Comparing Humanistic-Existential Psychotherapy with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Student’s Name Institution Affiliation Date 2 Introduction Psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners often rely on different psychotherapeutic approaches. These approaches serve as a guide, helping them understand patients, their mental health challenges and develop solutions to address them (Wheeler, 2020). Understanding each approach's strength, as well as which approach is most appropriate for every patient, is a vital skill psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners should possess (Wheeler, 2020). As such, this paper will compare humanistic-existential therapy to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), identifying the strengths and shortcomings of each approach and describing the potential outcomes of using the psychotherapeutic approaches. Brief Description of the Psychotherapeutic Approaches Humanistic-Existential Therapy As alluded to in the introductory part of the paper, psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners use different psychotherapeutic approaches to help clients overcome their psychological problems. One of these psychotherapeutic approaches is humanistic-existential psychotherapy. This approach predominantly focuses on helping clients discover their uniqueness by pushing them to acquire a greater awareness of themselves and the world around them (Shahar & Schiller, 2016). Psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners using this approach will help clients by teaching them how to recognize their resistance to ensure they can have a more meaningful life. Furthermore, this approach allows clients to freely explore the various aspects of their lives supporting their mental health recovery journey and discard other aspects to ensure they can have a fuller and more fulfilling life (Shahar & Schiller, 2016). Humanisticexistential therapy refrains from diagnosing and labeling to ensure clients focus on self-searching and meaning (Shahar & Schiller, 2016). Five core goals underscore this approach. These include 3 developing the capacity for self-awareness and comprehending the consequences of having freedom of choice; creating personal identities and being present for quality relationships; searching for the meaning, values, beliefs, and purpose of life; accepting normal anxiety as a natural pre-requisite for living; and becoming aware of non-existence and death (Shahar & Schiller, 2016). Essentially, the approach focuses on comprehending human experiences and the client rather than their symptoms. Psychological challenges emanate from an inhibited capacity to make authentic, meaningful, and self-directed choices about how one should live (Shahar & Schiller, 2016). Due to this, humanistic-existential therapeutic interventions focus on increasing a client's self-awareness and self-understanding. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Cognitive behavioral therapy is another common intervention used to help clients deal with their psychological issues. It is an approach that seeks to help clients learn how not only to identify but also to alter unhealthy and harmful patterns of thought that adversely affect their emotions and conduct (David et al., 2018). CBT is anchored on three fundamental principles. One is that, psychological issues are triggered by unhelpful or faulty thinking patterns; psychological issues are informed, in part, by learned patterns of unhelpful conduct; and individuals dealing with psychological issues can learn better ways of dealing with them, thereby relieving their symptoms and becoming more effective in their lives (David et al., 2018). This approach focuses on changing clients’ thinking patterns by helping clients learn how to recognize how their thinking patterns are creating psychological challenges, gain a better comprehension of their behavior, how to use problem-solving skills to cope with challenging events or situations, and learn how to develop a greater sense of confidence in their abilities (David et al., 2018). Even though CBT might not use all of these strategies, a psychiatric-mental