Gestalt therapy emerged from a multitude of philosophical, theoretical, scientific, and cultural roots. As a product of the early twentieth century, it would be impossible to divorce the evolution of Gestalt therapy from Marxism or existentialism, and indeed the theories of Gestalt therapy in part derive from those philosophies. Moreover, Gestalt therapy at least in part originated through a therapeutic application of the perception principles of Gestalt psychology. The relationship between Gestalt therapy and Gestalt psychology is both tenuous and controversial: "Gestalt therapists frequently claim descent from Gestalt psychology by quoting some of the classical Gestalt experiments in figure/ground information and figure/ground reversal ... Yet Gestalt psychologists have consistently denied any close kinship between their system of theory and research," (Sherill 1986). Still Gestalt therapy owes part of its theoretical framework to the work of Max ertheimer, Ernst Mach, Christian von Ehrenfels, Oswald Kulpe, olfgang Kohler, and Kurt Koffka. hile…...

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Works Cited

Becker, Ernest (1993). "Growing up Rugged." Originally published in The Gestalt Journal, Volume XVI, Number 2. Reproduced online by Gestalt.org. <  http://www.gestalt.org/becker.htm >.

Boeree, George (2000). "Gestalt Psychology." Online at <  http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/gestalt.html >.

'Gestalt Therapy." 2005. Wikipedia. <  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gestalt_therapy >.

Sherrill, Robert E. (1986). "Gestalt Therapy and Gestalt Psychology." Originally published in The Gestalt Journal. Reproduced online by Gestalt.org. <  http://www.gestalt.org/sherrill.htm >.

Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy that can be of immense benefit to certain types of people with certain types of issues. It is largely considered distinct from other varieties of psychotherapy because it is greatly concerned with perception -- both how it relates to the individual as well as to the observer. Although one might argue the case that virtually all forms of therapy are preoccupied with the thoughts and feelings of their subjects, Gestalt therapy's appeal (in certain instances) is that it is almost wholly concerned with such a subjective approach to the exclusion of most other factors. As such, one of the immense benefits of this form of therapy is that it helps to raise awareness, both of the individual as well as of awareness itself.
Essentially, Gestalt therapy forces a patient to get out of his or her normal thought patterns and modes of behavior. It…...

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References

Yontef, G. (1993). Gestalt therapy: an introduction. The Gestalt Journal Press. Retrieved from  http://www.gestalt.org/yontef.htm

Abstract Gestalt is a German word signifying a pattern or shape. The roots of Gestalt therapy can be traced to Max Wertheimer, who studied human perceptual illusions. Wertheimer’s research led to a holistic view of the human psyche that provided a necessary counterpoint to the fragmented, reductionist, and structuralist views that prevailed in research psychology. Gestalt therapy emerged after blending the principles of Gestalt with the goals of psychotherapy. In particular, Gestalt therapists like Frederick “Fritz” Perls used the concept of a Gestalt to emphasize the importance of holism in psychotherapy. Humanism also became a cornerstone of Gestalt therapy, which promotes an “I/Thou” therapeutic relationship based on points of contact between individuals who are connected in an integrated social network. Group therapy and art therapy are also methods used in Gestalt psychology.
Although the phrase may seem out of vogue, Gestalt psychology underwrites a lot of contemporary psychotherapies and therapeutic interventions, particularly…...

Gestalt Therapy
Thoughts / Feelings / Reactions

The first impression upon reading the Chapter 9 (Gestalt Therapy) is that is has a human feel rather than the harsher, less-friendly Freudian psychoanalysis. Not that all of Freud's work is harsh or standoffish, at all. But when the easy-to-digest narrative in this chapter (lacking some of the esoteric passages of Freud) refers to the "awareness of awareness" I relate immediately (Yontef, et al., 316). .

hen the authors present a picture of therapy that asks the patient to dip into "self-knowledge ... self-acceptance," and knowledge of the environment around a person, this seems far more down-to-earth and patient-centered that other therapies (Yontef, 316). I also am comfortable with this theory because it doesn't "focus on curing disease" nor is it "restricted to talking about problems," but it asks the patient to get in touch with the world surrounding the patient and dip into the pictures…...

