Gestalt Counseling: Founders, Philosophical Underpinnings, and Function of the Psyche

Theoretical Models of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 4th Edition Chapter 7: Gestalt Counseling Mario De La Garza, M.Ed. Southern Methodist University adapted from Cecili Greenwood University of North Texas

Founders Overview Frederick Fritz Perls born to a lower social class Jewish family in 1893 Early life filled with struggle and humiliation, particularly from his father 1940s Worked with wife, Laura, and others on seminal writings which became Gestalt therapy Rejected the original name Existential Therapy because of its negative association with Jean Paul Sartre and nihilism

Philosophical Underpinnings Phenomenological perspective of immediate experience Now=experience=awareness=reality Holism psyche is an integrated whole in which a person s physical, emotional, and spiritual elements are intertwined and inseparable Whole is greater than the sum of its parts Example: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Philosophical Underpinnings Field theory Kurt Lewin Field Here and Now Interaction between an organism and its environment Contains the ground and the figure Ground all the perceived information Figure part of the ground that emerges and is of interest to the organism, often experienced as a need

Function of the Psyche Organismic self-regulation the ability of the organism to internally and spontaneously participate in need fulfillment in a natural free flowing manner Need that dominates the now influences perception Example: Food can be perceived differently by different people at different times (hungry vs. full)

Structure of the Psyche Background (ground) of awareness Foreground into which the current need (figure) emerges Need is met or unmet New need takes the foreground Another pressing need emerges Original need recedes into the ground **** Represents one s personality ****

Role of the Environment Individuals are inextricably linked to the environment. Individuals are acted upon by the environment and act upon the environment INDIVIDUALS (me) contact boundary (not me) (disturbances develop) ENVIRONMENT

Self and Self-Concept Self-As-Process Awareness of the contact points Self is the organism s system of contacts with the environment and it integrates all levels of needs Observed through client s verbal and nonverbal behavior Self-As-Concept Self-image Collection of beliefs about oneself arranged in a hierarchical structure Change is typically slow Both may be targeted in Gestalt therapy

Gestalt Principles Gestalt Formation and Completion Healthy formation is a continuous process of emerging figures and receding fields Gestalt will disappear if it is divided, new gestalt is created Individual is not separable from the formation of gestalten (verb form of gestalt)

Gestalt Principles Clarity of Gestalten Clear perception of the immediate present leads to good gestalten No unfinished business that interferes with clear perception of the present Effective problem solving cognitive or emotional nature Aha experience

Gestalt Principles Awareness and Attention Gestalt therapy focuses on the therapeutic validity of awareness Awareness itself is curative Attention- consciously effortful, directing perception toward a particular target Awareness not consciously effortful, signals gestalt formation Good gestalt formation is accomplished through spontaneous awareness

Gestalt Principles Closure People tend to view incomplete visual information as being complete and meaningful Zeigarnik effect Individuals seek closure, what we really want and what we are looking for in our lives are complete experiences

Gestalt Principles Polarization and Identification Process that may help or hinder self- regulation Process through which an individual organizes beliefs about self Occurs when an individual identifies strongly with one end of a set of opposite characteristics

Gestalt Principles Differentiation and Integration Process of denying one end of the polarities to identify with the other end Common for the person to experience an impasse Self-organizing, self-regulating organisms find a balance by restoring parts that have been denied so long

Healthy Functioning Valuation of .. Actuality (living in the present) Awareness and acceptance of experience (awareness of self and how self relates to and interacts with the environment) Wholeness or responsibility (life is a process designed to be experienced as developmental nature)

Unhealthy Functioning Maladjustment Individual restricts awareness, and patterns develop that fail to fulfill needs or are destructive to self or others Contact boundary disturbances Introjection- Individual takes in both nutritious and toxic material, sense of self is vulnerable Projection- Individual perceives personal qualities in the people and things of the environment, sense of self is not contained

Unhealthy Functioning Contact boundary disturbances (cont.) Confluence- Individual does not distinguish between self and environment, especially other people, sense of self is scattered Isolation/Retroflection- Individual might reject nutritious material from environment or self- enhancing actions are turned back on oneself

Unhealthy Functioning: Layers of Neurosis 1) Phony 2) Phobic 3) Impasse 4) Implosive 5) Explosive Like peeling on onion, each layer worked through equals greater awareness.

