EHNW Portland Online Monthly Seminar is Continuing for its 5th Year!

Philosophy and Clinical Practice: Enriching the Therapeutic Encounter

A Ten-Month Seminar with Carol Swanson

Dates: First Friday, each month September 4th, 2026 – June 4, 2027
Time: 1:15pm–2:30 pm Pacific Time
Fee: $135-$300

Online: via Zoom
More Info & Registration 
Host: Existential-Humanistic Northwest (EHNW)

Texts: Nourishing the Inner Life of Clinicians and Humanitarians: The Ethical Turn in Psychoanalysis by Donna Orange, and Trauma and Human Existence: Autobiographical, Psychoanalytic, and Philosophical Reflectionsby Robert Stolorow (participants will purchase their own copies of these texts)

This is the fifth year of an ongoing seminar exploring how philosophical ideas can deepen, challenge, and enrich clinical practice. The seminar is grounded in the conviction that psychotherapy is not only a clinical endeavor but also a profoundly human one, raising questions about understanding, suffering, ethics, relationship, and the nature of experience itself. This year participants will read two thought-provoking texts. 

Participants will be encouraged to bring both clinical experience and personal reflection into the conversation. No prior background in philosophy is required. The seminar is intended for clinicians, therapists, analysts, counselors, and others interested in exploring the intersection of philosophy and psychotherapy. The seminar will meet virtually on Zoom on the first Friday of each month from 1:15 pm to 2:30 pm, beginning September 4, 2026, and continuing through June 4, 2027. 

About the Facilitator

Carol Swanson, LCSW, ACSW has been in private practice in Portland, OR for over forty years. She cofounded the Portland Gestalt Therapy Training Institute and has trained therapists in Europe, Australia and the US. Her current interests are studying philosophical resources for humanistic clinicians. Although semi-retired, clinical work is still rewarding work along with living outdoors in her garden, on her bike, her kayak, or on the trails.

Questions? Please note that this is hosted by our friends at Existential-Humanistic Northwest (EHNW) in Portland. For any questions, contact them at event-host@ehnwpdx.org.

EHNW Vision Statement: Existential-Humanistic NorthWest is here to impact the world through our commitment to and passion for existential-humanistic values of authenticity, integrity, responsibility, inter-connectedness, inclusion, and awe.