Gestalt Therapy
Fritz Perls and his wife Laura are the two primarily known for developing Gestalt therapy. Gestalt therapy looks at a person as a whole rather than in parts. "Gestalt therapy helps people develop awareness, inner strength, and self-sufficiency" (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014, p. 204). Gestalt clinicians believe that awareness is is the primary vehicle of change and becoming self-actualized.
Goals
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Concepts
The Nature of Growth Disorders
- Growth disorders is the term Perls used to refer to emotional problems. |
Awareness
- This is an important part of mental health, when you are fully aware you see the world around you and understand yourself. When you get caught up in the past, your fantasies, and other faults you become unaware.
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Treatment
The following is a list of strategies to facilitate treatment:
- Pay attention to experience and become aware of and concentrate on the actual present situation
- Maintain and promote the integrity and interrelationships of social, cultural, historical, physical, emotional, and other important factors
- Experiment
- Encourage creativity
Techniques
Therapeutic Alliance
- It is important to obtain an I-Thou relationship, which is the willingness to truly know the other person as he or she is Experiments -These are tailored from client to client in order to promote awareness. They could be enactments, role-plays, homework, or other activities to work on between sessions. Use of Language -The way a counselor speaks is important to how the therapy works. Counselors need to create an environment that encourages change. The following is a list of ways to use language to do just that.
Dreams/ Fantasies -Perls saw dreams and fantasies as a way to help integration, rather than a way into the unconscious. He believed parts of the dream/fantasy represented projections or aspects of the dreamer. After the client would discuss their dream/fantasy they would act as each character. |
Role Playing- Empty Chairs -An empty chair is used to represent someone or part of the client that the client needs to talk with.
-This helps clients become aware of their body to better understand their thoughts and emotions. |
Examples
Information provided by:
Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors. (September 5, 2013). Role play: Gestalt therapy. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ4Uyf5X6Sw
Hess, Elaine. (October 27, 2007). Gestalt therapy. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbOAdMdMLdI
Korb, Margaret. (2010, December 8). Figure & ground. Retrieved from http://www.afn.org/~gestalt/fignd.htm
Seligman, L. & Reichenberg, L. (2014). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: Systems, strategies, and skills. (4th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors. (September 5, 2013). Role play: Gestalt therapy. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ4Uyf5X6Sw
Hess, Elaine. (October 27, 2007). Gestalt therapy. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbOAdMdMLdI
Korb, Margaret. (2010, December 8). Figure & ground. Retrieved from http://www.afn.org/~gestalt/fignd.htm
Seligman, L. & Reichenberg, L. (2014). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: Systems, strategies, and skills. (4th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.