Personality Change Process Change is paradoxical one can only change when one is truly oneself Change occurs when a person moves toward a position of more self-trust, insight, and awareness After gaining awareness, an individual must take steps to experiment with and experience new ways of fulfilling the need and completing the gestalt.

Clients Role 1. Attune oneself to the continuum of awareness 2. Commit to the here-and-now 3. Own everything 4. Commit to meaningful dialogue 5. Avoid questions 6. Take risks 7. Embrace personal responsibility

Counselors Role The therapist is a tool of change. The therapist encourages immediate awareness in the client of the I-Thou relationship. The therapist is both supportive and confrontational and continually gives the client feedback to foster awareness. The therapist asks How? and avoids Why?

Gestalt Counseling I and thou, here and now relationships Contact spontaneous interfunctioning of you and your environment Intrapersonal (contact between the client and aspects of himself or herself) and Interpersonal (contact between the client and perceived aspects of interactions with individuals or events from the past, present or future)

Gestalt Counseling Affirmation and acknowledgement Yes, that s true! Brings a cessation of conflict or confusion Clarity after completion of a gestalt enables the client to make appropriate decisions and choices Appropriate client s decision lies within Interventions or responses made by therapist should be judged appropriate through contact with client Respect client is the authority Therapist demonstrates respect for every aspect of the client s systems Experimentation client is encouraged to experiment with experience that may generate awareness or remove blockages and complete the gestalt

Stages & Techniques WARNING: Gestalt is not a technique-only theory Reversal Counselor asks the client to express the polar opposite of any feeling, thought, or action Dialogue Empty-Chair technique provides clarity to parts of self that are not in awareness or are not integrated in the self Directed Awareness Counselor and client strive to be open and aware of issues that surface in the here and now

Interface with Recent Developments in Mental Health Nature/Nurture Gestalt therapists acknowledge there is an interrelationship between self, biology, and environment DSM 5 Diagnosis Gestalt therapists view the use of diagnosis as not being static, change is possible Pharmacotherapy Gestalt therapists believe medication alone is not enough Taking medication must be followed by processing issues in the present

Interface with Recent Developments in Mental Health Managed Care and Brief Therapy Gestalt therapy has no definite length Technical Eclecticism Gestalt therapists encourage pulling techniques from a wide array of schools of thought in order to facilitate the awareness

Interface with Recent Developments in Mental Health Effectiveness of Psychotherapy Outcome studies exist that both demonstrate robust and limited treatment effectiveness Gestalt proponents assert that the humanistic approach does not perform well under the evidence- based, manualized, prescriptive methods of random controlled trial methodology

Diversity The philosophical underpinning of phenomenology stresses the importance of understanding the client s perspective. Culture: Perls was a member of a persecuted minority group and his theory reflects the importance of understanding the client s experience of their cultural identity.

Gender and LGBTQ Issues how one perceives gender roles can create polarities in oneself that provide obstacles to awareness and growth Theory developed during the time of the Human Potential Movement Some modern Gestalt practitioners have stressed the need for more work in this area; more advocacy based emphasis

Spirituality Role of spirituality reflects the evolving and phenomenological approach of the theory Gestalt writers have explored the integration of the theory with varied religious/spiritual frameworks Emphasize how the client is using the beliefs to avoid/make authentic contact

Limitations & Contributions Limitations lack of emphasis on cognitive aspect of existence therapists grasp the use of techniques without understanding Contributions creativity here-and-now emphasis on emotional expression

References Fall, K. A., Holden, J. M., & Marquis, A. (2023). Theoretical models of counseling and psychotherapy (4th ed.). Routledge. Korb, M.P., Gorrell, J., Van De Riet, V. (1989). Gestalt therapy practice and theory (2nded.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.