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Works Cited

Yontef, G., and Jacobs, L. Gestalt Therapy. Chapter 9.

Person-centered therapeutic advocates would say that the therapist can work swiftly, if that is the client's desire. But if the client is less than 100% committed to working through his or her issues the needed duration of the therapy can vastly exceed the time and money of the client. Still, person-centered therapists would point out that unlike psychoanalysis, the focus of the therapy is about 'being in the moment' and present-day concerns, rather than upon long-ago excavation of the past.
Gestalt therapy is a form of holistic therapy that focuses self-empowerment and self-actualization, which could be called the 'parent' of person-centered therapy. It requires an even more intensive relationship between therapist and client, and is far more structured and directed in its approach. "The goal of Gestalt therapy is to raise clients' awareness regarding how they function in their environment" (Gestalt therapy, 2008, Encyclopedia of mental disorders). But like person-centered…...

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Works Cited

Gestalt therapy. (2008). Encyclopedia of mental disorders. Retrieved July 27, 2009 at http://www.minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/Gestalt-therapy.html

Person-centered therapy. (2008). Encyclopedia of mental disorders. Retrieved July 27, 2009 at http://www.minddisorders.com/Ob-Ps/Person-centered-therapy.html

Gestalt Analysis on how client behaviors and student developmental levels effect the group stages and counseling process; particularly high school students. There should be some discussions points on group techniques and how it best works with the high school level students.
Also, am a career coach at a local high school and will also need some discussion points on how group techniques tie into background as a career coach for high school seniors.

The high school student, typical of the adolescent period, is going through a transition of finding his identity. Now, if ever, is it particularly important that he be shown how to nurture himself, how to choose, a healthy identity, and how to feel comfortable in the identity he has chosen. *, longtime counselor of adolescents and children, has written a scientific research article of his success in using Gestalt techniques for helping adolescents create and maintain…...

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It is in these ways that Gestaltian techniques can improve my service as coach to high-school students.

Source

Oaklander, V (1997) The Therapeutic Process With Children and Adolescents, Gestalt Review, 1(4):292-317

Abstract Gestalt is a German word signifying a pattern or shape. The roots of Gestalt therapy can be traced to Max Wertheimer, who studied human perceptual illusions. Wertheimer’s research led to a holistic view of the human psyche that provided a necessary counterpoint to the fragmented, reductionist, and structuralist views that prevailed in research psychology. Gestalt therapy emerged after blending the principles of Gestalt with the goals of psychotherapy. In particular, Gestalt therapists like Frederick “Fritz” Perls used the concept of a Gestalt to emphasize the importance of holism in psychotherapy. Humanism also became a cornerstone of Gestalt therapy, which promotes an “I/Thou” therapeutic relationship based on points of contact between individuals who are connected in an integrated social network. Group therapy and art therapy are also methods used in Gestalt psychology.
Although the phrase may seem out of vogue, Gestalt psychology underwrites a lot of contemporary psychotherapies and therapeutic interventions, particularly…...

Compare and Contrast Cognitive Behavior, Gestalt, and Person-Centered Therapy The cognitive behavioral therapy mainly focuses on how a person's thoughts and perceptions will affect how they feel and behave. People are reactive beings that respond to a variety of external stimuli and people's behavior is normally a result of learning and conditioning. Many research studies have demonstrated that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective approach for numerous psychological problems including anxiety. CBT is based on the notion that learning and thinking will play roles when an individual's emotional and behavioral problems emerge (Ung, Selles, Small, & Storch, 2015). The main goal of CBT is to reduce the distress that the individual might suffer or suffers by unlearning the maladaptive habits, providing new information processing skills, and changing the maladaptive beliefs. CBT works on the premise that behavior is learned, which means that the same way an individual learned something…...

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References

González-Ramírez, E., Carrillo-Montoya, T., García-Vega, M. L., Hart, C. E., Zavala-Norzagaray, A. A., & Ley-Quiñónez, C. P. (2017). Effectiveness of hypnosis therapy and Gestalt therapy as depression treatments. Clínica y Salud, 28(1), 33-37.

