Gestalt Therapy

Gestalt therapy is a therapeutic approach with a focus on personal responsibility that helps clients focus on the present and understand what is happening in their lives right now. Gestalt therapy aims to help clients focus on their current circumstances with fresh eyes to understand their situation. It is based on the concept that we are all best understood when viewed through our own eyes in the present. If working through issues related to a past experience, for example, rather than just talking about the experience, a Gestalt therapist might have a client re-enact it to re-experience the scenario and analyze it with new tools. During the re-enactment, the therapist might guide the analysis by asking how the client feels about the situation now, in order to increase awareness and accept the consequences of one's own behavior. Think this approach might be right for you? Reach out to one of TherapyDen’s Gestalt therapy experts today.

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It can help you increase your awareness of what you are experiencing (psychically and emotionally) in each moment.

— Marc Campbell, Licensed Mental Health Counselor in ,

Gestalt is a way of understanding human experience and the process of change. According to Gestalt, change only happens when we accept ourselves exactly as we are. By paying close attention to the present moment, we discover both new and familiar aspects of ourselves and unlock new possibilities for choice and growth. I receive ongoing training through Gestalt Therapy Training Center Northwest, as well as regular individual supervision and consultation.

— Lucius Wheeler, Licensed Professional Counselor in , OR
 

I completed a 3 year certificate program in Gestalt Therapy in 2016.

— Kristen Bock, Licensed Professional Counselor in Westminster, CO

“Gestalt therapy is about helping people become aware of what they do and how they do it, and to encourage living in the present, to ‘be here now,’ and make better choices.” – Violet Oaklander. In Gestalt therapy, I use talk or play to help you or your child experience, explore, and process thoughts, feelings and sensations to bring greater awareness, self-understanding and empowerment. I am not an ‘expert’ but a partner on your journey, in the process with you every step of the way.

— Michelle Sargent, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in VALLEY VILLAGE, CA
 

"It would be nice to talk freely to somebody on your side, someone who can help you become who you want to be and not who they want you to be. You want somebody supportive and caring to help push you forward in your growth". You will never have the same therapy as someone else – your therapy centers around you – your needs, goals, and preferred pathways for achieving those goals. Gestalt therapy is more active, conversational, and effectual.

— Open Space Therapy Collective, Licensed Professional Counselor in Los Angeles, CA

Sometimes just talking about a problem doesn't quite get the job done. By engaging in "safe experiments" in session, Gestalt therapy helps us to release ourselves from the bondage of old emotional wounds.

— Jesse Cardin, Licensed Clinical Social Worker in San Antonio, TX
 

I am a graduate of the Gestalt Institute of New England. I have four years of postgraduate training in Gestalt psychotherapy.

— Cindy Blank-Edelman, Mental Health Counselor in Cambridge, MA

Working with the body and the different parts within yourself are very powerful and effective ways to gain deeper insight into what is going on with us.

— Kim Stevens, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in Oakland, CA
 

Gestalt Therapy is all about our whole sense of self. That whole self encounters a whole world and that brings on a whole host of difficulties. Being able to understand that dialogue that is always going on within and without our selves can be helpful to increase our satisfaction with ourselves

— Jonny Pack, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in Asheville, NC

I recently completed a 3 year certification program in Gestalt therapy. Gestalt therapy is a client-centered approach to psychotherapy that helps clients focus on the present and understand what is really happening in their lives right now, rather than what they may perceive to be happening based on past experience.

— Olga Lomanovitch, Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Philadelphia, PA
 

Gestalt therapy focuses on the present moment and emphasizes personal responsibility, mindfulness, and self-awareness. In Gestalt, a person gains an understanding of the entirety of themselves and their lives - thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and relationship patterns. Self-awareness and observation are key to success in Gestalt. The "aha!" moment occurs when an individual recognizes what is happening in the moment and identifies ways that they would like to live differently.

— Thomas Wood, Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Bayside, WI

I love Gestalt therapy because I do people that people are more than the sum of their parts. I like how it can help increase awareness of the present moment, and I use a lot of parts work to explore sides of the client that may be less frequently visible. I also use some Internal Family System ideas that are based on Gestalt parts work to help clients be in deeper relationship with themselves and their inner motivations.

— Lauren Sill, Marriage and Family Therapist Associate
 

I focus on the here and now, understanding the past exists, but not allowing the to define your future.

— Candice N. Crowley, LPC, Licensed Professional Counselor in Cincinnati, OH