The areas I work with

• The search for meaning and life direction: working through feelings of emptiness, meaninglessness, or the sense of hitting a dead end.

• Difficult life transitions and crises: supporting you through periods of change, personal transformation, and social maladjustment.

• Exploring personal experience through text: utilizing bibliotherapy for those seeking a way to express their inner world through literature.

• Questions of identity and self-discovery: deeply exploring your "I", your values, and the ways you perceive the world.

• Existential questions: working with the themes of loneliness, freedom, responsibility, and finding your own inner grounding.

• Integrating experience through culture and environment: making sense of your story by engaging with philosophy, texts, and urban spaces.

Biography

My name is Mark, and my professional path is intimately woven with the search for deeper meaning and the exploration of human experience. My academic foundation lies in a philosophical education, which laid the ground for all my subsequent work. Since as far back as 2005, I have been an active participant in various conferences, presenting papers and sharing my reflections and research findings in the humanities.

A new and meaningful chapter of my practice began in 2017, when I stepped into the world of bibliotherapy. For me, this is more than just a method of working with text; it is a way to help a person find their footing through literature. Since then, I have been guiding bibliotherapy groups for diverse audiences. My experience includes working in libraries, schools, and community spaces, but I hold a particularly warm and deep sense of responsibility toward my work with vulnerable groups: in correctional facilities, youth socialization centers, and addiction recovery communities. In these environments, the therapeutic power of the word reveals itself most intensely, helping people gently reshape and re-evaluate their lives.

A very special place in my work is held by philosophical empirical excursions around Vilnius. This is a unique format where the urban space becomes a living, breathing text. Together, we visit various spots in the city, read philosophical works, and explore how these texts and physical places resonate with the personal, lived experience of each participant.

In my explorations, I draw closely upon the phenomenological tradition in philosophy. I am deeply interested in how phenomenology can unfold within the practice of philosophical counseling, helping a person clarify the very structures of their being. To deepen this knowledge, in 2024 I began my training in philosophical counseling at the Institute of Humanistic and Existential Psychology in Birštonas.

For me, philosophy is not merely a theoretical discipline, but a living, breathing practice that helps a person truly meet themselves. My hope is to continue synthesizing the therapeutic potential of literature and philosophical reflection, nurturing a gentle space for honest and deep dialogue about human existence.

Accreditations and Memberships

• East European Association for Existential Therapy (ECCA)

• Lithuanian Bibliotherapy Association (LBA)

Professional Education

Basic Education

• 1999–2004 — Vilnius Pedagogical University, Bachelor of Philosophy.

• 2005–2007 — Vilnius University, Center for Religious Studies and Research, Master’s Degree in Religious Studies.

• 2007–2013 — Vytautas Magnus University, PhD studies in Philosophy.

Philosophical Counseling

• From 2017 to present — Klaipėda University, Faculty of Health Sciences, numerous courses, certificates, and trainings in bibliotherapy.

• From 2024 — Institute of Humanistic and Existential Psychology (HEPI), Birštonas, program in philosophical counseling.

Key Principles of My Approach

• A phenomenological stance: I strive to see the person and their experience exactly as they are, free from preemptive judgments or ready-made diagnoses.

• Dialogue through text: utilizing literature as a gentle mediator (bibliotherapy) that helps give expression to what is otherwise difficult to put into one's own words.

• Existential depth: focusing on the fundamental questions of life—freedom, responsibility, the search for meaning, and overcoming loneliness.

• Unity of space and experience: exploring how our surroundings (the city, physical objects) touch our inner state and help us find presence in the here and now.

• Respect for the uniqueness of your path: approaching each individual or group as a unique world that deserves a personalized, tender touch.

Current Groups, Courses, and Projects

• Resource group for women going through divorce: a joint project with a drama therapist, aimed at finding inner support and healing during a difficult life transition.

• "On Anger" therapeutic group: exploring the nature of anger, its expression, and its gentle transformation into constructive energy.

• "A Bad Mother Again" support group: a safe space to explore maternal experiences, feelings of guilt, and finding a more compassionate attitude toward oneself in parenthood.

• Original philosophical excursions in Vilnius: unique immersive walks where, through the city space and philosophical texts, we gently touch upon the personal experiences of the participants.

• Outreach programs for schools: our team's work in educational institutions, aimed at strengthening relationships in classrooms through group sessions.

• Sessions for educators: team-building and emotional support sessions for teachers.

Languages

Lithuanian, Russian

Format of Work

In-person in Vilnius, Online