Gestalt Therapy
An Introduction to the Basic Concepts of Gestalt Therapy
Distributed for Museum Tusculanum Press
271 pages
|
6 x 9
|
© 2010
Gestalt Therapy is primarily an introductory textbook. It offers a clear and sober presentation of the values, theories, method, and techniques of gestalt therapy. In addition, it describes the various applications of gestalt therapy and the associated ethical and practical conditions. Originally, gestalt therapy was developed as a therapy of neurosis, but although its basic concepts remain the same, gestalt therapy has been expanded and refined in both theory and practice, and today it constitutes a modern form of psychotherapy suitable as both a form of developmental therapy and a treatment for a wide range of client categories with many different mental disorders. The book discusses the impact of the U.S. origins of gestalt therapy and underlines the importance of a high degree of sensitivity to cultural aspects as gestalt therapy spreads throughout the world. It is crucial that gestalt therapists consider the culture and the social conditions which form the context for their practice of gestalt therapy. Gestalt Therapy is aimed at gestalt therapy students, psychologists, students of psychology, and health professionals.
Contents
Preface
Therapy—Mystification and Reality
Part 1: Background
Gestalt Therapy—a Brief Look at History
Minor Variations Between American and European Approaches
What’s in a Name—the Term “Gestalt Therapy”
The Basic Premises of Gestalt Therapy
Fundamental Requirements of the Gestalt Therapist
Insight
The Metatheory of Gestalt Therapy—Underlying Values
Existential Thinking and the Concept of Existence
Existentials
Psychological Theory
Gestalt Psychology and Its Principles
Self-Regulating
Field Theory
Gestalt Therapy—a Brief Look at History
Minor Variations Between American and European Approaches
What’s in a Name—the Term “Gestalt Therapy”
The Basic Premises of Gestalt Therapy
Fundamental Requirements of the Gestalt Therapist
Insight
The Metatheory of Gestalt Therapy—Underlying Values
Existential Thinking and the Concept of Existence
Existentials
Psychological Theory
Gestalt Psychology and Its Principles
Self-Regulating
Field Theory
Gestalt Therapy Method
Phenomenology
Part 2: Underlying Assumptions in Gestalt Therapy
Awareness
The Self
Personality Formation
Zones of Awareness (Zones of Contact)
Functions of Awareness
Self-Support
Learning and Self-Support
Resistance and Self-Support
Contact
Contact—a Process
The Contact Cycle
Transference
Developing Contact Skills
Defenses and Contact Disturbances
Contact Forms
Confluence
Introjection
Phenomenology
Part 2: Underlying Assumptions in Gestalt Therapy
Awareness
The Self
Personality Formation
Zones of Awareness (Zones of Contact)
Functions of Awareness
Self-Support
Learning and Self-Support
Resistance and Self-Support
Contact
Contact—a Process
The Contact Cycle
Transference
Developing Contact Skills
Defenses and Contact Disturbances
Contact Forms
Confluence
Introjection
Projection
Deflection
Retroflection
Extensive Contact Disruption
Summary
The Therapist’s Contact Skills
Mental Health and Mental Illness
Mental Illness as a Blocked Awareness Process
Mental Health
Psychological Development
The Focus of Gestalt Therapy
Part 3: Practice
Gestalt Therapy in Practice
The Gestalt Therapy Approach
Gestalt Therapy and the Client’s Problem
The Therapist’s Conditions
Payment
Gestalt Therapy and the Physical Setting
Power and Ethics
The Therapist’s Language
The Various Forms of Gestalt Therapy
Individual Therapy
Group Therapy
Therapy with Couples
Diagnosis in Gestalt Therapy
Contact and Process Diagnosis
Gestalt Therapy Techniques
The Basic Technique
Classic Techniques
Techniques in Dream Work
The Purpose of the Techniques
The Position of Gestalt Therapy in Society
Deflection
Retroflection
Extensive Contact Disruption
Summary
The Therapist’s Contact Skills
Mental Health and Mental Illness
Mental Illness as a Blocked Awareness Process
Mental Health
Psychological Development
The Focus of Gestalt Therapy
Part 3: Practice
Gestalt Therapy in Practice
The Gestalt Therapy Approach
Gestalt Therapy and the Client’s Problem
The Therapist’s Conditions
Payment
Gestalt Therapy and the Physical Setting
Power and Ethics
The Therapist’s Language
The Various Forms of Gestalt Therapy
Individual Therapy
Group Therapy
Therapy with Couples
Diagnosis in Gestalt Therapy
Contact and Process Diagnosis
Gestalt Therapy Techniques
The Basic Technique
Classic Techniques
Techniques in Dream Work
The Purpose of the Techniques
The Position of Gestalt Therapy in Society
References
Index of Names
For more information, or to order this book, please visit http://www.press.uchicago.edu
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