British Gestalt Journal
1999, Vot.8, No.1,4.8
A PROCESS FOCUSAND THE HERE
AND NOWINBRIEF GESTALT
THERAPY
Peter Philrppson
Received 15 May 1999
Abstract: This paper offers a model for timelimited Gestalt therapy, with a process-focus
rather than a solution-focus. I explore theoretical, practical and ethicat
with this way of rvorking and discuss the limitations of both this approach
term therupy.
Key words: brief therapy, process focus, here-and-now, non-managerial, gestalt
boundaries, five layers.
Introduction
The public imagg of Gestalt therapy was for many
years that of the workshop, i.e. theiapy over a short
pettod. Even while i+ wa,: ilw rLajur ariponent of this
workshop approach, Fritz perls raised caveats against
any e4pectation that Gestalt therapy was about .instant
joy,^instant sensory awareness, instant cure, (perls,
1969, p, l).
Rather, '...it is no magic short-cut. you
don't have to be on a couch or in a Zsndofor hventy or
thirty years, but you have to invest yourself, and it takes
time to gow.' (ibid, p. l).
The emphasis in Gestalt. therapy has now shifted,
rightly, to more sustained, long-term work. The briefer
formats have become relatively unused, except in
haining workshops. Yet many of the people who are in
training, as well as more experienced therapists, are
actually working in situations where they can only see
clients for a limited number of sessions. The trend in
health service and agency provision is towards briefeq,
more focused therapy and, for many therapists, this is
the field in which they have to live.
Does Gestalt therapy have anything to offer in this
field? Do we have to move to ,Gestalt and ...,
(cognitive behaviour therapy, cognitive analytic therapy,
etc.) and, if sq what happens to the Gestalt elementi I
am particularly concerned that Gestalt-trained therapists
will adopt another way of working in which they have
Copyright 1999 by cestatt publications Ltd.
issues connected
and more long-
shift,
not been properly hained and thus become second_rate
ClT therapists rather than good Gestalt therapists.
7/
11 this paper, I intend to show that theri
is a very
usefirl place for brief Gestalt thera;:ry, based on
mv o$rl
e4perienoes of workshop and liml:,.C-session
wc;;c;._.
I offer a model of Gestalt therapy which works well in
this format, discuss who might-not benefit
from this
approach, and look at the ethics of brief working.
would also like to acknowledge another sourcet
I
mv
personal experience of Ruth Ronall, of the
New york
krstitute for Gestalt Therapy, and her demonshations
of
'ten minute therapy', in which she showed the power
of
a style of staying with present awareness.
Revolution, Not Ev olution
What makes Gestalt therapy so useful as a brief
therapy is_that the paradigm for brief change
is the
gesta.lt shifi, as in perceptual gestalt examples
such as
moving from the vase {p the faces, from the young
woman to rhe old woman. As perls et al (Iggi/lgs{,
hereafter referred to as pHG) put it: ,... the achievement
of a strong gestalt is itseH the cure, for the figure
of
contact is not a sign of, but is itself the creative
integration of experience.' (p. g) This gestalt
shift is an
instant, 'revolutionary' process, iather than
an
'evolutionary' one over time.
To focus on the instantaneous quality of the geJtalt
 Brief Therapy: Process Focus

switch as the paradigm for Gestalt therapy is not a example:

denigration of long-term therapy. Clients do not in
general make an instantaneous change. Rather, I am Client: I would like to be able to be angry, but my father
wanting to focus on what is being done in the bulk of the would never allow me.
therapy time, as this has obvious implications for brief
therapy. What takes the time in Gestalt therapy is: (1) the Therapist: Do you experience me as not allowing you to
full clarification of. the initial gestalt, including all the be angry? Wtrat miglli I do if you are?
habitual ways of avoiding this awareness; and (2) a or
gathering of.support to face the anxiety of change. Therapbt: What do you gain from bringing your father in
Each change then provides the client with the support now? .
negessary to make other gestalt shifts. Some of these
or
shifts may be major life events, others would be on a
Therapist: Be your father. What would you forbid me to
much smaller scale. This is not a leaming theory and is
do? What would you do if I disobeyed?
not essentially about cognition or words. It is about
perceptual shifts. Thus, in brief Gestalt therapy, I am almost totally
. Thus the question becomeg can the work of clarifing uninterested in the client's higtory. The Gestalt theory is
the present gestalt and gathering support for a new that what is relevant.of the history will be enacted in the
integration be achieved in brief therapy? The answer is relationship with the therapist. The memory the client
often that it can, if the client is willing to stay sufflciently makes figural' is in relation to the ground of his/her
focused and if the shift is not too frightening a prospect present field, i.e. the present therapeutic sifuation.
for the support available. I shall say more about these
provisosindiscussingsuitabilityforbrief therapy. Non-Managerial A tendency towards .managerial,
In order to be ablb to work briefly, the therapy must therapy has to some extent crept in with longer-term
have certain characteristics, which are summarised below: Gestalt therapy. That is, the therapist takes responsibility
for the experience and outcome of the therapy. Foi
Tight Process Focus Most non-Gestalt brief therapy is example, I have heard it argued that the therapist should
solution focused. The aim is the solving of a problem. arrange cover in case of her/his illness. This issumption
However, if what characterises Gestalt therapy is its 'field of responsibility is alwayb problematical for a therapy
theoretical, phenomenological and dialogic stancel which stresses autonomy and self-responsibility in tihe
(Resnick, 1995), I would argue that we are not offering client. In brief therapy, it is impossible.
this. I believe that Gestalt therapy makes a very second- Brief Gestalt therapy is therefore non-managerial. The
rrl+ solonon focused therapy, especially when practised therapist of*r-s a period of exploration of t-he clientls
by therapists who have no training in proper solution present way of gestalting the field, on the assurnption that
focused therapies. this will facilitate the client in re-owning r"rponriuitity in
To remain self-consistent, brief Gestalt therapy must that gestalting, and opening tfre posJiUitiiy of a
new
rather be process focused. Polster (199L) has written configuration. What that new whether
about the concept of. tiSht sequencing: '...sets of the client does reconfigure, or whether "onfigrrrationis,
I as therapist like
experience where the perceived consequences of any the resul! are not my concems. In fact, I am untikely to
event happen right away - or very soon.' He speaks of know the results any more than any other kind of brief
the therapeutic task as preventing 'slippage' between one therapist will. The emphasis is on exploration in. the
moment and the next, where momentum and energy is therapy, and on change occuning outside the therapy. (I
lost. This is highly consistent with the approach I am would say that the important change is always the one
taking here. that occurs outside the therapy. I have seen many
instances of clients remaining quite similar in therapy,
Her{:.and-Now Every movement away from a'here, whiletheirliveshavebecomeverydifferent.)
and-now' focus - towards explanation, reminiscing, or To grve two examples (the first from long-tenn therapy,
interpretation - is a form of slippage. In long-ierm the second from brief th"*py), I recall a client exploring
therapy there is no problem inherent in losing the tight the many inner voices which contributed to his
focus for periods. In brief therapy, there is simply not the procrastination on an important project. In the therapy,
time. we did not go beyond the exploration of what was there.
We need to recall that the Gestalt here-and-now does By the following session, he had almost completed the
not exclude memory or plaruring for the future or images project. Another client explored how bringing memories
about situations outside the therapy room. Ratheq it treats of her childhood family meal-times into the present led to
them as here-and-now events, and explores the process by fears of eating publicly. By the second session she had
which these events arise in the present field. For eaten in a restaurant without problems, but was still
 Peter Philippson