Hofmann, S. G., Wu, J. Q., & Boettcher, H. (2014). Effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders on quality of life: a meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 82(3), 375.

MacLeod, R., & Elliott, R. (2014). Nondirective Person-centered therapy for social anxiety: a hermeneutic single-case efficacy design study of a good outcome case. Person-Centered & Experiential Psychotherapies, 13(4), 294-311.

Ung, D., Selles, R., Small, B. J., & Storch, E. A. (2015). A systematic review and meta-analysis of cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety in youth with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 46(4), 533-547.

Sample Letter to Member of Parliament in Canada Requesting Assistance with Study ViaJOHN Q. PUBLIC123 Main StreetToronto, ON M5T 1A1CanadaSubject: Request for Support for Study Visa Application for Gestalt Therapy Program: Application Number IRCC NO:0000000786Dear [Member of Parliament's Name],This letter is written to you today to request your assistance in regards to my Study visa application that was submitted in August 2022. The purpose of this letter is to enlist your assistance in helping me with the application process and speed it up as it has been six months since I submitted my application and I do not want to miss the 2023 academic year and time is running out.I am eager to attend a training program in Canada for my career enhancement and to become a specialist in the field of Gestalt Therapy. Gestalt therapy emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and personal responsibility, and encourages individuals to become…...

The primary difference between the two however, is gestalt therapy concentrates more on the ability of the individual to make proper choices regarding their care. This theory or approach to therapy reminds the client of the connection between mind, body and spirit. The behavior approach is less concerned with the paradigm of holistic health, and more concerned with a therapist-driven approach to identifying problems and selecting appropriate solutions.
In this sense, gestalt therapy seems like it is a more effective approach, because it encourages the individual to make judgments about their health and understand the connections existing between their behaviors and emotions. Because gestalt therapy is patient-driven more so than psychotherapist drive as behavior therapy, many believe patients are able to realize relief and successful outcomes more quickly, as well as retain greater self-esteem (James & Jongeward, 1996; Palmer, 1996). If a patient wants patient-centered care that provides effective relief,…...

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References:

Cleland, C., Foote, J. Kosanke, N., Mabura, S., Mahmood, D. & Rosenblum, a. (2005). Moderators of effects of motivational enhancements to cognitive behavioral therapy. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 31(1): 35.

Diemer, R.A., Hill, C.E., Lobell, L.K., & Vivino, B.L. (1996). Comparison of dream interpretation, event interpretation, and unstructured sessions in brief therapy. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43(1): 99.

Fine, M.A. & Schwebel, a.L. (1994). Understanding and helping families: A cognitive-behavioral approach. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum.

James, M. & Jongeward, D. (1996). Born to win: Transactional analysis with gestalt experiments. Cambridge: Perseus Publishing.

"The song was there before me, before I came along" Dylan answered. "I just sorta came down and just sorta took it down with a pencil, but it was all there before I came around…" (www.edlis.org)].
Meanwhile Ginger explains the practical application of Gestalt theory from the perspective of Fritz Perls: a) "we all know that each of us perceives the world from our own personal perspective…" and yet people look in vain for the objectivity that comes from science; b) we also know that the "how" is more important than the "why" and that the "spirit in which something is done is important… but we are still mostly interested in the 'bottom line'" (Ginger).

Conclusion

As alluded to earlier in this paper Gestalt has indeed been controversial and clearly it is misunderstood after years of its myriad applications. However, this paper supports the value that is Gestalt, in its many forms…...

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Works Cited

Edlis. (1997). Ballad of Donald White. Retrieved September 3, 2011, from  http://www.edlis.org/twice/threads/donald_white.html .

Feldman, Robert. (2009). Psychology and Your Life. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies.

Ginger, Serge, (2007). Gestalt Therapy: The Art of Contact. London, UK: Karmac Books.

Melnick, Joseph, and Fall, Marijane. (2008). A Gestalt Approach to Group Supervision.

