Becoming Existential

Paulo Ribeiro lost his sight after a near-death experience and discovered a new way of seeing. On embodiment, alchemy, and presence. What happens when a therapist can't see their client? Paulo Ribeiro is an existential psychotherapist and senior clinical supervisor at Headstrong Counselling in London. He holds a BA in Social Communication, an MA in Integrative Psychotherapy, and is completing...

In this conversation with Paola Pomponi, we explore what existential therapy really means — not just as a theory, but as a way of being with others. We talk about therapist training, authenticity, absurdity, everyday existential encounters, and why humor may be one of the deepest forms of connection. Paola reflects on what first drew her into existential therapy, including the impact of reading Ir...

Professor Ernesto Spinelli - one of the founders of the existential psychotherapy in the UK, author of foundational texts including The Interpreted World and Practising Existential Therapy, and one of the most influential voices in the field globally. WE DISCUSS: [02:00] "An old man with a young mind" — Ernesto on aging and unfinished projects [05:00] How he "fell into" existen...

In this episode of Becoming Existential, I sit down with Dr Claire Arnold-Baker — Principal of the New School of Psychotherapy & Counselling (NSPC), existential psychotherapist, psychologist, researcher and current Chair of the Federation for Existential Therapy in Europe (FETE). Claire is one of the course leaders on my training programme and someone whose clinical, academic and organisationa...

What happens when the path you’ve followed your whole life suddenly stops making sense? What does it really take — emotionally, personally, existentially — to become a therapist? In this intimate and reflective conversation, I sit with my peer and fellow trainee Persefoni Kaltaki, with whom I began my journey at the New School for Psychotherapy and Counselling. Together, we speak openly about the...

In this first episode of Becoming Existential, I’m joined by Dr. Kirk J. Schneider — psychologist, author, lecturer, and one of the most influential voices in contemporary existential–humanistic and existential–integrative psychology. Kirk has written more than a dozen books, including Life-Enhancing Anxiety and The Spirituality of Awe, and has devoted his career to bringing existential ideas beyo...