Adlerian Counselling

A Psychology of Belonging, Purpose, and Courage

At Nai Do Transpersonal Academy, our counselling work is rooted in the rich tradition of Individual Psychology, the approach developed by Alfred Adler over a century ago and still profoundly relevant to how we understand ourselves today.

Adlerian counselling is not about diagnosing what is wrong with you. It is about understanding who you are, how you see the world, how you move through it, and what you are truly reaching for. It is a psychology of wholeness, encouragement, and deep belonging.

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Alfred Adler - The Forgotten Pioneer

Alfred Adler (1870–1937) was an Austrian physician, psychotherapist, and one of the most influential thinkers in the history of modern psychology. Once a colleague of Sigmund Freud, Adler broke away early to develop his own school of thought, Individual Psychology, driven by a fundamentally different view of what makes us human.

Where Freud looked to the past and to drives, Adler looked forward toward purpose, meaning, and our innate need for connection. He believed that human beings are not defined by their wounds, but by the creative way they respond to the challenges of life. He saw each person as a unified, indivisible whole not a collection of competing parts, but a being in motion, always striving toward something greater.

Adler was ahead of his time in many ways. He championed social equality, advocated for children's rights, pioneered community-based mental health, and placed the experience of belonging at the very centre of psychological wellbeing. His ideas quietly shaped much of what we now call cognitive-behavioural therapy, positive psychology, and humanistic counselling yet his name is often overlooked in favour of those who came after him.

At nai do, we honour Adler's legacy not as a historical footnote, but as a living, breathing foundation for the work we do.

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The Pillars of Adlerian Psychology

Adlerian psychology rests on several core principles that together form a deeply compassionate and empowering view of human nature.

Holism - The Indivisible Self

Adler coined the term Individual Psychology not to mean individualistic, but from the Latin individuum, meaning undivided. He understood the person as a unified whole: mind, body, emotion, and spirit working together as one. We do not treat symptoms in isolation. We seek to understand the entire person and the way all aspects of their life are interconnected.

Teleology - We Are Goal-Directed Beings

Adlerian psychology is forward-looking. Rather than asking only "What happened to you?", we also ask "What are you moving toward?" Every behaviour, even those that seem self-defeating, serves a purpose within the person's internal logic. Understanding that purpose is the key to understanding the person — and to opening the door for meaningful change.

Social Interest (Gemeinschaftsgefühl)

This is perhaps Adler's most beautiful and enduring concept. Gemeinschaftsgefühl, often translated as social interest or community feeling, speaks to our deep, inborn potential for connection, empathy, and contribution. Adler believed that the degree to which a person develops their capacity for social interest is the truest measure of their psychological health. We heal not in isolation, but in relationship — with others and with life itself.

Belonging - The Core Human Need

Long before attachment theory and modern neuroscience confirmed it, Adler recognised that the need to belong is the most fundamental force in human development. When we feel that we belong, that we have a place, that we matter, that we are connected, we flourish. When that sense of belonging is disrupted, we develop patterns of protection that can follow us through life. Much of our counselling work is about gently uncovering those patterns and restoring the experience of genuine belonging.

The Inferiority-Superiority Dynamic

Adler observed that all human beings encounter feelings of inferiority, not as pathology, but as a natural part of growing up small in a world of bigger, more capable people. These early feelings of "not enough" become the engine for striving. The question is not whether we feel inferior, but what we do with that feeling. Healthy striving leads us toward growth, mastery, and contribution. Unhealthy compensation can lead us into patterns of overcompensation, withdrawal, or discouragement. Adlerian counselling helps illuminate this dynamic with compassion and clarity.

Lifestyle -Your Private Map of the World

In Adlerian psychology, lifestyle does not refer to how you decorate your home or what you eat for breakfast. It is the deeply personal, largely unconscious set of convictions you formed in early childhood about who you are, who others are, and what the world is like. Your lifestyle shapes how you interpret every experience, how you relate to others, and what you believe is possible for you. It is your private logic, and bringing it into awareness is one of the most powerful things counselling can offer.

Encouragement - The Heartbeat of Change

Adler and his students, particularly Rudolf Dreikurs, placed encouragement at the very centre of the therapeutic process. Not praise, not cheerleading, but genuine encouragement: the act of helping someone reconnect with their own courage, their own capacity, their own worth. In Adlerian work, discouragement is seen as the root of most suffering, and encouragement is the antidote. It is what makes change possible.

Who Is Adlerian Counselling For?

Adlerian counselling is for anyone who senses that the patterns in their life, in relationships, work, self-worth, or purpose, are connected to something deeper. It is especially meaningful for those who are drawn to understanding themselves not as broken, but as whole people navigating the challenges of living.

Whether you are working through a specific concern or seeking a deeper understanding of who you are and how you relate to the world, this approach offers a compassionate, insightful, and genuinely empowering path forward.