JOURNAL CRITIQUE 3

GC 303

GESTALT
THEORY
ROSVIE APPLE C. BUENAVENTURA
MAED- EDUC. MGT.
ABSTRACT:
Gestalt therapy is a therapeutic approach used by many groups. Quite often,
qualitative and quantitative research for Gestalt has focused on adult populations.
This literature review has explored research on the benefits of a Gestalt approach
with children and adolescents. Gestalt research has benefited children and
adolescents in the following areas: emotional self-expression, conflict resolution,
contact with therapists, well-being, self-esteem, communication skills, decreased
depression, child anxiety, parent anxiety, and trauma symptoms. The findings
suggest that evidence of effective Gestalt interventions with children and
adolescents is still developing. Eight studies after the year 2000 have reported
effectiveness with this population. Implications for Gestalt practice and research
with children and adolescents are explored.
 
INTRODUCTION: 
Gestalt Therapy is one of the humanist and existential therapy approaches and
was developed by Fritz Perls, Laura Perls, and Paul Goodman. In this unique
approach, the primary focus is awareness. Gestalt Therapy suggests change can
take place by improving people’s awareness. It sees human nature as such a
positive organism and it believes in the creative potential of human beings. The
main focus of Gestalt Therapy is to raise human beings’ awareness and
fragmentation to integrity. Gestalt Therapy aims not to analyze humans, but it
targets awareness, integrity, and contact with the environment. In sum, Gestalt
Therapy is a great harmony of body, mind, and soul. Gestalt Therapy is such an
experimental approach that encourages exploring and living, it is based on
experience and it is a lively approach. It emphasizes the importance of contact
with the environment.
 STRENGTHS: 
The strength of this approach is that a client can confidently share and
express his or her experiences without the fear of judgment. Using this
approach, a client is just simply asked to talk about his or her experiences
and the emotions she or he had with that experiences. Using that approach,
the therapist encourages the client to be responsible, such as instead of
blaming others. If he/she didn't do that I wouldn't get so mad!" a client
might be encouraged to say, "I feel mad when he does that because it makes
me feel insignificant and I don't like that.” 
Empty chairs, role-play, and creative arts such as painting sculpting, and
drawing can be used to gain personal awareness. 
WEAKNESSES: 
This approach requires the therapist to be
knowledgeable and have a high degree when it
comes to personal development. It only focuses
on the present and here-and-now approach. It
doesn’t consider diagnostic and testing which
can be used by the therapist to help the client. 
 RECOMMENDATION: 
Gestalt Therapy should not focus only on
the present because it can be a limitation in
solving the client’s problem. Past experiences
can be used to connect with the present and
can understand the situation or the problem of
the client.
 
  

INSIGHTS:
Gestalt therapy is used by the therapist to help the client improved their self-
awareness and their contact with their environment. It focuses more on living
in the present and not bringing back past experiences. It adopts the “here and
now” approach that focuses on the present moment by staying in the present
and focusing on the relationships and interactions established by the existing
people. Awareness is the sense of what a person spontaneously does, what he
feels, what he thinks, and what he experiences. Developing self-awareness
can be achieved through the help of contact with the environment and nature
which will lead to personal growth and maturation. Gestalt therapy helps the
client with anxiety, depression, stress, and addiction.
 
 REFERENCES:
Öztürk, A. G. (2019). Gestalt Group Practice for Increasing
Awareness of University Students . International Journal of
Psychology and Educational Studies , 6 (3) , 1-8 . DOI:
10.17220/ijpes.2019.03.001
Theodore Stripling; Gestalt Interventions Benefitting
Children and Adolescents: A Literature Review. Gestalt
Review 1 November 2021; 25 (2): 197–220. doi: 
https://doi.org/10.5325/gestaltreview.25.2.0197