Elevate your practice with the course in clinical phenomenology
Join us this summer for an extraordinary exploration at the frontiers of phenomenology and medicine, and become a member of our vibrant community of scholars!
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Course in Clinical Phenomenology. From theory to practice – 4th edition
Explore clinical phenomenology from its philosophical foundations to its practical applications in mental health care.
Through 21 sessions, the course offers professionals and scholars the tools to understand psychological distress through lived experience, moving beyond diagnostic categories.
A journey connecting phenomenological theory, clinical practice, and a deeper understanding of the person behind the symptoms.
PhenoLab Summer School in Umbria
Applying Phenomenology:
How, why and when
Palazzo Trinci in Foligno (PG) / June 3-7 2024
in person / 5 days event in Umbria
Description
Over a span of 70 years, the interest of the social and medical sciences in phenomenology grew significantly. The reasons for this growth could be traced to several factors: on one hand, the specificity of the phenomenological method, which was capable of eliciting the subjective experience of the person in accordance with how it was experienced, without the imposition of external explanatory frameworks, proved suitable for exploring those qualitative dimensions that otherwise remained obscure or unrecognised to other methods of investigation; on the other hand, the vocation of phenomenology, originally conceived by Husserl as descriptive psychology, allowed an intersection of fields of knowledge related both to practices of care and to efforts for redefining diagnostic categories. Especially in the field of mental health, the use of the phenomenological method in general became harbinger of a paradigm shift from a third-person, disease-centred perspective, into a first-person approach. Narratives from the first-person perspective – as well as from the “second-person” perspective when bearing witness to the other – brought into focus what it was like to live with a mental health condition and what it was like to have certain experiences.
The aim of this summer school was to offer participants philosophical clues and train them in applying phenomenology. For this reason, the 5 days of work in the frame of the 1st PhenoLab Summer School in Umbria were guided by three fundamental questions: how can phenomenology be applied? Why should one embark on this endeavour? When is one entitled to use the phenomenological method in health and social sciences?
The 5 days of work were divided into two sessions: every morning featured oral presentations and discussions; afternoons included training, laboratories and discussions.
Phenomenology in mental health. Transdisciplinary approaches and qualitative research
Palazzo Trinci in Foligno (PG) / June 9-13 2025
in person / 5 days event in Umbria
Description
Phenomenology recently experienced a significant resurgence in psychiatry, having offered a fresh perspective on mental health. With its interest in understanding how human experience could be understood from the individual’s viewpoint, the variety of phenomenological approaches focused on how conscious subjects experienced and interpreted their world.
By examining how people constructed their experience of the world, phenomenology could identify vulnerable points where this mental construction might deviate, potentially manifesting as psychiatric symptoms. When applied to psychopathology, this method allowed clinicians to examine various mental states and qualities in detail, as noted by Jaspers (1997).
While phenomenology didn’t reject the traditional view of symptoms as treatable dysfunctions, it added another dimension by exploring personal meaning and lived experience alongside causal factors. This approach recognized patients as active participants in their diagnosis, capable of interpreting their own experiences. As a result, phenomenology also served as a crucial link between human sciences and clinical practice by providing essential tools for understanding human suffering. The aim of the 2nd PhenoLab Summer School in Umbria was to explore the critical role that phenomenological approaches had played in mental health research, emphasizing the importance of transdisciplinary methodologies and qualitative research strategies. By examining the lived experiences of individuals with mental health conditions, contributors were invited to explore a person-centred approach to mental health that transcended traditional diagnostic frameworks.
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At the PhenoLab we aim to provide training and educational resources for mental health professionals, psychiatric nurses and social workers, researchers in mental health fields, Post Graduate students in psychology, psychiatry, and philosophy, philosophical counsellors and consultants, and anyone seeking to enrich their clinical practice with phenomenological insights.
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