The Principles and Goals of Gestalt Therapy - Case Study Example

Counseling methods Name Institution Date The Principles and Goals of Gestalt Therapy According to the West Hartford Counseling Center, Gestalt therapy is a form of psychological treatment where one gets to be more aware of self in a less rational manner. The therapy will involve a patient and a therapist. It involves the changing of a patient’s attitude by drawing o line between what they perceive, how they feel and the real person they are. The major goal of gestalt therapy is expanding the client’s knowledge of oneself, and the role they play in their surrounding, for instance, who they are within their families, and among their friends and workmates. The therapy center of attention is on the occurrence, what is occurring time to time, rather than the item of discussion. Awareness of oneself means attentiveness to vital issues in someone’s life. The Gestalt therapy patient gets to answer the questions what and how, that enables them to change understand their interaction with others and appreciating themselves (Nelson, 2006, p.139) Gestalt therapy is versatile, although, it follows certain set principles. Holism is the first principle of Gestalt therapy. It means that, the therapy considers a client as a whole, emotions, way of thinking, actions, dreams and ambiance. This principle opens an understanding of the compatibility of a person’s general system, like what aspect of the client fits together and how they interrelate with the surrounding. The field theory principle considers everything in the environment to be related to each other. Here, the therapist considers the patient’s relationship within the family, among their friends and workmates, with their seniors and work itself. The next principle is the figure formation process. The therapist will get to know how the patients influence their environments each moment of interaction. Organismic self regulation involves the changes that an individual implements in response to the surrounding. A person’s stable interaction with their surrounding alters due to feelings, emotions and requirements. This forces them to change or change the surrounding. The therapist needs to understand the most important thing in the client’s environment at the moment. This will give way to their need. The now principle considers the happenings of the moment in the life of the patient and not the past or present. Finally, there is the principle of unfinished business. This includes the feelings that are not fulfilled in relation to special recollections or even fiction. The feelings are as a result of the problem of lack of full self awareness. These feelings are most times negative, such as hate and resentfulness. The patient does not let go the feelings of the past, but carries them to the extent that they affect the future. Unless someone decides to deal with these past feelings which are not fulfilled, they will always affect them (Greenberg. 1998, p.92) Understanding Marion from the perspective of Gestalt Therapy Gestalt therapy involves knowing a patient in whole. In this case, what they do, who they really are as a person. Marion is at her forties, she is feeling down and describes herself as an empty nester. This shows that she doesn’t believe in herself, according to her feelings, she is nothing. The patient also feels lonely since the family is busy and away. According to the field theory perspective, Marion seems to be relating well with other people, the friends, and family, who are always busy. She is a woman who treasures her family and friends; she has taken care of her children who are now grown. Although they are all grown up, she still wants to spend time with them and the husband and friends too. She does not organize the environment but just herself. Therefore, there is no figure-formation in this case. The patient depicts the Organismic self-regulation process as she reorganizes herself as a stay-home woman and now wants to do something different. All along, she has been happy with her role in life, but now, because her environment is changing, her last child is going to a university that is far from home, her husband busy with his business and other children married, she is responding to the changes by adjusting herself too. Finding a new focus in life comes first in her environment as at this moment. Marion is considering the new focus in life, since the stay at home mum that used to make her happy no longer does. The future is of little interest, as that is what she needs now. There are no unfinished businesses in the case of Marion, although, she is thinking of doing something for herself now. Getting rid of loneliness is another issue that she wants to deal with. She expresses no memories of unaccomplished feelings but rather an expression of fulfillment for taking care of her family. The doubt about her making a good decision earlier on is because of awareness issues which gestalt therapy solves (Schaefer. 2011) Working with Marion using Gestalt therapy Exercises and experiments are among the techniques for dealing with awareness in gestalt therapy rather than explanation and discussions. Exercise is a procedure that the therapist can use to induce the patient’s emotions. For example, the counselor can put her in a class situation, make her study and observe the reaction. This will tell if she will like to study as a replacement. Using of experiments to expand the patient’s awareness is also a good technique. The therapist allows the patient to participate fully in the dialogue in order to note any feelings and needs that come up. They can use signs or other expressions in relation to the choices that she is likely to make. The counselor can opt using statements or questions to in order to help Marion discover herself. Direct questions like, “What do you feel like doing” helps the therapist to understand the client’s interests. She can start explaining from what she is used to doing, the therapist can then instruct her to start answering with what she is aware of. Repeating a given procedure will also help. Considering Marion’s verbal behavior is another thing that the counselor must take into consideration. The manner in which one talks gives an expression of their feelings and attitudes towards a certain issue. The patient might strongly insist in using some pronouns that point to somebody else and not them. This indicates denial and avoidance. Encouraging the patient to use expressions that directly refer to them, in this case Marion is important. For example, “I choose to…. ”. Their language pattern matters. Use of expressions that refer to them gives the patient the courage to accept themselves and power over their lives (McLeod. 2005).  