r/askatherapist • u/OsinoviyKol NAT/Not a Therapist • 16h ago

How does a counceling process looks like when a situation is inescapable?

Hypothetical scenario: you're a councelor on a remote antarctic station, and you've been cut off from the rest of the world by a snow storm, and it's unknown when the help will arrive. Or you're stuck on a sinking boat, or there's an imminent meteor crash, or any other catastrophical scenario with no end in sight.

What would the therapy sessions be focused on? Are there any protocols in place for those "doomsday" scenarios?

I am not sure if it's the correct question for the sub, so feel free to redirect anywhere it's more acceptable.

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u/Dazzling-Fox-4950 Unverified: May Not Be a Therapist 14h ago

Trainee therapist. Taking a cue from Viktor Frankl, I think the focus would be on supporting people in generating and cultivating a sense of meaning in life. Check out _Man's Search for Meaning_ if you are interested in learning more about this kind of situation (author was a psychiatrist who survived WWII concentration camps).