Dr. Edward Marshall

Registered Professional Counsellor

 

Registered Clinical Counsellor

BC Association of Clinical Counsellors

Diplomate Clinician in Logotherapy

Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy

Canadian Chapter President

Welcome!

Thank you for visiting my website.

I offer Meaning-oriented Therapy (Logotherapy) to address a variety of issues and concerns.

This website will help you to get the most of your counselling sessions with me through covering the following areas: 

• Preparation for the first session; 
• Counselling process;
• How I work;
• Useful information;
• Links to resources.

For face to face sessions, my office is conveniently located at the Sun Tower in Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada.

If for some reason you cannot come to the office, eCounselling through e-mail, and telephone is also available.

Healing Through Meaning

Do you feel that life is meaningful?

Many people like you have found that finding a meaning and purpose are essential for their well being.

Why?

It is because meaning and purpose are fundamental human motivating motivating force.

How does one experience meaning in life?

The search for meaning in life provides a strong direction, and a sense of purposefullness. It is the source of hope, and optimism. Living a meaningful life gives a feeling of happiness, a sense of achievement, pride, and fullfillment. In other words, having a sense of meaning results in an increased sense of well being and wholeness.

Why is there a sense of meaninglesness?

One can not separete us from our environment, or from our physical, psychological, or social surroundings. Life events constantly challenge our sense of wholeness, and completion. This is an existential fact. 

A sense of meaninglessness can follow an unexpected accident, an illness, or a change in life circumstances that requires us to re-evaluate our strengths and potentails in order to cope.

Other times, a sense of meaningless can be felt after achieving a significant goal. This is because human existence is not static. It is dynamic, searching, and reaching out for meaning. 

Whether as a consequence of experiencing physical, emotional, or social difficulties, or living an "ordinary life," a sense of meaninglesness always challenges us to look beyond the familiar, the usual, and the ordinary, and provides the oportunity to discover further possibilities, and new potential--to find, and to give our own answer to the question of meaning in life.

What are the signs of a sense of meaninglessness?

The signs of meaninglessness can range from mild, to moderate, to severe. They can be experienced in the form of "boredom," "confusion," an "existential vacuum" or "existential void," "emptiness," and "futility," ranging to anxiety, depression, and despair.

How widespread is a sense of meaninglessness in general?

According to research, about thirty percent of the general population suffers from a  sense of meaninglessness, or some form of existential distress at any one time. 

How does one go about discovering meaning in life? 

Logotherapy, or Meaning-oriented therapy can be used to discover areas where meanings can be found. With help from a Logo-therapist one looks in the creative-, experiential-, and attitudinal areas, to discover lasting values and meaning potentials in response to existential questions. 

What is unique about Logotherapy?  

The esssence of this method is to rely on the inner resources of the human spirit, such as hope, optimism, humor, creativity, uniqueness, dignity, and to utilize the "defiant power of the human spirit" in facing adversity. In other words, through Logotherapy, we call forth what is healthy, (the resources of the human spirit), and rely on the search for meaning for achieving healing.

How does Logotherapy combine with other methods of therapy? 

Logotherapy was developed speciafically as a method for aiding the search for meaning in one's life. As such, it can be used a s a therapeutic modality on its own, or, if there is a need for it, it complements other forms of therapy.

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In addition to recognizing the dynamics within the biological, psychological, and social dimensions, Logotherapy highlights the dynamics of the Search for Higher Meaning, taking place in the dimension of the human Spirit. Thereby, Logotherapy offers a holistic view of the human person in a bio-psycho-social-spirtitual context, and introduces healing through the dimension of the human spirit, through which Meaning can be found. 

This is how Logotherapy presents an avenue to "Therapy through Meaning" and "Healing through Meaning."

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