Gestalt Therapy

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.

Gestalt is a way of understanding human experience and the process of change. According to Gestalt, change only happens when we accept ourselves exactly as we are. By paying close attention to the present moment, we discover both new and familiar aspects of ourselves and unlock new possibilities for choice and growth. I receive ongoing training through Gestalt Therapy Training Center Northwest, as well as regular individual supervision and consultation.

In therapy there is a potential to get lost in the story, and to disassociate from the experience. My training in Gestalt, paired with mindfulness, emphasizes what is happening in the current moment to give freedom from the stored pain and trauma in the body. I have received coaching and training in using Gestalt techniques in group and individual therapy.

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 move from beyond the past, you can find peace in each 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.

Gestalt therapy is a relational kind of therapy that focuses on your life here and now. It emphasizes your strengths and accepting yourself the way you are. Gestalt therapy is also creative, helping you to work on your issues via different kinds of experiments. Gestalt therapy with me is lively, interactive and engaging. We will focus on options more than obstacles, the present more than the past, and strengths more than weaknesses.

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!

Nearly seven years of clinical experience using gestalt therapy.

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

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

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

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.

Ongoing training with Pacific Gestalt Institute

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.

The interactive, experiential, present-moment nature of Gestalt Therapy has been my guiding framework since I first became a therapist. I've utilized and created my own Gestalt experiments that bring clients into a direct experience of healing in many varied contexts. My supervisor is Joan Rieger, Director the Gestalt Institute of the Rockies.

"It would be nice to talk freely to somebody on your side, someone who can help you become who you want to be and not who they want you to be. You want somebody supportive and caring to help push you forward in your growth". You will never have the same therapy as someone else – your therapy centers around you – your needs, goals, and preferred pathways for achieving those goals. Gestalt therapy is more active, conversational, and effectual.

I utilize Gestalt therapy every day. It seamlessly integrates into my session, and the focus on the "here and now," is extremely beneficial to my clients. Some believe that it can be harsh and cold, but the focus, when employed in my sessions over the years, has been understanding feelings, thoughts, and emotions when discussing them with someone else.