Gestalt Therapy

Quotation

GESTALT THERAPY
Psychology 460 Counseling and Interviewing Sheila K. Grant, Ph.D.

• "I am not in this world to live up to other people 's expectations, nor do I feel that the world must live up to mine."
--Fritz Perls

1

2

Theory of Personality
• A person exists by differentiating self from other & by connecting self & other • These are the two functions of a boundary • The boundary between self & environment must be permeable to allow for exchanges, yet firm enough to enable autonomous action • When the boundary becomes unclear, lost, or impermeable, mental & emotional disturbance results
3

Gestalt
• A gestalt, or whole, both includes & transcends the sum of its parts • It cannot be understood simply as a sum of smaller, independent events • It is chiefly that distinctive emphasis on looking to the whole for the meaning of the parts that unites a group of theorists into what is called the Gestalt school of psychology
4

Gestalt Therapy
• Fritz Perls (1893-1970) / wife Laura Perls (1905-1990)

Gestalt Therapy
• Existential & Phenomenological – it is grounded in the client’s “here and now” • Initial goal is for clients to gain awareness of what they are experiencing & doing now
– Promotes direct experiencing rather than the abstractness of talking about situations – Rather than talk about a childhood trauma the client is encouraged to become the hurt child

– Main originator & developer of Gestalt Therapy

• Gestalt therapy
– an existential/phenomenological approach

• Therapists try to increase clients’ awareness • Clients are expected to do their own seeing, feeling, sensing, & interpreting

5

6

1

Gestalt Therapy An Overview
• Gestalt Therapy is another type of counseling that is based upon the existential framework. Key elements include:
– 1. A Phenomenological Basis—You are seeking to focus on the client’s perception of reality – 2. Experiential—The client is being asked to come to understand about