Gestalt

Sample Answer

The Gestalt approach, developed by Fritz Perls and his colleagues in the 1940s and 50s, is an existential, phenomenological, and process-based form of psychotherapy. It emphasizes the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist-client relationship, and the environmental and social contexts of a person's life.

a. Primary Defining Features of the Gestalt Approach

The Gestalt approach is built upon several foundational concepts that distinguish it from traditional talk therapy:

The "Here and Now": Gestalt therapy focuses intensely on the present. Practitioners believe that focusing on the past is a way to avoid coming to terms with the present. Clients are encouraged to talk about their past in the present tense (e.g., "I am feeling like a child again") to bring the experience into the current moment.

Holism: The word Gestalt implies a "whole" or "completion." The approach views the individual as a unified whole of physical, mental, and emotional parts that cannot be understood in isolation.