Humanist existential care deals with giving people emotional assistance through thoughtful and empathetic conversation. 

Our humanist existential carers are trained, professional conversation partners who can help people better understand and cope with their lives, a specific issue or predicament.  

Humanist existential carers typically work in hospitals, in the armed forces, in prisons or at university campuses. Here, they are often colleagues of chaplains and pastoral workers from other lifestance/faith communities.  

The objective of this sub-project is to develop Humanist existential care in Europe as a lifelong professional career with ample possibilities to advance academically and collaborate with an international network of colleagues. 

How:

• Establishment of a professional, collaborative organization for Humanist existential carers
• Establishment of an academic journal for humanist existential care
• Collaboration with higher education facilities

Who: The sub-project is led by Lindsay de Wal from the EHSN team. 

Upcoming Events

Humanist-Existential Care Autumn School 2026

• 26-30 October: Youth hostel in Esch/Alzette. Luxembourg
• EHSN Autumn School Flyer

Registration is now open for the European Humanist Services Network (EHSN) Humanist-Existential care Autumn School 2026, Luxembourg

This Autumn School is a space to come together, think, reflect, and work alongside one another across humanist-existential care in practice. It’s as much about exchange and connection as it is about learning.
If you’re linked to humanist organisations or working in humanist-existential care, you’d be very welcome.

REGISTER HERE

More to follow as we finalise things, but this already feels like a really rich group. Would be lovely to have you there!

Resources for Humanist-Existential Care

Development of the EHSN Professional Standards for Humanist Existential Care

The EHSN Professional Standards for Humanist Existential Care Practitioners are the result of a collaborative working relationship within the European Humanist Services Network (EHSN). Developed across the network’s humanist existential care group, the standards reflect a shared commitment to strengthening professional practice across diverse national contexts.

Building on existing national frameworks and expertise, the document has been shaped through ongoing dialogue, joint working sessions, and cross-national input from practitioners and representatives across Europe. This collaborative approach has ensured that the standards are both grounded in established practice and adaptable to different cultural and institutional settings.

The outcome is a collectively developed set of professional standards that articulate shared humanist values in existential care, while supporting consistency, quality, and professional recognition across countries.

Access the Standards and Summaries

The full standards document is available below, alongside tailored summaries for different audiences:

• Full Standards Document
• Executive Summary (for organisational stakeholders and decision-makers) &
  Practitioner Summary (for professionals in the field)

These resources are intended to support implementation, communication, and ongoing development of humanist existential care across the EHSN network and beyond.