the same gestalt to the therapy. I was pleased to them more willing to focus than people w"ho
-bfugog have had
hear the outcome in these cases, but at the same time had previous therapy, *pylty'. if the prwious
explicitly not bound myself to the outcome in the work therapy was
not so focused. people,s first experience of
theiapy is
often based on a very clear sense ofneed.
ForWhat Clients is Brief Therary Not Nor would I exclude people who are suicidal
Appropriate? or
exhibiting some psychotic symptoms, so
long as they.
have the commifinent to focus on th" work
1. Brief Gestalt therapy would not be appropriate for With these we a're doing.
people, I emphasise very basic contact
people whq out of anxiety or tenor, are going to take ani
sensory awareness. My approach is to
say ,I understand
Ionger than the time available even to beginio make tfat you
are imagining ways to kill yourself,
contact with the therapist. They would then be unable destructive or hearing
voices. Can you put thaiaside for this timi
to gather their support sufficiently to explore the a1d tell me what you
see and hear' That is, I f*"r;;
process in the area of their anxiety.
yhat i1 mad_e background by the client,s stereotyped
fantasies. In a workshop group, I have asked
2. Brjef. therapy would also not be appropriate for those a
group member to act as grounding support
who would take longer than the time available to leave faflucinlting
for another person,s wor! to the greaf advancement
therapy with any kind of completion. This would of
her own self-zupport
apply to borderline or highly dependent personalitieg However, each situation must be dealt with
where the comparatively short ending cannot be on its own
If, examplq a person is so depressed that he
worked through appropriately. Tents. lor or
she has rtiffculty focu-srng-on anything io,
*y length of
time, it is unlikely that brief therapy
U, any use. It is,
3. People with insufficient self-discipline or motivation to
o{-TTg quite tikely that long_tirm-iU therapy wilt also be
sustain the focus woqld be unlikely to benefit from of limited
use.
brief therapy. This would include people who are very
chaotic, or possibly those on high levels oi
antipsychotic or antidepressant medication which Ethical euestions
affects their ability to focus.
There are several ethical considerations
which I would
consider particularly important in the
4. People with insufficient ability to accept support. context of brief
therapy:
Interestingly, these individuals might particulariy ask
for brief therapy, as they would essentialiy be 1.. trt is important to
expecting to sort out their difEculties for themseives. an appropriate oonfrac!
i.e. not to offer 3tr1.p9ople
briei therapy if it d'oes not offer
They would certainly be wary of imagining making a
sufficient time or support toi ine work they
long-term commitrnent to anykind of helpea but m;Ilrt need or
intend to do. Conversely, a therapist should
if they realise they do not kniw
accept short-term help not insist
on long-term therapy for peLple .with limited
how to sort out their difficulties. However, their
therapeutic aims who courd achieve their
openness to engagement with the therapist would aims in a
much shorter conhact. It is not appropriate
probably not be sufficient for them to get much from to offer
brief Gestalt therapy.
brief therapy purely out of tne Oient,st*h;;;
time and money, if it seems unlikely to help the
client.
Therapists have to be willing to say .I can,t
help you,,
People I Would not Exclude from Brief Thempy evenif no-one else can

I do not believe that brief Gestalt therapy offers greater 2. It is also important not otrer a style of therapy
risks to clients than long-term therapy, if carriid out -to in
sensitively. For every horror story of clients suffering yhi:! the therapist has littte. o. no training.
specifically, it wourd be wrong to offer
breakdown in brief therapy, I have heard equal honoi brief sorution
focused therapy, having only trained
stories of clients fragmenting or decompensating through in a process
tferapy. Therapists shdtrld make clear what
the greater dependency of longterm thirapy. For.rr.l, kind of
therapy is being offered.
brief therapy that achieves nothing there iJ ine long-term
therapy that achieves nothing much more expensivily,
or 3. It is necessary to keep to the duration
nothing more than a focused brief therapy could have boundary that has
been agreed, and keep the client aware
more cheaply. of
where in the
conhact you have reached. sufficient
Thus I would not exclude from brief therapy clients time needs to be
allowed in the contract to make an ending of the
who have never had therapy before. In fact, I often find
therapy, and to discuss the client,s
future wants or
 BriefTherapy: process Focus
7
' needs' (.find that a large proportion of
my brief telr myserf and others fhat
therapv
"*i: if r"piv with whar th,;;;;; commirnenrs and varues,
I am ar
achieved in rhe six 1"it: ::^l"r; TI
sessions-i tn
want anyfhing furthe4 at least
at that
rir,..l;".
time)
ffi;; my home, ,or *or1*d.-r
my chara*e,
fam'y. _
,-1
;ffin:r;#
- -- ..'i
Brief Gestal t therapy has sometimes seen in my social context.
been regarded as in
jlifi$'#1L1"l;T#F*;JT**m*l*: For therapv, the question
is wherher the crien's
Hoivever' I wourd *gu' thft rh"' *, u"tou'y no erhicar
considerations in brief therapy
which do not .il;perfi 3i,?Fffili:tHffi:'Jil#*:#***nl:fffi:
*,, *'.,JriJi* *r, because
long-terrn therapy. i, i, io ,*-g from rhe

