7Gestalt Group Therapy

Chapter 11, Theory & Practice of Group Counseling, by Gerald CoreyPresented by Jeanine Goodwin

In the Beginning… Fritz & Laura Perls Established in the 1940’s Focused on person-centered

awareness, and addressing the client’s unresolved issues

Quickly known for its confrontational, “hot seat” approach

Originally designed for one-on-one therapy

The group aspect was indirect (one-on-one therapy in front of an audience)

The Revised Standard Version

Referred to as relational Gestalt therapy Introduced by Erving and Miriam Polster Less confrontational More supportive, accepting, and

challenging Little use of the “empty chair” technique Focuses on the client-therapist

relationship, empathy, dialogue, and helping the client tap into his/her own wisdom and resources

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7cwa5X6zgk

Therapeutic Goals AWARENESS!!! Integration of polarities Achieving contact with self and

others Learning how to clearly state wants

or needs Learning how to support one another Learning how to make use of the

resources within the group versus using the therapist as a resource.

Key Concepts and Principles Awareness Holism (“The whole is greater than the sum

of its parts”) Field Theory Figure-Formation Organismic Self-Regulation Here-and-Now Unfinished Business Contact and Disturbances to Contact Energy and Blocks to Energy

Group Leader Role and Function

Creates experiments to help members tap their resources

Focuses on awareness, contact, and experimentation Actively engaged with group members and frequently

self-discloses Creates an atmosphere and structure conducive to the

members’ creativity and innovation Less emphasis on technique, more emphasis on direct

self-expression, presence, authentic dialogue, and the client-therapist relationship

Contacts with group members on an “I/Thou” basis Serves as an “artist involved in creating new life”

according to Polster and Polster (1973) (Corey, 2008, p. 290).

Uses his/her own experience as an essential component of the therapy process.

Stages of Group Therapy

First Stage Identity and Dependence

Group members (with the therapist’s help) explore questions they have about their identity within the group

Second Stage Influence and Counterdependence

Group members grapple with issues of influence, authority, and control

Third Stage Intimacy and Interdependence

Real contact occurs within and among the group members. Members are helped to recognize their unfinished business

not worked through in the group. Group leader no longer the ultimate authority, but serves

as a resource or consultant.

Techniques & Procedures

Experiments Attention to Language Nonverbal Language Internal Dialogue Experiments Making the Rounds Fantasy Approaches Rehearsal Exaggeration Experiment Dream Work

Gestalt in School Groups

Emphasis on building quality therapeutic relationships

Art & Storytelling Empty Chair Topdog-Underdog Techniques are limited within some

adolescent groups (p. 306) Here and Now Dream Work

Gestalt in Multicultural Groups

World View Phenomenological Emphasis on non-verbal expression Use of imagery and fantasy*

Speak in native tongue Solid understanding of the

limitations of Gestalt techniques in dealing with diverse populations

Strengths

Quality of contact Authentic relationship and dialogue Emphasis on field theory,

phenomenology, and awareness Creativity and spontaneity Integration of theory, practice, and

research Present-centered methodology Focus on the body (affect, non-verbals)

Limitations Elicitation of emotions Misuse of power Competency of the therapist or group

leader Rigidity and Pushiness in therapy Misapplication of methodology

References

Corey, G. (2008). Theory and Practice of Group Counseling, 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.

Polster, E. & Polster, M. (1973). Gestalt Therapy Integrated: Contours of theory and practice. New York: Brunner/Mazel.

Yontef, G.M. (1993). Awareness, Dialogue, & Process: Essays on Gestalt therapy. Gouldsboro, ME: The Gestalt Journal Press