Basic principles of gestalt psychology therapy

Gestalt psychology therapy is effective with clients with whom the therapist feels comfortable. For example, suppose a therapist builds a rapport with a client. In that case, he can do so by employing conversation principles and direct experience. Furthermore, practitioners apply basic ideas to each client's unique clinical circumstances. Furthermore, if the client's ongoing therapies violate the guidelines of Gestalt psychology therapy, they may be ineffective or harmful. So, diverse techniques are necessary for a schizophrenic, borderline, or obsessive-compulsive neurotic. 

Practising Gestalt psychology therapy

To be active in Gestalt psychology therapy and have a thriving practice, one must have experience in addition to Gestalt training. In addition, personality, diagnostic, and psychodynamic hypotheses are also essential for Gestalt psychology therapy.

In Gestalt psychology therapy, the therapist has considerable discretion. Furthermore, the therapist does individual modifications based on therapy style and diagnostic concerns. And it is the responsibility of the therapist to customise the procedure for the patient. Besides, therapists should know the basics of personality, psychopathology and psychotherapy theories. In addition to that, they should also possess clinical experience. Therapists can experiment with various behaviours. After the session, they can share their emotional and cognitive experiences with the therapist.

Gestalt therapy has proven effective with socialised, restrained, and constrained personalities. Their conflicting or restricted behaviour is the product of inner limitations. Such individuals usually exhibit a modest degree of life happiness.

Although, the contemporary clinical Gestalt psychology therapy is effective for a much broader spectrum of personalities.

The workshop technique by Fritz Perls in Gestalt therapy has restricted use. In Roger Shepherd's discussion of constraints and precautions, she cites limitations that apply to all therapists. Still, she should be acknowledged in the workshop setting, especially by therapists, those who lack enough experience with troubled clients.

Gestalt psychology therapy sessions with troubled individuals

Sessions with disorganised, psychotic, or disturbed individuals are more complicated and need tolerance, sensitivity, and vigilance. Shepherd suggests avoiding this type of client when one cannot establish a long-term commitment to them. Before beginning an in-depth inquiry and experiencing the devastating anguish, anger, and sadness. In addition, this could lay at the root of their mental processes. Troubled clients need the therapist's support and trust that they will be okay.

Working with troubled individuals needs professional awareness of balancing annoyance and support. Understanding character dynamics and needing extra help (such as medication and day treatment) is also important in such a situation. 

Edward Smith discussed Gestalt perception in books such as The Growing Edge of Gestalt Therapy, Gestalt Therapy Now, and The Gestalt Journal. These books exemplify the application of Gestalt psychology therapy for crisis resolution, adults from the poverty-related programme, family therapy, interaction groups, psychotics, and any other potential group. Unfortunately, these books only provide a few instances with insufficient explanations of the proposed changes and do not mention the adverse outcomes.

Effectiveness of Gestalt psychology therapy

Gestalt psychotherapy is effective against many psychosomatic illnesses, such as ulcerative colitis and migraine. Gestalt therapy has an effective treatment for individuals who struggle to deal with authoritative figures. This situation leads a patient to a wide variety of intrapsychic conflicts. Gestalt psychology therapy has effectively treated psychotics, severe personality disorders and many other mental disorders.

Gestalt treatment's effect and the ease with which intense, typically hidden emotive reactions come up. This is to say; it is crucial to establish safe zones to which the client and therapist can readily retreat. Additionally, the therapist must remain with his client until he is prepared to return to these safe havens. For instance, after a highly emotionally-charged episode, a practitioner may encourage the client to make tactile, visual, or oral connections with himself or someone else to discuss the incident.

Gestalt psychology therapy emphasises the significance of interpersonal engagement, individual responsibility, and greater clarity of consciousness. As a result, this might be of great use when present problems are not there anymore. For example, the employment of Gestalt treatment in schools.

Evaluation of Gestalt psychology therapy 

Gestalt therapists do not prefer formal psychodiagnostic evaluation and nomothetic research methods. In addition, statistics cannot tell the client or the therapist what is effective. What is effective for others can be ineffective for an individual. But, this is not implying that Gestalt therapists dislike research. The Gestalt Therapy Institute in Los Angles has offered to fund researchers. Most importantly, Fritz Perls did not provide any quantitative or statistical proof that Gestalt therapy is effective. He said we could not give anything that is impossible for you to affirm based on your conduct.

Each meeting is an experiment; here, both parties engage in an exploration of a strange place. The client receives assistance in utilising his skills in phenomenology and understands to employ dialogic interaction. This helps him to comprehend what is and is not successful. Gestalt psychotherapy has sacrificed exact validation for the experimental value of ideographic psychotherapy.

Several investigations by Leslie Greenberg and colleagues focused on the absence of context in the research in psychotherapy. In addition, their studies also involved the improper separation of technique and outcome studies. The Greenberg investigations alluded to defined psychotherapeutic actions and change processes with definite consequences. Furthermore, their study distinguished between three types of outcomes (immediate, intermediate, and final). In addition, they also distinguished the three phases of the method (episode, verbal communication, and connection). They examined verbal communication in the types of incidents in which it occurs. And they discussed the happenings of the other characters or relationships in which they appear.

Advantages of Gestalt psychology therapy

Harman (1984) uncovered a variety of research that analysed the behaviour of Gestalt therapists and other therapists. Schroeder and Brunnink compared behaviour psychoanalysts, therapists, and Gestalt therapists. They concluded that Gestalt therapists provided more direct control, less verbal contact, less patient-centredness, more self-disclosure, less emotional support and greater initiative. Furthermore, they also noticed that the face-to-face interviews conducted by Gestalt therapists revealed a more subjective and natural approach to treatment.

Nowhere in the works on Gestalt treatment is the assertion that Gestalt is the finest. Theoretically, it is hard to understand why Gestalt therapy is more effective than other therapies. Therefore, the research on results may not provide as many practical outcomes as the research of procedures examining behaviour, manners, and attitude. As a result, Simkin compares Gestalt therapy's effectiveness in mass learning workshops to weekly spaced psychotherapy sessions.

Extensive study has led to several Gestalt psychology therapy perspectives on the components of effective therapy. In Gestalt psychology therapy, Personal presence relationships are also emphasised as experience and presence. As a result, some therapists routinely and purposefully violate the Gestalt psychology therapy model's principles of great therapy yet continue to call themselves Gestalt specialists.