COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT #5 Bismah Tayyab

In an individual with low self-esteem and social anxiety issues how can Gestalt Therapy be

applied. Using hypothetical examples, describe any FOUR gestalt techniques that can be

applied in this case.

Gestalt therapy was developed in the 1940s by Fritz and Laura Perls and further

influenced by the likes of Kurt Lewin and Kurt Goldstein (Corsini & Wedding, 2000). It was

developed as a revision to psychoanalysis and focuses on an experiential and humanistic

approach rather than analysis of the unconscious which was one of the main therapeutic tools at

the time Gestalt therapy was employed. Gestalt therapy rejects the dualities of mind and body,

body and soul, thinking and feeling, and feeling and action. According to Perls, people are not

made up of separate components, i.e. mind, body and soul, rather human beings function as a

whole. In doing so, one defines who one is (sense of self) by choice of responses to

environmental interactions (boundaries).

Gestalt therapy deems that people cannot be considered as separate from their

environment or from interpersonal relations. Therefore, even a socially anxious individual with

low self-esteem is seen as being self-regulating and able to motivate oneself to solve problems.

They are able to work towards growth and develop as their environments allow. A

psychologically healthy person is someone who is self-regulating through the changes in life and

has developed a sense of wholeness between mind and body (Corsini & Wedding, (2000).

Gestalt therapists use the technique of experiments or learning experiences with their

clients. These may be in the form of rehearsals, role reversal, or exaggeration exercises to name

just a few. These experiments are designed for each individual specifically, and take the form of

an enactment, role play, homework, or other activity which promotes the individuals self-

awareness (Seligman, 2006). An example of this technique with a man who feels insecure in
COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT #5 Bismah Tayyab

social situations would be that, for instance, he has a work function to go to in two-weeks time

so the therapist would give him the following exercises which would either involve him starting

a conversation at the function with someone he does not normally speak to, or spend time

thinking about what he might say. This promotes self-awareness in the individual and the

experiment itself gives him more confidence in social situations.

Reversal Exercise

This is premised on the fact that certain symptoms and behaviors often represent

reversals of underlying or latent impulses. Thus, the therapist could ask a person who claims to

suffer from low self-esteem and excessive social anxiety to play the role of an extremely

confident and self-assured person. The theory underlying the reversal technique is that clients

take the plunge into the very thing that is fraught with anxiety and make contact with those parts

of themselves that have been submerged and denied. This technique can help clients begin to

accept certain personal attributes that they have tried to deny.

Rehearsal Exercise

When it comes to the performance, somebody with low self-esteem is likely to

experience fright, or anxiety, because they fear that they will not be able to perform well infront

of others, or that they might make a mistake that will make them look bad infront of others.

Internal rehearsal is discouraged as it consumes much energy and frequently inhibits our

spontaneity and willingness to experiment with new behavior. The clients are asked to share their

rehearsals (that they used to practice before social situations) out loud with a therapist. This way

they become more aware of the many preparatory means they use in bolstering their social roles.

They also become increasingly aware of how they try to meet the expectations of others, of the
COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT #5 Bismah Tayyab

degree to which they want to be approved, accepted, and liked, and of the extent to which they

go to attain acceptance.

Exaggeration Exercise

In this exercise the person is asked to exaggerate the movement or gesture repeatedly,

which usually intensifies the feeling attached to the behavior and makes the inner meaning

clearer. For example, for someone with social anxiety the behaviors that lend themselves to the

exaggeration technique might be the trembling of hands or legs, tight frowning, facial grimacing,

crossed arms, someone with low self esteem may have slouched posture and bent shoulders,

clenched fists, and so forth. If a client reports that his or her legs are shaking, the therapist may

ask the client to stand up and exaggerate the shaking. Then the therapist may ask the client to put

words to the shaking limbs. This is done in order to make client aware of true feelings behind

these actions.

Staying with the Feeling

Most individuals with social anxiety coupled with low self-esteem confronted with a

large group of people, or a public situation where they need to interact with others would

experience debilitating levels of fear and anxiety, as a result they would desire to escape from

such a situation to avoid these unpleasant feelings. At key moments when such an individual

refer to a feeling or a mood that is unpleasant and from which they have a great desire to flee, the

therapist would urge them to stay with their feeling and encourage them to go deeper into the

feeling or behavior they wish to avoid. Facing and experiencing feelings not only takes courage

but also is a mark of a willingness to endure the pain necessary for unblocking and making way
COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT #5 Bismah Tayyab

for newer levels of growth. This is done in order for the individual to work through their

previously unexplored fears and achieve a better sense of self.

COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT #5 Bismah Tayyab

References

Corey, C. (2005). Theory and practice of counseling & psychotherapy. (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:

Thomson Learning.

Corsini, R.J., & Wedding, D. (Eds.). (2000). Current Psychotherapies. (6th ed.). Belmont, CA:

Thomson Learning, Inc.

Seligman, L. (2006). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: Systems, strategies, and skills.

(2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Ltd.