Gestalt Therapy

Gestalt therapy is a therapeutic approach with a focus on personal responsibility that helps clients focus on the present and understand what is happening in their lives right now. Gestalt therapy aims to help clients focus on their current circumstances with fresh eyes to understand their situation. It is based on the concept that we are all best understood when viewed through our own eyes in the present. If working through issues related to a past experience, for example, rather than just talking about the experience, a Gestalt therapist might have a client re-enact it to re-experience the scenario and analyze it with new tools. During the re-enactment, the therapist might guide the analysis by asking how the client feels about the situation now, in order to increase awareness and accept the consequences of one's own behavior. Think this approach might be right for you? Reach out to one of TherapyDen’s Gestalt therapy experts today.

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Meet the specialists

 

I am a graduate of the Gestalt Institute of New England. I have four years of postgraduate training in Gestalt psychotherapy.

— Cindy Blank-Edelman, Mental Health Counselor in Cambridge, MA

My relationship with Gestalt-therapy comes from early as 2007. I am specialized in this theory and have certifications from different institutes. Gestalt is a way to see the client and their experiences in the present and help them to notice how they live with themselves in the here and now. I offer the client the possibility to expand their awareness about themselves and the world. That information is key to improve their ability to make changes if that is what they want to do.

— Lais Alexander, Psychotherapist in Pittsburgh, PA
 

Sometimes just talking about a problem doesn't quite get the job done. By engaging in "safe experiments" in session, Gestalt therapy helps us to release ourselves from the bondage of old emotional wounds.

— Jesse Cardin, Licensed Clinical Social Worker in San Antonio, TX

Each of us has the parts of ourselves that we are aware of, and all the parts we have hidden away. Often these parts are in conflict, trying to keep us safe and get our needs met. In psychotherapy, we pay attention in the moment to what is happening for you. Using the process, we will creatively co-create opportunities to hear and connect to the other parts of yourself, to allow your fuller self to emerge and create new meaning for your life.

— Sarah Peace, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in Los Angeles, CA
 

“Gestalt therapy is about helping people become aware of what they do and how they do it, and to encourage living in the present, to ‘be here now,’ and make better choices.” – Violet Oaklander. In Gestalt therapy, I use talk or play to help you or your child experience, explore, and process thoughts, feelings and sensations to bring greater awareness, self-understanding and empowerment. I am not an ‘expert’ but a partner on your journey, in the process with you every step of the way.

— Michelle Sargent, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in VALLEY VILLAGE, CA

Gestalt therapy is a fancy way of saying that the therapist uses your experiences and ideas and "plays" with them. Gestalt therapy is experiential: What is happening in this moment? And how do we work with it? In this method we take what you are feeling and thinking and interact with it. Sometimes we use this to re-negotiate old relationships or experiences, and sometimes we learn new ways of being in the present. We can be very creative and have a lot of fun with this method!

— Melissa Walker, Therapist in Whitesboro, TX
 

Working with the body and the different parts within yourself are very powerful and effective ways to gain deeper insight into what is going on with us.

— Kim Stevens, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in Oakland, CA

It can help you increase your awareness of what you are experiencing (psychically and emotionally) in each moment.

— Marc Campbell, Licensed Mental Health Counselor in ,
 

Ongoing training with Pacific Gestalt Institute

— Olga Goodman, Licensed Clinical Social Worker in El Cajon, CA

I have advanced doctoral level training in Gestalt Therapy known as a humanistic, holistic, person-centered form of psychotherapy that is focused on a person's present life and challenges rather than delving into past experiences.

— Scott Rheinschmidt, Licensed Professional Counselor in San Antonio, TX
 

Gestalt therapy is one of my favorite styles of treatment! It allows me to help you unlock your creativity and help you confront, work through, and explore. This treatment offers freedom, awareness, and self-direction. We focus on the here-and-now while allowing the past and future desires to come alive in session. There are different techniques used within that help you break through stagnation and become a more authentic you.

— Mariemilia Larrea, Post-Doctoral Fellow in atlanta, GA

While working on increasing a person's awareness, freedom, and self-direction, I assist clients with learning how to focuse on being actively present in the moment while exploring past experiences as they may surface throughout the therapeutic process.

— Candis Zimmerman, Licensed Professional Counselor Associate in , TX
 

I focus on the here and now, understanding the past exists, but not allowing the to define your future.

— Candice N. Crowley, LPC, Licensed Professional Counselor in Cincinnati, OH

Gestalt therapy helps you resolve past conflicts and learn to live in the present. By focusing attention on your inner self, you can release worries about the past or the future and engage with the present. When you accept the past, you can find peace in each present moment and enrich your interactions in the world around you. Dream work, day dreams and daily events can be used to explore unconscious imprints that, with a change in attitude, can improve the quality of your life.

— Daniel Pagano, PhD, Psychoanalyst in NY, NY
 

I completed my year long practicum training with clients practicing Gestalt Therapy at the Church Street Integral Counseling Center. I have hundreds of hours of Gestalt Therapy training and practice .

— Sage Charles, Associate Marriage & Family Therapist in San Francisco, CA