Gianfranco Buffardi 

Existential Therapist, Professor, Giustino Fortunato Telemathic University, Benevento, Itlay

Gianfranco Buffardi, MD, Ph.D. I am a psychiatrist, practicing existential therapist, and professor of psychotherapy. I hold degrees in medicine, psychology, philosophy, and hold Ph. D in bioethics.  I am the former Director of a Mental Health Unit in Caserta, Italy; in this work I was engaged many times in national and international research programs. I am Professor of Psychitric Sciences at the Giustino Fortunato Telemathic University, Invited Professor at U.E.R. Rome, and temporary Professor in psychiatric, psychological and philosophical disicplines at other Italian Universities.

I am the founder and president of the Istituto di Scienze Umane ed Esistenziali (ISUE) in Naples, Italy, since 1988, and the director of the Scuola di Psicoterapia neoEsistenziale (SPEs). My most recent books are: Bioetica quotidiana in psichiatria, FrancoAngeli 2009; Il divano è meglio di Freud, FrancoAngeli 2015, Dialogues on the search for meaning in existential therapy (with Ernesto Spinelli, SEA, London 2019). My papers have been published in several national and international professional journals.

Peter Donders

Therapist, Chair of the Federation for Existential Therapy in Europe (FETE), Norway

Peter Donders was born in the Netherlands, where he studied Cultural and Religious Psychology (Nijmegen University).  He earned his PhD-degree (Leiden University, 2004) with a study on the way recently diagnosed cancer patients deal with arising existential questions in a process of dialogical narrative reconstruction.

Since 2006, he has worked as therapist in the team for Existential Therapy  at Viken senter in Northern Norway.

Peter Donders is Chair of the Federation for Existential Therapy in Europe (FETE) and was among the founding members of the federation.

Todd DuBose
Distinguished Professor, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, USA

Todd DuBose is an award-winning Professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He is also a licensed psychologist with over twenty years of teaching, supervising, and consulting experience, and with over thirty years of interdisciplinary and interprofessional clinical experience, including nine years as a former chaplain at the famed Bellevue Hospital in New York City. He holds degrees in contemporary continental and comparative philosophy of religion (B.A., Georgia State University; M.Div., Union Theological Seminary, NYC) and in existential-hermeneutical-phenomenological clinical psychology (Ph.D., Duquesne University).  He integrates these traditions into a phenomenological way of caring, which he often describes as guarding the intangibles, stewarding khora space, and shepherding the clearing. He has offered workshops and keynote lectures on this material in twelve countries. He specializes in extreme, limit, boundary or “impossible” events and their accompanying crises of meaning (e.g., violence, loss, trauma, psychosis, suicidality, nihilism), and on critiquing implicit, ideological biases in standards of care that unwittingly harm or leave out someone or some expression of soul. Recently, his work has focused on the intangible in the tangible, and on distinguishing therapeutic engineering from phenomenological care--across any and all orientations and disciplines, including existential ones. He is an engaged practitioner and public scholar and is involved in advocacy efforts on behalf of both psychiatric survivors nationally and internationally, and at-risk youth (food insecurity, gang violence) on the south and west sides of Chicago.  He is the author of extensive publications, but, most importantly, is simply a human being.  

Evgenia Georganda
Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Gignesthai, Athens, Greece

Evgenia Georganda, Psy.D., ECP, is an Existential-Humanistic therapist, in private practice in Athens Greece, since 1987. In 2004 she co-founded “gignesthai”, the Hellenic Association for Existential Psychology, where she is chief administrator, trainer and supervisor. In 2018 she was nominated in division 32 of APA for the Charlotte and Karl Buhler Award for her contribution in promoting existential psychotherapy in Greece. Evgenia has served as secretary in the Board of Directors of the National Organization of Psychotherapists of Greece (NOPG) and membership secretary and member of the Board of Trustees of the Federation for Existential Therapy in Europe (FETE).

Thanasis Georgas

Psychiatrist, Psychoanalyst, Daseinsanalyst 

Alex Harisiadis

Existential Psychotherapist, Athens, Greece

Louis Hoffman

PhD, Executive Director, Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counselling & Psychological Association, USA

Dr F. Jak Icoz

Counselling Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Turkey

 Psychotherapist, Supervisor, Lecturer, Author, Founder and Clinical Director of Existential Academy of Istanbul), M.A. in Clinical Psychology, M.Sc. in International Management, DCPsych in Counselling Psychology and Existential Psychotherapy, Turkey

Jak Icoz is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist in private practice working individuals and groups in Istanbul, Turkey. Having studied at Österreichisches Sankt-Georgskolleg Realgymnasium u. Handelsakademie, Istanbul Bilgi University, Vassar College, and University of Liverpool (M.Sc. in International Management), Jak continued his doctoral studies in existential psychotherapy at New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling in London, UK. He is now a lecturer at the same doctoral programme.

