A commonly cited limitation of existential therapy is that it:

• A. Has a fully standardized treatment manual
• B. Is supported by extensive empirical research
• C. Lacks a systematic procedure and has limited empirical evidence
• D. Is easily taught to all therapists

Answer: (C)

A key limitation of existential therapy is its lack of a fixed, standardized procedure and the relative scarcity of rigorous empirical evidence supporting its outcomes. This approach centers on deeply personal questions about meaning, freedom, and responsibility, so therapists tailor interventions to each client rather than apply a universal protocol. That personalization makes it difficult to define a consistent treatment model or replicate results across clients, which in turn challenges researchers trying to study effectiveness in large, controlled trials. Consequently, existential therapy is often viewed as flexible and philosophically rich, but less amenable to standardization and broad empirical validation compared with more manualized therapies.