First up this week, listen as Rory and Ken take us through the four pillars of Gestalt therapy:

• Phenomenology – how the individual views their world:
  • A client’s view may be very different to your own and you may even disagree.
  • Understand the reasons behind their views.
  • Meet the client where they are.
  • Through discussion, the client may change their view after looking into it further.
• The dialogical relationship – the relationship between therapist and client.
  • There needs to be dialogue between you as the therapist and them as the client.
  • Be empathetic, show your humanity and allow the client to engage with that.
  • The client should perceive you as someone who is working hard to try and understand their world view.
• Field theory – what’s going on around the client?
  • Their life and day-to-day will effect how they are with you.
  • Things happening both inside and outside of the therapy room.
  • This applies to both you and the client.
• Experimentation – clients encouraged to do experiments.
  • This is something not seen in person-centered therapy.
  • Experimentations such as empty chair –allows the client to speak the unspoken.
  • It can help the client have internal contact with the disconnected parts of themselves.
  • Doing things such as writing a letter and burning it if they find verbal communication uncomfortable.
• Gestalt therapy is all about connecting emotionally and physically with ourselves.