Logotherapy in Poland

Lublin - the first centre

The most important centre of research on logotherapy in Poland became the Catholic University of Lublin (KUL). Among those working there were Fr. Kazimierz Popielski (the noetic dimension of personality, the Noo-Dynamics Test) and Zygfryd Płużek (Polish adaptation of the PIL test). Fr. Popielski was a friend of Frankl and his wife.

Frankl in Lublin

In 1994 KUL awarded Viktor Frankl an honorary doctorate. Frankl gave a lecture in the university's main hall, and the laudation was delivered by Fr. Popielski.

Two schools

Two milieus can be distinguished in Polish logotherapy today:

• Lublin - grown out of KUL and Fr. Popielski's tradition; it uses among other tools the scale of values: the client ranks their values and then compares the ranking with how much time and commitment they actually give them (“family comes first” - but most time goes to work),
• Kraków - associated with the Kraków Institute of Logotherapy and inspired by the thought of Elisabeth Lukas.

The Society and certification

The circles of the Kraków Institute of Logotherapy, the LOGIKOS School and the ARCHEZJA Foundation initiated the Polish Society for Logotherapy and Existential Analysis (PTLiAE), which certifies logotherapists and accredits training programmes.

Books

Frankl's main works and those of his students have been published in Polish - see Frankl's main works. They are being reissued by publishers such as Czarna Owca and PWN.

Today

Logotherapy in Poland is developed by learned societies, training centres and practitioners - psychologists, therapists, counsellors, educators and pastors. Conferences are held, including the National Conference on Logotherapy and Existential Psychotherapy “Helping Makes Sense” (2026, next edition in 2027), and in 2026 Kraków hosted a logotherapy congress with guests from many countries. The Logo Przestrzeń Foundation also continues this tradition.