Gestalt therapy

THEORY OF PERSONALITY

- A person exists by differentiating self from other & by connecting self & other .

- These are the two functions of a boundary.

1. The boundary between self & environment must be permeable to allow for exchanges, yet firm enough to enable autonomous action

2. When the boundary becomes unclear, lost, impermeable, mental & emotional disturbance results

GESTALT THERAPY

- Main originator & developer of Gestalt Therapy Fritz Perls (1893-1970) / wife Laura Perls (1905-1990) . It is an existential /phenomenological approach Therapists try to increase clients' awareness It is grounded in the client's "here and now"

KEY CONCEPTS OF GESTALT THERAPY

• Gestalt Therapy is another type of counseling that is based upon the existential framework. Key elements include:
• Focus on client's perception of reality. The client is being asked to come to understand about what and how they are thinking, feeling, and doing as they interact with the therapist and the other people in the world . Client come to an awareness of what he or she is doing and experiencing The Now Our "power is in the present". The only moment that is a significant is the present. For many people the power of the present is lost.
• Individuals have the capacity to self- regulate when they are aware of what is happening in and around them. Therefore, therapy provides the setting and opportunity for that awareness to be supported and restored..

GESTALT VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE

• Gestalt's basic understanding of the human being is that people can deal with their problems, especially if they become fully aware of what is happening within oneself and outside of oneself
• Change happens in a person's life when he or she can reintegrate a disowned part of the self back into the mix of identity
• Gestalt is a process of "re-owning" parts of the self that have been disowned
• Change takes place when a person is more aware of who and what he or she is