rheoryandMethod
rhe rheorv underrving brier Gestar*herapy
:T,".i"",:l:ffiftJ,'ffp**lr:*#lr:
emphasise the aqpects
Ihave outlined
must
,tghr;;; ffi.flil:?::ff;ifiK
gir";,iG trLr'#: ;i1#*;
focus' here-and-now contact,
*Jr"'orporrfiit&;
lbove: F" "i"r"eturnesg
incapabre or aruurrg.
and rhe*find ourselves
this section' I want to describe responsibry *iin tn" present
theor.eica.ly trr" ri'.yl
understandthiskil!of wor!andspecificatytoo"r#u. circ'nostance; il;iry1,
that preaictauitity becomes
the boundary corsiderafions
invotvei' yllosis(t**; t.gg3). c.omparepHG.... neurosis
f tt" uotiouiJ" o? 1r*1*eous excitement and the
@h'ippson' inpress):
:'""#in"J"'1i"iH":i?i::':::"ff:ffT:1ff: ",nitationortrre;;;il",,!: @:?!st.

t.Theptrysicatcontact.boundaryQtandnot_it):organism
Tld#:fi,?:T:ffi1:Tyy.:1?"Hrfl::::t*[
&llfi!.-#ffi,"finT;?H''i?,.g:1ilffiffiT
trlil"#311iT;,Ti',:ff,?:f'fiLH,.HT"rT# ffiffi;;T&Hat do r *uot oio""4 what
organism and environment' - do r
and tt'ut it-ioi* tr'L-''at
contact boundary' there is trr" r" put this another way, in terms
e4perience,?ni*, t tn" uui, moaei g"rrr, re?Ii?, of the .five rayer,
for the identification of self and other' p",,onai,, boundary is rhe ,rore
praying rayei. If ;,;;emp6t,
o.
".,
i"ii# confluenrry
l1*T:'#';:"-'::J:af;i'I",i::J::.r11:ry'':$#,'#s#;$il,:"f;"ffi'[,?ff
*: ;d;;: r.' examp,e, "",0 #ilolilljfl{: ffilTifr;ffi
D".", ##
make litfle eve-contact *ttit
suroundings
pl"pr";;; fi;;.iil;ili ili**ru
rr,"
fjjffif,#:#H:i1[i.ffiT3:
this impasse witnout nying
"l""r,n ""gn
2. rhe ego boundary ( and not_r): the operarion of
identiflcation and alienationin
*t"n"ii ff*HT:ffi:i,f,i:;fi:'T,fi:ffi::sfffi:
iin-*ut"
"itn"i.gJ.-i" tr," *"*iig ilr
identiff self and oth:-l chgose
*p""r ol other to p.rrr. pi onty way our (what
"u'"J il;;i;:rrtori,) is for thi crient to
yrr",
"
make figural (the awareness/gestalt
ro',nution process;;
and to choose how to relate tJ tn, *orri-o'o* (oontact boundary)
otrrer, ietf *a ttn"r #, "Jp'oi"n""
iiriogn"r/hi, *o to ,irt
"^"
";;;;,
trffitJffin;s"H:tt;Hff* "'n"' "-*'i"'#; *;*11'* fi{*g
T T"T*rd
ir
lrgo bounauryy,
goar-is that in the
i :::|'
emergency, the undertyiog -.rhe
(rpreJseJil",L"u"" _
For therapv' the question is: how
is rhe crienr configuring illll,*1'Jlllfl,tffi?t--r:il",'|j*i"::HJ*,Ill
".* ng*,,il:::r
." .it
frF'"H'"?'Jifi'ili:1f"n,m*j'i*,;*Hi
between us easily, or only with n:?*
rcling thinking doing
r::r,e,ha,
this' fp. uol.
- '-q'L r! is r who l

make choices from a position

difficulty? Does client i
the -

passive victim of other forces?

orr"rpo#iuirry, a o, act as
r" fuC t .*s, what are Emmpre
the areas of loss of ego tunction
(l"tt
"il;ttulness)? c: [waiting to be assigned a seat] where do I sit? fRore
3' The personarity bowdary (me
and not-me): whom I T
fir?J, do you **r. rr,,
o,_ ,*"*
";*";._,
 Peter philippson