Patients can also expand awareness through non verbal behavior. The counselor ensures that the patient gets to know herself better by understanding how her body functions. They concentrate on body parts like facial organs, the shoulders, legs and so on. The councilor figures out how the patient expresses excitement, boredom and anger. Using self-dialogue helps both the patient and the counselor to identify feelings of the patient that she is not aware of. The therapist needs to apply self dialogue to indentify these feelings and note the ones that conflict and those that tally. For example, the counselor is in a position to understand if Marion’s stay-home mum feeling conflict with her feeling to fulfill herself and get rid of loneliness or any other feeling, and if all or some tally. The method of empty-chair works well in this. The counselor can tell her to occupy one sit, for example the staying home role written on it, but take the position of a working mother. This involves switching and doing the reverse, then the use functions of the body parts. Enacting and Dramatizing: This involves the therapist instructing the patient to act what she feels, and to some extent, overstress on the acting to bring out the intense feeling. This enables originality in her feelings. The counselor can guide Marion on fantasizing. Telling her to shut her eyes and envision what she is doing other than as a mother who stays home. What she is feeling about what she I doing, which is in the imagination process. Taking the patient through a process of knowing others and herself is a step that the counselor must consider. This helps to understand herself and how she feels about others. The therapist can put Marion in a position of either her children or husband, and then ask her reaction in case the husband or children decide to change like she wants to. This gives her more imminent. Provision of home work and assignments by the counselor is a positive practice. The counselor can instruct the patient to write discourse between the parts of her self and her body parts. In the case of Marion, this is already a process of solving the issue of loneliness. The homework also helps in self-awareness (Gonzague. 2006). Examples of Questions and dialogue that might be involved in Gestalt Therapy A good relationship between the patient and the therapist facilitates the process of dialogue as part of the therapy process, so that the patient feels comfortable to answer the questions that the therapist asks. There are different kinds of dialogue that a therapist engages in through the process. Inclusion involves the kind of dialogue where the counselor includes him or her self in the patient’s life. They try to their maximum ability to be part of the patient. The counselor in this case holds on to what the note from the inclusion experiment. They can ask questions like, “What do you think we should do?” this puts the patient at the same level as their counselor. The therapist has to make sure that their presence is felt in the dialogue, so that the patient does not feel like they are talking or doing so much or they are a bother. The therapist must express observations and contributions to keep on dialogue. Verbal and non verbal dialogue can be used. Since it is active, it may involve non verbal features like dancing and singing. There are questions that therapists ask to facilitate the process of expanding awareness. Self-directive questions help relate the patient with themselves. Such questions are, “What are you feeling?” This gives the patient a chance to have control over their own life. Answering in terms of them and not referring to other people is the best way to do it. Personal questions relating to the issue at stake also help to expand awareness, for example, Marion’s counselor may ask “What are your hobbies” (Woldt. 2005, p.320) An evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of Gestalt Therapy with Marion Patients who undertake Gestalt therapy get to understand their feelings and themselves better, this is a process which enables them to accept and appreciate themselves as they are. Marion will be in a position to understand who she is, and what she wants. Since she has doubts about herself and her ability as a person. She knows what she wants but is unable to figure out what it is specifically. Therapy helps her know what she wants to do. It helps someone accept themselves as they are. Marion will get to accept her self as a mother who dedicates her life to care for her family and not to think that she is an empty-nester. Improving one’s relationships and ability to make right decisions is among the advantages of Gestalt therapy. Marion can learn to improve her relationships with her family even when they are away and working, and make decisions on what she really wants to do. She can deal with other stressful issues in her life apart from the loneliness and communicate even better especially to the family, letting them know how she feels. Marion will have confidence in what she does, learn to take action and not react (Corey. 2012, p.123) Gestalt therapy also has disadvantages although, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Getting a client who is so much into emotional techniques is tricky when therapist introduces the experiments during the process of therapy. The process of Catharsis can frighten patients too as some are not familiar with it (Coon. 2006. p. 534). Marion might end up thinking that showing her vulnerability is an indication of weakness on her part, and in case she finds a therapist that is not effective, can expose her to experiments beyond her capability. Gestalt therefore requires that the therapist considers the client’s ability and the extent of their need or needs. References Nelson-Jones, R. (2006). Theory and practice of counseling and therapy. London : SAGE Publ.139 Greenberg, L. S. (1998). Handbook of experiential psychotherapy. New York, NY :Guilford Press Schaefer, C. (2011). Foundations of Play Therapy. UK: Wiley. Coon, D., & Coon, D. (2006). Psychology: A modular approach to mind and behavior. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Woldt, A. L. (2005). Gestalt therapy: History, theory and practice. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage Publ. Corey, G. (2012). Case approach to counseling and psychotherapy. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole. Gonzague Masquelier. (2006).Gestalt Therapy: Living Creatively Today. Routledge. Dave Mann. (2010).Gestalt Therapy: 100 Key Points and Techniques. Taylor & Francis. McLeod, J. (2005). Counseling skill. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Corey, G. (2008). Theory and practice of group counseling. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Brooks/Cole. Read More

