Gestalt Therapy

• For those of you who have never read my blog WELCOME, & please start with the first paragraph, everyone else... skip to the next :)

This semester, one of the courses I am taking is Theories of Counseling & Psychology. The requirements of this course include learning about several theories and reflecting upon my thoughts about them. Reflections include a discussion of which components I personally identify with, and which I expect to incorporate into my own theoretical orientation as a counselor.


In reading about Gestalt Therapy, I really liked the idea of a holistic approach, viewing “humans as a whole rather than as a sum of discretely functioning parts”, however I did not find the Gestalt approach to be very holistic. In my opinion, a holistic approach would take into account someone’s past experiences, present experience as well as future goals and dreams.

I did not like that the Gestalt approach focused wholly on the present. I can imagine that Fritz Perl’s may have made it this way in reaction to Freud’s very past oriented theory. I appreciate the idea that “individuals must be understood in context of their ongoing relationship with the environment”. I feel that past experiences must be taken into account as they play a role in shaping current behavior.

I think that a holistic approach would promote a balanced focus on both process and content, however I found that the Gestalt approach focuses more on process than content. The Gestalt approach focuses on “direct experience” rather than talking about situations. I am in no way undermining the use of focusing on process in therapy, however I do think that content is also important.

One of Fritz Perls biggest criticisms was that people viewed him as “harshly confrontive, and meeting his own needs through showmanship”. In regards to addressing process in counseling, I think it is important to approach it in a nonjudgmental accepting way, as clients may be quick to become defensive. Clients may feel that they are being judged for their nonverbal communication. I have seen the use of focusing on process as very effective in group therapy. Clients are less likely to feel judged or abnormal when they are able to see and hear others having similar experiences.

One example of a technique I may use in the future, as a counselor is to encourage clients to transform their stories of the past into present experiences through the use of role-play. I feel that this would be helpful to clients because while telling a poignant story from the past, one may tell it in a detached manor, while bringing it to the present through the use of role-play forces clients to deal with the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors associated with it. Simply making stories of the past into present experiences can help clients to work through issues.

I greatly identified with the idea that unfinished business may manifest into body experiences. An example of this from my own life is that I get very painful headaches when I am extremely stressed out and do not deal with it.

I did not identify with the notion that the way clients behave is more important than the reasons behind their behavior. I don’t understand how this is holistic. I believe that both the behavior and the underlying reasons behind the behavior are equally important. I find fostering awareness to be a very important component of therapy. I also feel that knowing the underlying reasons (the prize the client is getting- or the needs that are met by behaving in a certain way) behind behavior can help the therapist and client collaboratively find ways to meet those same needs without the price, or negative effects.

I did not like the aspect of the Gestalt approach that emphasizes a transformation from environmental support to social support, or interdependence to complete independence. When I read this part of the chapter, a big alarm went off in my head regarding cultural implications. This is a VERY Western ideal that does not generalize to clients of all cultures. For example, collectivist cultures do not value independence but hold a great value on community. I personally have a hard time understanding what is wrong with environmental support and interdependence. In fact, I believe that social support is an essential component to mental health.

I do not like the directiveness of this approach, as I feel that the client should choose what to work on in counseling. I feel that directive therapies have a potential for abuse of power. I like to consider clients as the expert of their own lives, including that they know what they most need to deal with in counseling. I do not like the idea of the therapist deciding the direction of counseling, because it creates a power differential, and could also promote viewing the client as a pathology rather than as a person who needs help developing coping skills.

My favorite parts of this approach were the specific techniques of empty chair, making the rounds, reversal, rehearsal and exaggeration. I also loved the idea of accepting responsibility through reframing questions into statements, “I can’t” into “I won’t”, and turning general statements into “I” statements. I think there is a lot of power in having a client switch the worlds “can’t” to “won’t”. “I can’t advocate for myself” “I won’t advocate for myself”. It shows the client that he or she has a choice and gives him or her responsibility.

In my future as a therapist, I will borrow and adapt techniques from the Gestalt approach, but this will not be my foundational theoretical orientation. I will use the strengths of this approach such as techniques to foster awareness.