About the key-note speakers

As visitors to our site might have noticed, unfortunately Gerd Achenbach is unable to attend the conference. However, we are very pleased to be able to invite another historically famous and important international philosophy practitioner, Anders Lindseth.

Anders has been a pioneer of philosophical counseling in Norway, and a mentor to other counselors. Being himself influenced by Gerd Achenbach, Lindseth has a distaste for method and therapy, advocating instead the principle of "touched not-knowing”.

Ran Lahav, a leading theorist of philosophy counseling, teaches Philosophical Counseling at the School of Education, Haifa University (Israel) and organised, together with Lou Marinoff, the first ICPP in 1994. He also organised, with Jose Barrientos, the first International Philosophical Retreat on Contemplative Philosophy in Chipiona, Spain, in 2005.

Petra von Morstein, Professor Emerita of Philosophy and Philosophical Counsellor in Private Practice, is the founder of ASPP (Apeiron Society for the Practice of Philosophy), active since 1987. In October 2006 she was elected Vice President of the IGPP/ISPP (International Society for the Practice of Philosophy).

Umberto Galimberti is a key figure in philosophical practice in Italy. Philosopher (pupil of Karl Jaspers) and psychoanalyst (member of the International Association for Analytical Psychology), Galimberti is well-known in Italy and the world for his numerous publications and collaborations with newspapers and magazines.

Neri Pollastri and Lodovico Berra are the presidents of the two most prestigious philosophical counseling associations in Italy, Phronesis e SICoF.


Ludovico is a doctor, specializing in psychiatry, psychotherapy, and counsellor on existentialism. He's a teacher of the Università Pontificia Salesiana and the manager of the Scuola Superiore di Counseling Filosofico.

Neri was the first philosopher to open a philosophical practice studio in Italy and also the first to publish books on philosophical practice in Italian.

You can find more information on all our key note speakers by visiting their own personal websites – see list on the right side of this page.

We are doing everything in our power to also make sure another important figure in the world of Philosophical Practice, Ora Gruengard, is able to attend. We hope to be able to confirm this as soon as possible.