1. Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy TENTH EDITION
Gerald Corey
Cengage Learning

2. Chapter 8
Gestalt Therapy

3. Gestalt Therapy (slide 1 of 2)
An existential and phenomenological approach
Initial goal is for clients to expand their awareness of what they are experiencing in the present moment
Increased awareness is curative
Through becoming aware of one’s denied parts and working toward owning their experience, clients can become integrated, or whole
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (1)

4. Gestalt Therapy (slide 2 of 2)
This approach focuses on:
The here and now
The what and how of experiencing
The authenticity of the therapist
Active dialogic inquiry and exploration
The I/Thou of relating
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (2)

5. Principles of Gestalt Theory (slide 1 of 2)
Holism:
The full range of human functioning includes thoughts, feelings, behaviors, body, language, and dreams
Field theory:
The field is the client’s environment which consists of therapist and client and all that goes on between them
Client is a participant in a constantly changing field
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (3)

6. Principles of Gestalt Theory (slide 2 of 2)
Figure Formation Process:
How an individual organizes experiences from moment to moment
Foreground: figure
Background: ground
Organismic self-regulation:
Emergence of need sensations and interest disturb an individual’s equilibrium
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (4)

7. The Now Our “power is in the present” Nothing exists except the “now”
The past is gone and the future has not yet arrived
For many people the power of the present is lost
They may focus on their past mistakes or engage in endless resolutions and plans for the future
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (5)

8. Unfinished Business Feelings about the past are unexpressed
These feelings are associated with distinct memories and fantasies
Feelings not fully experienced linger in the background and interfere with effective contact
Result:
Preoccupation, compulsive behavior, wariness oppressive energy, and self-defeating behavior
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (6)

9. Energy and Blocks to Energy
Gestalt therapists focus on where energy is located, how it is used, and how it can be blocked
Blocked energy is a form of defensive behavior that may result in unfinished business
Clients are encouraged to recognize how their resistance is being expressed in their body and transform their blocked energy into more adaptive behaviors
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (7)

10. Contact and Resistances to Contact
Interacting with nature and with other people without losing one’s individuality
Boundary disturbances/resistance to contact
The defenses we develop to prevent us from experiencing the present fully
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (8)

11. Contact Boundary Phenomena
Five different kinds of contact boundary disturbances:
Introjection
Projection
Retroflection
Deflection
Confluence
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (9)

12. Six Components of Gestalt Therapy Methodology
Continuum of experience
The here and now
Paradoxical theory of change
The experiment
The authentic encounter
Process-oriented diagnosis
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (10)

13. A Focus on Language “It” talk “You” talk Questions
Language that denies power
Listening to clients’ metaphors
Listening for language that uncovers a story
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (11)

14. Therapeutic Techniques
The experiment
Internal dialogue exercise
Rehearsal exercise
Reversal technique
Exaggeration exercise
Staying with the feeling
Making the rounds
Dream work
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (12)

15. Application to Group Counseling (slide 1 of 2)
Encourages direct experience and action
Here-and-now focus allows members to bring unfinished business to the present
Members try out experiments within the group setting
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (13)

16. Application to Group Counseling (slide 2 of 2)
Leaders can use linking to include members in the exploration of a particular individual’s problem
Leaders actively design experiments for the group while focusing on awareness and contact
Group leaders actively engage with the members to form a sense of mutuality in the group
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (14)

17. Strengths from a Diversity Perspective
Gestalt experiments can be tailored to fit the unique ways in which clients perceive and interpret their culture
Gestalt therapy helps people integrate the polarities within themselves, which can assist bicultural clients in reconciling diverse aspects of their cultures
Creative experiments can emphasize nonverbal behaviors
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (15)

18. Limitations from a Diversity Perspective
Clients who are culturally conditioned to be emotionally reserved may find the emphasis on feelings to be off putting
Those who use Gestalt techniques in a mechanical way to elicit certain effects (e.g., intense emotions) may lead clients to terminate from therapy prematurely
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (16)

19. Contributions of Gestalt Therapy (slide 1 of 2)
It is a creative and lively approach that uses experiments to move clients from talk to action and experience
Clients are provided with a wide range of tools for discovering new facets of themselves and changing their lives
It is a holistic approach that values each aspect of the individual’s experience equally
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (17)

20. Contributions of Gestalt Therapy (slide 2 of 2)
The Gestalt approach to working with dreams is a unique pathway for people to increase their awareness of key themes in their lives
A key strength of Gestalt therapy is the attempt to integrate theory, practice, and research
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (18)

21. Limitations of Gestalt Therapy
The approach has the potential for the therapist to abuse power by using powerful techniques without proper training
This approach may not be useful for clients who have difficulty abstracting and imagining
The emphasis on therapist authenticity and self-disclosure may be overpowering for some clients
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 8 (19)