Existential Therapy vs CBT: Which Is Right for You?
Choosing a therapeutic approach can feel daunting, especially when navigating emotional challenges like anxiety, burnout, or major life transitions. Two widely recognised methods, existential therapy and CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), offer very different paths. Understanding the key differences between them can help you decide which might suit you best at this point in your life.
What Is CBT?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a structured, time-limited form of psychotherapy. It focuses on the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. CBT is often used to treat anxiety, depression, phobias, and OCD, and it's backed by strong evidence in clinical settings.
A CBT therapist will typically:
Help you identify unhelpful thought patterns
Teach practical tools for managing emotional distress
Focus on goals, outcomes, and symptom relief
CBT is often short-term and works well for those seeking tools and coping strategies to manage specific issues.
What Is Existential Therapy?
Existential therapy is a more open, exploratory form of psychotherapy that focuses on life’s deeper questions: Who am I? What matters to me? How do I find meaning in what I’m experiencing?
Rather than focusing on symptoms or diagnostic labels, existential therapy explores:
Your values, choices, and personal freedom
Life transitions, loss, and identity
The experience of anxiety, isolation, or uncertainty
Meaning-making in the face of change or suffering
At Badashian Therapy, existential psychotherapy offers a non-directive, reflective space to explore these themes at your own pace.
How Do I Know Which Is Right for Me?
The best therapy approach depends on your needs, preferences, and where you are in your journey. Ask yourself:
Do I want tools and structure, or space to reflect and explore?
Am I trying to manage specific symptoms or understand deeper emotions?
Do I feel lost, or do I need practical support?
Some people begin with CBT for immediate coping strategies, and later move into existential psychotherapy to explore underlying patterns, beliefs, or questions about purpose.
Therapist’s Role: What to Expect
In CBT, the therapist might act as a guide, offering techniques, homework, and measurable goals.
In existential therapy, your therapist walks alongside you. They help you explore your emotions, fears, and questions without pushing toward a quick solution. The focus is on deepening understanding and building emotional presence, not "fixing" what you’re going through.
At Badashian Therapy, our therapists create a grounded, compassionate space where you can make sense of life’s complexities at your own pace.
FAQs About Existential Therapy vs CBT
Can existential therapy help with anxiety or depression?
Yes, particularly when symptoms are rooted in life transitions, identity loss, or deep-seated uncertainty. While CBT addresses symptoms directly, existential therapy helps you understand what’s beneath them.
Is CBT more effective than existential therapy?
CBT is widely studied and highly effective for short-term symptom relief. Existential therapy is less about quick fixes and more about long-term change, personal growth, and deeper self-awareness.
Is existential therapy right for me if I don’t have a diagnosis?
Yes. Existential therapy is not diagnosis-driven. It's ideal for people navigating loss, uncertainty, big life decisions, or a sense of feeling disconnected or unfulfilled — regardless of whether a formal diagnosis is present.
Begin Your Therapy Journey with Badashian
If you’re seeking a more meaningful way to explore your emotional landscape, existential therapy may offer the reflective space you’ve been looking for. Whether you're facing a life transition, feeling stuck, or questioning your direction, therapy can be a place to pause and reconnect with what matters most.
Ready to explore what therapy could look like for you?
Get in touch to book a consultation or ask any questions. We're here to help you take the next step, with care, reflection, and support.