gestalt therapy
WHAT IS IT?
Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy that's based on humanistic and relational principles and takes a holistic approach, working with what's happening in our hearts, heads and body.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
A Gestalt approach seeks to heighten the client's awareness of what's happening within them, around them and between them and others. With greater awareness, clients can be more choiceful about how they react and what decisions and actions they take. To support this heightening of awareness, the client is invited to explore their thoughts and feelings, in the 'here and now'. In contrast to psychoanalysis, rather than analysing the client or their responses, the therapist shares what they're experiencing in contact with the client, including what they are noticing about the client, what they're imagining or wondering about and what they are feeling themselves. Through this process of sharing, a relational dialogue is developed between the client and therapist that supports deeper exploration of fixed patterns of behaviours, self limiting beliefs, ways the client inhibits their contact with others, and a fuller range of choices and more useful responses.
TREATMENT
The initial session is about meeting each other as people, giving us both the opportunity to decide whether we want to work together. You will be invited to discuss what key issues you wish to deal with and what you're hoping to achieve through therapy. You will also have the opportunity to ask any questions about Howard and his approach and Gestalt therapy in general.
FAQ’s
- What does "Gestalt" mean?
- Gestalt is a German word that has no direct English translation. The closest English word is probably "Wholeness", reflecting Gestalt's focus on the therapist working with the client as a whole person, as a whole person themselves, and supporting the client to be able to have more complete experiences in life, and to deal with or avoid "unfinished business".
- What is Gestalt based on?
- Gestalt draws on a number of fields, including relational therapy and other dialogical approaches, Buddhism, field theory and systems theory. It's based strongly on humanistic principles.
- Is it confrontational?
- Gestalt has moved on significantly from the approaches used by the founders of Gestalt in the 1970s, who could be quite confrontational. Modern Gestalt therapists use more gentle approaches, grading their work to suit the client and working with the client's agreement at all stages.
- What if I don't want to explore a particular issue from my past?
- The choice of what to work on is entirely yours.
WHO DO I SEE?
Howard Boorman is the Vital Health Care Centre’s Gestalt Therapist