Jim Bugental's Vision: the Next Step

Abstract

This article is a tribute not just to Jim Bugental but to his vision. As Jim himself has increasingly recognized, the implications of existential-humanistic practice stretch far beyond the individual and his or her immediate domain. Such notions as liberation, searching, responsibility, and presence have significant implications for the sociopolitical contexts that Jim's (and our) existential-humanistic clients invariably confront. This article argues that if we do not face these sociopolitical implications of our work, then the hard-won gains of our existential-humanistic clients will dissipate into the profit-motivated culture of which they are a part. An overview of these problems is presented along with concrete suggestions for redressing them.