Jak established Existential Academy of Istanbul to provide comprehensive training in existential therapy in Turkey. With two training programmes (foundational and advanced) Existential Academy of Istanbul is still very active in its field with more than 200 graduates, 300 students, 10 trainers and 20 psychotherapists/supervisors.

Jak translated many books from authors like Sigmund Freud and Arthur Schopenhauer, edited many books including Turkish titles of Emmy van Deurzen’s books. He wrote two books about existential therapy in Turkish.  

George Kleftaras

Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Thessaly, Greece

George Kleftaras, Ph.D., is Professor in “Clinical Psychology – Psychopathology” at the Department of Special Education, University of Thessally, Greece, and Director of the Postgraduate Program (M.Sc.) in Counselling Psychology and the Laboratory of Psychology. He has significant clinical work in counselling and psychotherapy (integrative and existential), he has participated in a number of funded research and intervention programs and he has published numerous scientific books, papers and articles in Greek, English and French. His research interests focus on (a) Clinical Psychology with emphasis on Existential Psychology, Meaning in Life and Spirituality, (b) Psychopathology with emphasis on Depression, Loneliness, Anxiety and Addictions, and (c) Counselling/Psychotherapy focusing on Integrative, Existential and Cultural–Multicultural Approach as well as Animal–Assisted Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Robert Kramer

Visiting Professor, Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest, Hungary

Orah Krug
Psychotherapist, California, USA

ORAH T. KRUG, Ph.D., is a licensed psychotherapist with a private practice in Oakland, CA. Recognized in her field as a master clinician, supervisor, author and teacher, Dr Krug is an adjunct professor at Saybrook University, and a founding member, and the former Clinical Director of the Existential-Humanistic Institute (EHI). Dr. Krug has published numerous books and articles on existential therapy, training and supervision.
In 2019 Dr. Krug began Krug Counseling--a group counseling and consulting practice. Krug Counseling (www.krugcounseling.com) offers licensed therapists’ opportunities to work in her therapy practice and to participate in her online and in person workshops and consultation groups.

Maria Malikiosi-Loizou
Counselling Psychologist, Emeritus Professor, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens,Greece

Yaqui Andrés Martínez-Robles

Yaqui Andrés Martínez-Robles, Clinical psychologist, with masters degree in Humanistic Psychotherapy and PhD, in Psychotherapy. Majors  in Gestalt Therapy, group therapy, and music therapy. Certified practitioner in Holotropic Breathwork. Actually part of the certification process for Psyquedelic assisted therapy, at the  IPI (Integrative Psychiatry Institute).  Founder of the Circle of Studies of Existential Therapy, in Mexico where he teaches and trains existential therapists from Mexico, Colombia, and other countries of Latin America since 2002. Honorary president of Latin American Association for Existential Psychotherapy. He teaches in different countries of America, Europe and Asia since 2004.

Author of six books, one  translated into French and Russian (Existential Philosophy for therapists), other translated into English (Existential Therapy, volume 1), another into Italian and English, with Gianfranco Buffardi (coming soon, one of the SEA DIALOGUES, this one about the relationship between therapy and art).

Lives in Mexico City with his wife and two cats, loves music and dancing; 

Languages: Spanish, English. 

Gideon Menda

Dr. Gideon Menda, B.A., M.A., D.Prof, UKCP Reg. , NSPC Graduate,
Existential Psychotherapist, Group facilitator, Lecturer, Supervisor. Founder and head of the postgraduate existential psychotherapy & counselling training programme at Kibbutzim College, Tel-Aviv. Co-founder of the Israeli multi-diciplinary association for psychotherapy, member of the founding team of FETE, Federation for existential therapy in Europe and currently chair elect of FETE.

Anastasios Stalikas
Psychology Professor, Chair Psychology Department, Panteion University of Athens,
Athens, Greece

Dan Stiwne
Associate professor of clinical psychology, Ph.D. psychologist and physician, psychotherapist and existential psychotherapist, Sweden

Dan Stiwne, Ph.D., is a chartered psychologist and an existential psychotherapist, working earlier at Linkoping University in Sweden as a lecturer and as an associate professor in clinical psychology. He also worked as a program director for Psychology and Psychotherapy Master- educations and as a psychotherapist in private practice. He is now an educator and supervisor in existential counselling and psychotherapy, connected to SEPT (The Swedish Society for Existential Psychotherapy).
E-mail: dan.stiwne@gmail.com

Siebrecht Vanhooren
Associate Professor, KU Leuven, Belgium

Dan Katerina Zymnis Georgalos
Existential Psychotherapist, Family Therapist, The Hellenic Association for Existential Psychology, Gignesthai, Athens, Greece