Some readers have noticed new content on the blog page over the last few weeks. It remains, thus far, unannounced in any official way by me. But it’s something I’ve hinted at a couple of times – once on the blog and once in the Patreon newsletter. I’ve been working on it for awhile, and I’ve approached it gradually and methodically. I’ve even taken a professional certification course.

But that’s enough delay. Here’s the announcement: I’ve become a certified philosophical counselor. And I’m now open for business and seeing clients for philosophical counseling services.

Philosophical Counseling

Readers interested in philosophical counseling should check out the page linked above or click here. But if you’re looking for the quick version, here’s a brief rundown.

Philosophical counseling provides a way to look at the problems, challenges, and struggles of life for people who aren’t the right fit for psychiatry or psychology. Many of us struggle with issues of meaning, self-empowerment, autonomy, or the political climate of today’s world, but do so in a way that doesn’t stem from mental illness or issues of emotional regulation.

For people in that camp, these problems are primarily philosophical in nature. For settling these issues, the tools of critical thinking and conceptual analysis stand out as helpful. And philosophical counseling is all about providing those tools.

Is This a Career Switch?

So, that’s the rundown. But I’d also like to answer the question of whether I’m trying to switch careers here.

The short answer is ‘no.’

Many things pushed me in the direction of pursuing a path as a philosophical counselor – reconnecting with philosophy, rethinking the world as I turned 40, and the aftermath of the Covid pandemic and its impact on the people I know in my personal life.

These things pointed to philosophical counseling as part of the solution. But it’s a difficult thing to do as a career. Plus, I have my doubts that I’d want to take it that far. For now, I see it as a way to help my community and reconnect with a field I love.

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