Türkiye’s first philosophy consultant: Prof. Özdemir
After psychological counseling, a new counseling is developing in the world. The new trend is "philosophical consultancy", which makes people question and make sense of life. Prof. İbrahim Özdemir became Türkiye's first certified philosophy consultant.
İbrahim Özdemir, who has been working as a guest professor in the US for a year, thinks that "philosophy consultancy", which is rapidly becoming widespread in developed western countries, will become even more important in the following years. Emphasizing that the ultimate purpose of philosophical counseling is to help transform life into a philosophy of life in a consistent, empowering and satisfying way by questioning it, Özdemir stated that "The minimum benefit that you get in philosophical counseling is to know yourself better and understand your problems better. The ultimate goal of philosophical counseling is to help you question your own life, develop your own coherent, empowering, and fulfilling philosophy of life, and make sense of your life by finding reasonable answers to your existential problems. The philosophical counselor does not tell you what to think or do, but instead asks questions, uses critical study tools, offers new perspectives, makes connections, and gives encouragement."
He received the certificate for philosophy consultant
İbrahim Özdemir received his internationally recognized the certificate of "philosophy consultancy" from the American Association of Philosophical Practitioners based in New York and started to provide online consultancy services in the USA. Those who follow Özdemir's web page the most are our citizens living in Europe, Australia and America. (https://www.ibrahimozdemir.org/) Noting that he received great interest from Turkish people living here and Americans of different nationalities, Özdemir stated:
"Philosophical counseling is an activity based on mutual conversation and cooperation. It should be known that this is not a new invention. In fact, it is as old as philosophy itself. The ancient Greeks - Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics saw philosophy not only as an educational activity, but also as a type of soul therapy that alleviates suffering, improves personal integrity, promotes self-mastery, creates justice and promotes the good life. The philosophical consultant does not diagnose or treat emotional or behavioral disorders, and if a medical problem arises, the philosophical consultant will help you find an appropriate healthcare professional.
A philosophical consultant works collaboratively with you to solve life problems by activating and developing the strengths you already have, such as critical thinking, imagination, empathy, desire, self-discipline, and creativity. “
İbrahim Özdemir said that as Philosophical Advisors, we try to be useful to society by taking philosophy out of the university and reminded the following quote of Epicurus:
"Philosophy, if it does not alleviate man's suffering, is a futile pursuit."
İbrahim Özdemir is from İslahiye which is one of the places most affected by the earthquake. He lost many relatives and friends in the earthquake. He is the first philosopher to advise earthquake victims ONLINE.
Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)