Maurice Klajman

Maurice comes from an exact sciences background.  He has a masters in Electronical Engineering and a PhD in Signal Processing and has been working in the financial industry since graduating.  Over the years, Maurice realised that despite the tremendous successes of the exact sciences, they fail to take into account a host of other aspects of human life, such as emotions and feelings, ambitions and aspirations, hopes and disappointments, culture and religion.  Maurice was also struck by the difference between the outer and inner world.  Humanity is able to explore outer space, decode DNA and harness nature’s powers.  Yet somehow we seem to be incapable of understanding our inner life, unable to articulate our deepest longings and fail to muster the will to achieve our goals.  This enigma lead to a keen interest in philosophy, especially phenomenology and existentialism.

Life can be hard, bewildering and complex.  We are often confronted with situations we would have preferred to avoid.  Death, illness, breakdown of a relationship or the loss of a job are often forced on us.  But how we respond to these misfortunes is our own choice.  Sometimes, no particular event has happened, we just feel stuck and confused, are not sure where we are going.  Maurice provides a warm, friendly and safe environment to discuss these issues.  Maurice is a keen follower of logotherapy and believes that we can find strength and resilience through meaning.  Philosophy, both ancient and modern provides, a useful toolbox for the art of living.  Socratic questioning and phenomenological describing can help the client discover what is meaningful for him or her.  This meaning defines the client’s inner core.  Its discovery and articulation can often reduce anxiety, resolve inner conflict and suggest a plan for action.  Maurice sees therapist and client as two fellow explorers helping each other to try to arrive at the desired destiny.  The therapist  might provide a compass and map, yet it is the client who is doing the driving.  

Maurice did the foundation course at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling and is currently in his fourth year of the Existential Psychotherapy Training course at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling.  Maurice is also a voluntary counsellor for JTeen, a mental health help line and messaging service for teenagers.