Existential Therapy and CBT: Can there be a relationship? A Webinar by Dr Michael Worrell – Wednesday 4th February 2026 – 7 pm to 9 pm UK time on ZOOM

Existential therapy and CBT are in many respects in conflict and competition with each other. In this talk I will consider the inter-relation between ET and CBT from the perspective of a couple therapist engaged with an unlikely, highly conflict prone, and avoidant couple.

This talk is based upon my recently published book “CBT and Existential Therapy: Theory, Philosophy and Therapy”. I will discuss my view that underlying the apparent and very real areas of divergence and conflict, there are also underlying commonalities and points of potentially fruitful dialogue.

My aim is to present, hopefully accurately, the wide range of divergent approaches within the family of CBT. This includes perspectives that are highly divergent with the aims and ‘image of the human’’ expressed within ET as well as those versions that have come substantially close to those of ET.

This talk will hopefully also be of practice interest to those within the ET field who are or wish to work within NHS services where there is an increasing emphasis on issues such as evidence based practice, managerialism and Audit culture.

Dr Michael Worrell is a UKCP Registered Existential Psychotherapist as well as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and BABCP accredited CBT therapist. He has for the past 30 years worked within the NHS in London and for almost 20 year has worked to design and deliver various training courses in psychological therapies. He has a particular focus on training individual therapists to work with couples and developing an existential perspective on work with couples.