C: [Confirsed] I don,tknow.
flmpasseJ
Conclwion
O"ltji$tr* with rhe clienrl How might
you make rhe I frrlly appreciate the realisation
approach that the workshop
of the
serf
seventies did littl"
disorders.
f;;;
C: [Nervous] I don,t know. Where do you
sit? [Good
_standing
I do. I berievs howe"-r1
,h;;;;fft',hT:lJ",li;
r gnjoy
try!l rh"i;li ,loii#n.s moved
much away from the foo
qower of brief
Crrtuft therapy, and
T I'll find somewhere tosit woutd like ro see both
facing you. I understand in their own domains,
ionns
!;;;;;d # Lejr usetulness
you are findins it.reaily
oifiJuir[ *lrc
that
your own Gestalt therapy to those.
Brilf hr;;;;i;,te benefits of
decision wherelo sit. wtro m#ttre-commr.trnept
not the money or rhe_iime uut
*]"-rr*ffi theraby.
po.wer or o-u, jio""rr_ro"urro,It
onngs out the inherent
"'*|:ff'Hi"t H,";jitl
vng Tl," l: n o t w n tin g o av
a
mobilised the ego functions
t st here-and-now 'pirauy,
approach.
,.ia.l,r""
choose a seat] tl uestalt therapy raises'sefirl "n
q""rir"*-.i1"i
of brief
ttre probt"ms
and limitations of
long-term therapy.
T fWaifing pafienfly] This seems really
your body important to me.
r""tn-quitr ,r*" *i-#a. Thar References
a lot roo*s like
of energy you are holding.
Perls, F.S. (1969).
Therapy Verbatim.
C: Oh, blow People press, Moab.
^_Gestalt Real
it! [Explosion. Sits down in
a chair] Perls, F., Hefferline,.l.,.Goodman,
p. (lgg4/l,g1)).
Gestatt Therapv.: t*iit"*"oi)ri
you feel differenr having cro*rn in the
" il:ff:rl.w made your own Humanrers"niiity.. Gesratt
-. il;;i;rs,
---^r'!sr rr'
(firstpublished 1951). New york
^.
Philippsoq pL (1g%):
The justification for ANore on Lee Mclrod,s paper:
Gestalt therapy is that this The Setf in Gestalt
immediate here-and_now kind of fr,erupy
explorati#and reconfiguration LJ ----'r. L
can be immeasurabl,
^.J.o:*1,2,2,p13g.
Philippson, ^i7i.*'irr*o Gestalt,
3: o:*"rr
powerful rhan i;;:""1 ffi:*l,il i ;:fi'.Ty;: fr-; by
P.A ftn p.r:":) setf in
the Gestarr 6umai pr;;".*
Relation. To be
a discussion;;;;;liirnr,, ,^llbu*'9_
asserfion, or teachinq fears of rolster, E. (1991). Tjght Therapeuri"-i*u",
assertiveness ."r^,';; --Yuvllc€s' Br:t;.L
the ctient historjcatl]v charting now GestaltJou*it, t,\pp
,.;;;';rerfivs ^ 63 _^6&*-
.perinission,
Je4rned or rhe Resnicls R. (199i.
th-erapist
S:t"* ,ui rn# frsertive. ro ue o,::fo: principres, prisms
sure, the latter can lead ***"hves. British l**y: c"ii;I"i";,4,
assertively in the therapy
to tfre-cii'e#acting more
context, but is less likely
il: 1, pp 3-
make much difference to
out iAe ,l.rupy.

Peter p'hirippson is,a uKc?-registered

Gestart
hainer, a reachins and supervisd-;;;;, r_h" psychotherapist and
i;;;rJri**"*0,
Training Insriture-ul(
u.iouno.r-.JJo* :{
and a guest rrainer fo,
hui"iogprogra n*1, 9t 1o**ester Gestart centre
editor ot rhe Nature i1_Britain and
America. He is
working with Grouos "rp",:r".io fTilill"i" Hurrig co-author of.Gestart:
and co-edit oiotiopir,
published by Manchester. in Gestart ii"ropy, utt
Gesralr C;;;,lnd
Gestat*herapv in the Bddsh, author of many pup"o on
A-;;#;;Jspanistr Gestarriouirars.
Serf in Reration*iu His
u" p"urii.i
rTIrH:- bv The Gestart Joumar press

#:::f"f;W;Y:;W" Manchester Gestart centre,

7 Norman Road