Theoretical Models of Counseling and Psychotherapy, - PowerPoint Presentation

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Theoretical Models of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3rd Edition Chapter 7: Gestalt Counseling

Mario De La Garza, M.Ed.

University of North Texas

adapted from

Cecili

Greenwood

University of North TexasSlide2

Founder’s OverviewFrederick “Fritz” Perls – born to a lower social class Jewish family in 1893Early life filled with struggle and humiliation, particularly from his father1940s – 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 nihilismSlide3

Philosophical UnderpinningsPhenomenological perspective of immediate experienceNow=experience=awareness=realityHolism – 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 Slide4

Philosophical UnderpinningsField 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

Slide5

Function of the PsycheOrganismic 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)Slide6

Structure of the PsycheBackground (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 **** Slide7

Role of the EnvironmentIndividuals are inextricably linked to the environment.Individuals are acted upon by the environment and act upon the environmentINDIVIDUALS

ENVIRONMENT

(me) contact boundary (not me)

(disturbances develop)Slide8

Self and Self-ConceptSelf-As-ProcessAwareness of the contact pointsSelf 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 therapySlide9

Gestalt PrinciplesGestalt Formation and CompletionHealthy formation is a continuous process of emerging figures and receding fieldsGestalt will disappear if it is divided, new gestalt is created

Individual is not separable from the formation of

gestalten

(verb form of gestalt)Slide10

Gestalt PrinciplesClarity of GestaltenClear perception of the immediate present leads to “good gestalten

”

No unfinished business tha

t interferes with clear perception of the present

Effective problem solving – cognitive or emotional nature – “Aha” experienceSlide11

Gestalt PrinciplesAwareness 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 awarenessSlide12

Gestalt PrinciplesClosurePeople tend to view incomplete visual information as being complete and meaningfulZeigarnik effect – Individuals seek closure, what we really want and what we are looking for in our lives are

complete experiencesSlide13

Gestalt PrinciplesPolarization and IdentificationProcess 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

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Gestalt PrinciplesDifferentiation and IntegrationProcess of denying one end of the polarities to identify with the other endCommon for the person to experience an impasse

Self-organizing, self-regulating organisms find a balance by restoring parts that have been denied so longSlide15

Healthy FunctioningValuation 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)Slide16

Unhealthy FunctioningMaladjustmentIndividual restricts awareness, and patterns develop that fail to fulfill needs or are destructive to self or othersContact 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 containedSlide17

Unhealthy FunctioningContact boundary disturbances (cont.)Confluence- Individual does not distinguish between self and environment, especially other people, sense of self is scatteredIsolation/Retroflection-

Individual might reject nutritious material from environment or self-enhancing actions are turned back on oneselfSlide18

Unhealthy Functioning: Layers of Neurosis1) Phony2) Phobic3) Impasse4) Implosive5) ExplosiveLike peeling on onion, each layer worked through equals

greater awareness.Slide19

Personality Change ProcessChange is paradoxical – one can only change when one is truly oneselfChange 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.Slide20

Client’s RoleAttune oneself to the continuum of awarenessCommit to the here-and-now

Own everything

Commit to meaningful dialogue

Avoid questions

Take risks

Embrace personal responsibilitySlide21

Counselor’s RoleThe 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?”Slide22

Gestalt CounselingI and thou, here and now relationshipsContact – 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)Slide23

Gestalt CounselingAffirmation 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 gestaltSlide24

Stages & TechniquesWARNING: 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 nowSlide25

Interface with Recent Developments in Mental HealthNature/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 m

edication alone is not enough

Taking medication must be followed by processing issues in the presentSlide26

Interface with Recent Developments in Mental HealthManaged Care and Brief TherapyGestalt 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 Slide27

Interface with Recent Developments in Mental HealthDiversity IssuesGestalt therapy is not interested in concrete specifics

Encompasses a wide variety of clientele perspectives

Spirituality

Role of spirituality reflects the evolving and phenomenological approach of the theory

Effectiveness

of Psychotherapy

Limited research of Gestalt therapy with mixed resultsSlide28

Limitations & ContributionsLimitationslack of emphasis on cognitive aspect of existence

therapists grasp the use of techniques without understanding

Contributions

creativity

here-and-now

emphasis on emotional expressionSlide29

ReferencesFall, K. A., Holden, J. M., & Marquis, A. (2016). Theoretical models of counseling and psychotherapy (3rd

ed.). New York: Routledge.

Korb

, M.P.,

Gorrell

, J., Van De

Riet

, V. (1989).

Gestalt therapy practice and theory (

2

nd

ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.