concepts of guilt and regret that is important to know in order to feel the differences between them. 

Ethical Disputes and Confusing Problems

In many ethical disputes, there are often principles that either underlie or override your intuitions.  Understanding these principles can help prevent and resolve problems.  Moreover, many apparent ethical disputes can easily be resolved or made to disappear by creative, but practical, solutions that actually give everyone what they want or need.