Aims & Objectives

The holistic, unifying strength of the Institute is the shared perception among its members that the human givens approach endeavours to include all currently known implications arising from research into the functioning of the human brain, in conjunction with the body, and the wider society in which we all live. Current mental health and educational institutions do not yet fully operate from such a basis, which is why HGI is necessary.

The human givens approach is a continually evolving one, incorporating new knowledge and insights as they become available.

Our aims are:

• to raise general awareness of the givens of human nature – which clarifies what we need in order to live mentally healthy and fulfilled lives, and provides us with the framework for improving all forms of human endeavour and interaction
• to raise awareness of what constitutes effective therapy, and why the human givens approach belongs to this category
• to improve access to human givens therapy, including via GPs and the NHS
• to extend the use of the human givens approach to other fields, such as education, business and diplomacy
• to improve the way children are educated
• to improve services to mentally and emotionally disturbed people
• to make community life more humane and tolerant
• to show why human life is intrinsically meaningful.

In addition, the HGI coordinates reviews of related scientific studies and relates them to the broad information base from which the human givens concept derives.

The Institute also advances education, monitors examination standards at the Human Givens College, sets standards of professional practice in this area, and organises local, national and international meetings to maintain and advance the human givens perspective.

It speaks for those of its members — professional psychotherapists, counsellors, teachers, social workers and others in the medical/caring professions — at whatever level they operate, whose day-to-day work depends on this approach, and the therapeutic and educational techniques consequent on it.