MF International Summer School
Experience a week of reflection set against Oslo’s endless summer nights, where the pulse of the city meets the calm of nature, the sea, and wide-open skies. Whether you’re drawn to cultural life or quiet moments in nature, Oslo offers both within easy reach. Join us for an inspiring summer where reflection, community, and the beauty of Norway come together.
Questions?
Tatjana Schnell
Location: Oslo, Norway
When: 17-21 August 2026
Register by: 1 May 2026
International Summer School 2026: Existential Psychology and Meaning in Life
Are you eager to explore and understand existential questions that impact human life? The International Summer School on Existential Psychology and Meaning in Life offers an intellectually stimulating and immersive week in Oslo, August 2026.
This one-week course addresses themes such as meaning in life, suffering, mortality, and existential health. Our approach blends philosophical, psychological, and practical perspectives. It does not promote any specific religious perspective and is open to participants of all worldviews.
Take part in interactive lectures, group activities, reflection exercises, and excursions throughout the week. You'll gain theoretical insights and practical tools for understanding and navigating life's existential dimensions. And you can enjoy and explore beautiful Oslo!
Target group
The course targets professionals and MA students from a variety of fields such as:
- Healthcare (psychiatrists, therapists, palliative care workers, social workers)
- Counseling (including deacons and pastoral care professionals)
- Humanities (philosophers, theologians, social scientists)
- Academia and students interested in existentialism (PhD, MA-level)
- Peers from other disciplines who wish to explore existential themes
Entrance requirements
- English proficiency at B2 level or higher
- A background in social sciences, humanities, or health sciences is beneficial, but not necessary
No formal tests or documentation required.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, participants will:
- Have an enhanced understanding of existential philosophy and its psychological and social implications.
- Be able to apply existential insights to various professional and personal contexts.
- Gain practical skills in facilitating existential conversations and providing existential support in their fields.
- Reflect critically on their own sources of meaning and how they navigate existence.
This course is not credit bearing, but if you wish to get it assessed for credits, please ask your home university for advice.
Fees:
Early bird fee, until 1 April: EUR 750 (ca. 8500 NOK*)
Regular fee: EUR 850 (ca. 9600 NOK*)
Participants pay a non-refundable deposit of EUR 100 (ca. 1100 NOK*) when registering. Only if the course is cancelled, the deposit will be refunded.
Meals and activites listed in the schedule is included in the fees.
*According to exchange rate 23.02.2026.
Tentative Schedule
Day 1 - Welcome and introduction
Morning until 15.00: registration
15.00 - 18.00: Welcome and introduction to each other, teachers, and the summer school theme
18.30: Social dinner
Day 2 - What is existential health?
- From the biopsychosocial model of health to existential health
- Introduction to existential psychotherapy
- Meaning in life as the basis for mental and physical health
- Practicing existential conversations
- Existential evening in nature
Day 3 - How can we deal with existential core issues in clinical work?
- The existential givens and their role in clinical work
- Values, meaning, faith and feelings in therapeutic work
- Existential first aid in crisis and death
- The interplay between existential vulnerability, empowerment and resilience as grounds for mental health
Day 4 - How can we live meaningfully?
- What is a meaningful life?
- Exploring sources of meaning with the Sources of Meaning Card Method (SoMCAM)
- The dark side of meaning
- Visit to MUNCH museum
Day 5 - Bringing existence to life
- From philosophy and psychology to lived experience
- Take aways
- End: 15.00
Lecturers
Prof. Dr. Tatjana Schnell, Professor of Existential Psychology
Tatjana Schnell, PhD, is Professor of Existential Psychology at MF Specialized University in Oslo, Norway, and Director of the Existential Psychology Lab. Her research focuses on empirical studies of meaning in life, worldview, extremism and radicalisation, encounters with suffering and mortality, and their practical significance for individuals, organisations, society, and the environment. The 2nd edition of her bestselling book, The Psychology of Meaning in Life (Routledge), was published 2025.
Dr. Gry Stålsett, Associate Professor and specialist clinical psychologist
Gry Stålsett, PhD, is Associate Professor in Psychology of Religion at MF Specialized University. She is a Specialist Clinical Psychologist working in both clinical practice and academia. She teaches and supervises within psychotherapy, existential psychology, and psychology of religion. Her professional work integrates existential, narrative, relational, and emotion-focused perspectives.
Dr. Peter La Cour, Adjunct Professor and clinical health psychologist
Peter la Cour, PhD, is a clinical health psychologist and adjunct professor at MF Specialized University. His main research interests are existential health, pain psychology, and psychology of religion. Latest book: Introducing existential health - the four-dimensional model. (Routledge, 2025)
Ole Magnus Vik, psychologist, philosopher, and chair of The Norwegian Association for Existential Therapy
Ole Magnus Vik is a clinical psychologist and philosopher. He is also the chair of the ethics committee in the Norwegian psychologist association. Ole Magnus has published several essays, articles and books on clinical existential issues, professional ethics, and the philosophy of psychotherapy. He has a private practice in Oslo. Latest book: Å leve med strev, ("A life with strife"), Kagge forlag, 2025.