Integrating Existential Logotherapy, Cultural Competence and Cultural Skills Towards Meaningful and Authentic Existence: African Perspective

Abstract

This paper evaluated the integration of Existential Logotherapy, Cultural Competence and Cultural Skills towards Authentic Existence in Africa. Africa is a multi-cultural continent with complex daunting challenges of existence. Africans face enormous existential challenges that necessitate existential logotherapeutic intervention to maintain focus and sense of direction amidst perilous experiences for more profound meaningful and authentic existence. This work acknowledged that though most therapies including logotherapy are effective but they are not culture-sensitive to African Clime. It therefore tried to integrate Existential Logotherapy (E-LTh), Cultural Competence (CC) and Cultural Skills (CS) based on African lived experience for more effective outcomes. The essence of this work was to make a paradigm shift in the practice of existential logotherapy, whereby CC and CS are considered as enhancing the positive effect of logotherapy on the individuals for better living and better health conditions towards more meaningful existence. CC and CS suggest that existential logotherapists should learn a set of attitudes and skills for acquisition of relevant knowledge that will enable them to effectively work and relate with clients of given cultural contexts. The intersection of CC and CS in E-LTh
professionalism serves a new paradigm in the practice of logotherapy. Conclusively, adopting such acculturational and empathetic practical approach in interacting with clients of different cultural backgrounds, while acknowledging the possible effects of one’s own cultural bias, the therapist consciously seeks for client-collaboration to serve his needs better through ‘cultural conscious care’ of acculturation and empathy that permit effective outcome of the practice of existential logotherapy. Highly recommendable therefore are unbiased attitude towards different cultures, recognition of
and respect for various cultural traditions for professional reasons in the interest of meaningful and authentic existence for the general well-being of the individuals.