In this case, what they do, who they really are as a person. Marion is at her forties, she is feeling down and describes herself as an empty nester. This shows that she doesn’t believe in herself, according to her feelings, she is nothing. The patient also feels lonely since the family is busy and away. According to the field theory perspective, Marion seems to be relating well with other people, the friends, and family, who are always busy. She is a woman who treasures her family and friends; she has taken care of her children who are now grown.

Although they are all grown up, she still wants to spend time with them and the husband and friends too. She does not organize the environment but just herself. Therefore, there is no figure-formation in this case. The patient depicts the Organismic self-regulation process as she reorganizes herself as a stay-home woman and now wants to do something different. All along, she has been happy with her role in life, but now, because her environment is changing, her last child is going to a university that is far from home, her husband busy with his business and other children married, she is responding to the changes by adjusting herself too.

Finding a new focus in life comes first in her environment as at this moment. Marion is considering the new focus in life, since the stay at home mum that used to make her happy no longer does. The future is of little interest, as that is what she needs now. There are no unfinished businesses in the case of Marion, although, she is thinking of doing something for herself now. Getting rid of loneliness is another issue that she wants to deal with. She expresses no memories of unaccomplished feelings but rather an expression of fulfillment for taking care of her family.

The doubt about her making a good decision earlier on is because of awareness issues which gestalt therapy solves (Schaefer. 2011) Working with Marion using Gestalt therapy Exercises and experiments are among the techniques for dealing with awareness in gestalt therapy rather than explanation and discussions. Exercise is a procedure that the therapist can use to induce the patient’s emotions. For example, the counselor can put her in a class situation, make her study and observe the reaction.

This will tell if she will like to study as a replacement. Using of experiments to expand the patient’s awareness is also a good technique. The therapist allows the patient to participate fully in the dialogue in order to note any feelings and needs that come up. They can use signs or other expressions in relation to the choices that she is likely to make. The counselor can opt using statements or questions to in order to help Marion discover herself. Direct questions like, “What do you feel like doing” helps the therapist to understand the client’s interests.

She can start explaining from what she is used to doing, the therapist can then instruct her to start answering with what she is aware of. Repeating a given procedure will also help. Considering Marion’s verbal behavior is another thing that the counselor must take into consideration. The manner in which one talks gives an expression of their feelings and attitudes towards a certain issue. The patient might strongly insist in using some pronouns that point to somebody else and not them. This indicates denial and avoidance.

Encouraging the patient to use expressions that directly refer to them, in this case Marion is important. For example, “I choose to…. ”. Their language pattern matters. Use of expressions that refer to them gives the patient the courage to accept themselves and power over their lives (McLeod. 2005).  Patients can also expand awareness through non verbal behavior. The counselor ensures that the patient gets to know herself better by understanding how her body functions. They concentrate on body parts like facial organs, the shoulders, legs and so on.

The councilor figures out how the patient expresses excitement, boredom and anger.

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