Gestalt

Question 1

What are Gestalt philosophies?

Answer 1

• Strive for wholeness and integration of thinking, feeling & behaving
• Key concepts: contact w/ self & others, contact boundaries, and awareness
• Experiential approach: grounded in here & now and emphasise awareness, personal choice & responsibility

Question 2

What are Gestalt goals?

Answer 2

• Assist clients in gaining awareness of moment-to-moment experiencing & expand capacity to make choices
• Foster integration of the self

Question 3

What are Gestalt techniques?

Answer 3

• Experiments to intensify experiencing & integrate conflicting feelings
• Experiments co-created by therapist & client through I/Thou dialogue
• Therapists have latitude to invent own experiments
• Formal diagnosis & testing not required

Question 4

What are Gestalt key concepts?

Answer 4

Emphasis on “what” & “how” of experiencing in here & now to help clients accept all aspects of themselves

Key concepts:
- holism
- awareness
- unfinished business
- avoidance
- contact
- energy

Question 5

What is the Gestalt therapeutic relationship like?

Answer 5

• Importance of I/Thou relationship & quality of therapist’s presence
• Therapist’s attitudes & behaviour over techniques
• Therapist assists client in developing means to make own interpretations
• Clients identify & work on unfinished business from the past that interferes w/ current functioning