Gestalt Approach
There are more similarities than differences between Gestalt and Existential theories and both are based on the self. The client knows himself better than anybody else in the world. Therefore, one should start to understand the client's needs and personality along with the careful definitions of these two approaches. Gestalt Therapy takes a holistic approach to human experience by stressing individual responsibility and awareness of present psychological and physical needs (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/232116/Gestalt-therapy). The term of holistic approach should be the center of the therapy. In this approach the client needs to be evaluated analyzing his physical image, his mind, his emotions, and his environment. Although, existential approach is also concentrated on clients' needs, it can be summarized in the components of the life; death, freedom, and meaningless (http://www.existential-therapy.com/General_Overview.htm). Death would be explained by human's limits against the nature or life whereas freedom refers the responsibilities and boundaries. Meaningless is…...

Collaborative language systems focuses on the collaborative dialogue between therapist and client, where the two analyze and change the client's use of language about his or her problems to formulate a workable solution (Postmodern therapy, 2009, Depression Guide).
Another type of postmodern therapies is narrative therapy, which tries to help clients see how cultural narratives have shaped the subject's way of being in the world. By seeing their life narratives as constructed, clients are free to rewrite those narratives in a more positive fashion. Similarly, solution-focused therapy focuses on "the construction of solutions to problems" and building new connections: the focusing past is not meaningful, because the past is always interpreted through the lens of the present, so what is more important is creating a fruitful approach to living today (Postmodern therapy, 2009, Depression Guide). The therapist acts as a facilitator, and since there are no universal truths, the goal…...

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Works Cited

Notes: Postmodern therapy. (2009). Retrieved August 23, 2009 at  http://www.hsu.edu/uploadedFiles/Faculty/williaw/O-H%20Notes%2013%20Postmodern%281%29.pdf 

Postmodern therapy. (2009). Depression Guide. Retrieved August 23, 2009 at  http://www.depression-guide.com/postmodern-therapy.htm

Gestalt theory according to Koffka (Kurt Koffka, Excerpt from "Perception: An introduction to Gestalt-theories" 1922), an act psychology in the tradition of Brentano?
The basic principle behind Gestalt theory is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Gestalt theory focuses on the structures of the mind As an alternative to Gestalt theory Franz Brentano stressed that it is the activities of the mind that are worthy of scientific study, not mental structures: "When one sees a color, the color itself is not mental. It is the seeing, the act that is mental....every act always refers to (or intends) something outside of itself (intentionality); thus, acts are inseparable from the objects to which they intend" (Act psychology, 2012, Psychology History Timeline). However, Gestalt psychologists like Koffka stressed how it was the mind itself, not the object or the activity that should be the target of study. "I…...

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References

Act psychology. (2012). Psychology History Timeline. Retrieved:

 http://psych.athabascau.ca/html/Glossary/demo_glossary.cgi?mode=history&term_id=922&color_id=3 

Koffka, Kurt. (1922). Perception: An introduction to the Gestalt-theorie Psychological Bulletin,

19, 531-585. Retrieved:

Adlerian TheoryName and brief description of key figure (s) (Drout, Harback, & Rule, n.d.)The 20th century Austrian psychologist, educator, and physician Alfred Adler was an early disciple of Freudian psychology, but gradually broke with his mentor in several distinct ways. In stark contrast to Sigmund Freud, Adler emphasized the social rather than sexual aspects of human personality development. Freudian hard determinism of the human character is starkly contrasted with Adlers soft determinism, as Adler believed in the possibility of the individual avoiding some of the influences of heredity and the environment, with proper counseling and self-awareness. Adler has been called the founder of individual psychology and has had a profound influence upon a number of later branches of psychology, including gestalt and humanistic psychology. For Alder, the self is fundamentally relational and personality is expressed in relation to other human actors and social dynamics. The individual is an indivisible unit…...

Gestalt therapy is rooted in the idea that all people experience things subjectively.  In other words, not only are people not objective about their experiences, but people are not supposed to be objective about their experiences.  Furthermore, even therapists cannot be objective about experiences, as their own context and background influence how they approach scenarios. Therefore, instead of substituting their judgment about a clients’ experiences, therapists are called to accept that their clients are relaying the truth, or at least the client’s subjective truth, about their own experiences.

Because of this approach, Gestalt therapy is not as strictly....