Existential Therapy for the Challenge of Living On

Death, Illness and Loss

Simon Wharne author Aviva Barnett author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Publishing:9th Nov '26

£171.99

This title is due to be published on 9th November, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

This hardback is available in another edition too:

Existential Therapy for the Challenge of Living On cover

Existential Therapy for the Challenge of Living On: Death, Illness and Loss offers a fresh existential and phenomenological perspective on the universal realities of death, illness, and loss, reframing them as inevitable and ordinary aspects of human existence.

It challenges the expectation of a "perfect life" and explores how we can continue to live meaningfully despite these ever-present challenges. Written in accessible language, the authors draw on their lived experiences and therapeutic work to create a conversational and emergent narrative. Through reflective first-person accounts, they examine the chaos and drama of life, questioning theoretical models of grief and human distress against the evidence of everyday lived experience. The book deconstructs common assumptions and provides pragmatic insights into how existential psychotherapists and counsellors might respond to clients facing these realities—not as technical advice, but as a compassionate exploration of what might truly be helpful. By integrating principles of existential philosophy, the authors promote self-understanding and resilience, offering solidarity to those who suffer while encouraging them to find their voice and move beyond the narrative of victimhood.

This book is an invaluable resource for helping professionals and anyone seeking to navigate the profound challenges of death, illness, and loss with courage and authenticity.

‘What makes this book distinctive is its refusal to write from outside the human condition. Aviva Keren Barnett and Simon Wharne bring their own lives into the text - psychotherapy conducted from a warzone, grief lived alongside clinical practice, the losses of migration and cultural dislocation - and this honesty transforms what could have been a theoretical survey into something far more alive. Drawing on van Deurzen, Yalom and Frankl with genuine rigour, their central argument lands with force: that death, illness and loss are not interruptions to life but threads woven through it. Essential reading for any practitioner working at the edge of what it means to be human.’

Dr Chloe Paidoussis-Mitchell, DCPsych, CPsychol, AFBPsS, Founder, The Grief Clinic London

'This book provides a powerful recognition of the fact that death, illness, and grieving are not exceptional states, but integral parts of every person’s life. The authors do us a great service in facing these undeniable truths.'

Benjamin Yalom, PhD, MFT

‘This very accessible and helpful book brings together the principal therapeutic approaches to working with illness, death, loss and grief. More importantly, the authors describe with touching honesty what they themselves have gained from confronting, personally and professionally, the experience of ‘living with the pain of being’. It is from this existential confrontation, rather than its avoidance, that freedom and vitality arise - as well as the ability to be present to the other's pain and grief.'

Laura Barnett, author The Heart of Therapy, developing understanding, compassion and boundaries (Routledge 2023)

ISBN: 9781041397328

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

212 pages