Gestalt Counseling Process

Gestalt therapy focuses more on process rather than content. Clients are challenged to provide their feelings that are at the moment, not what has happened in the past. Unlike psychoanalysis, which counted on the analyst’s interpretation of the client’s unconscious processes for change, Gestalt focuses on understanding the world from the client’s perspective, respecting the belief that each person has a unique perception of self, other, and environment. This individual perception is the reality of the client, and understanding this reality is the road to change. The therapist is both supportive and confrontational, continuously working to encourage here-and-now. The role of the counselor is to ask “How?” and avoid “Why?” Change occurs when the individual moves to a position characterized by more self support/selftrust, insight, and, most importantly, awareness.
Ground Rules in the Gestalt Therapy (adapted from The Handbook of Gestalt Therapy, A.J. Greenwald)
Attune oneself to the continuum of awareness
Commit to the here-and-now
Own everything
Commit to meaningful dialogue
Avoid questions
Take risks
Embrace personal responsibility