Gestalt Therapy

Gestalt is my primary orientation, into which I integrate other approaches (described later) which I think are congruent with Gestalt principles.

What is Gestalt Therapy?

Gestalt: This is a German word, meaning ‘to make into a comprehensive whole’

Gestalt Therapy theory has a few main ideas that differentiate it from other approaches:

1. It is concerned with ‘awareness’ in the ‘here and now’, where past as remembered and future as anticipated exist in the present moment
2. We are inextricably inter-connected in a web of relationships where we can only know ourselves in relation to other persons, and situations
3. It focuses on a person’s existence and responsibility for their ‘way of being’ in the world

It takes the view that everything in nature (including us) has a built in desire to become whole or complete.

Gestalt is not only a theoretically grounded therapeutic approach but also a philosophy for living 

It is well suited for addressing issues of identity, of self confidence, problems with relationships, anxiety or stress or indeed any form of 'distress'.

How does it work?

It takes place as a conversation between equals.  I do not attempt to analyse you or make interpretations, but my aim is to help you gain greater awareness of you in your life, sometimes offering you different perspectives and ways of making sense of your life,  and  usually encouraging you to experiment, in your own time and at our own pace, with different ways of responding to your everyday life experiences. 

Therapy sessions last for an hour, usually taking place weekly or fortnightly, depending on the nature of the issue, but there are few prescriptions in Gestalt about frequency or duration of therapy.  We arrange sessions to suit both our calendars.