Gestalt Counselling in a Nutshell

by Gaie Houston

New to the bestselling Counselling in a Nutshell Series, this pocket-sized book is the beginners guide to the essentials of Gestalt Therapy, from its principles to practice. Assuming no previous knowledge of the subject, the book Written in an accessible, jargon-free style, this book includes vivid case examples, end of chapter exercises and a glossary of terms to help aid understanding.

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Sheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for a counselling course I am taking. It is more detailed and complicated than the phrase ‘in a nutshell’ would suggest, and I didn’t find it the entry-level text I had expected. Gestalt is somewhat difficult to understand. It is relatively simple in its concepts, but complicated in its theoretical meanderings and the specific language and terminology it utilises. Even after reading this book I do not understand either in a fundamental way, and I am an academic by training. I will certainly need to read more widely than this book in order to embed my understanding of gestalt, and while I don’t begrudge this, I did expect more. I am not sure whether my frustration with the book is due to its relative brevity (it is just over a hundred pages long) or whether the complexity of the subject is specific to gestalt, as I have read other books in the ‘counselling in a nutshell’ series and found them to be far more accessible. I wouldn’t recommend this a first read on gestalt therapies, but the examples provided in the text are certainly worth reading.

[Anuja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to understand Gestalt theory for counselling in a brief manner.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful concise introduction to Gestalt Counselling

Highly recommended as a useful tool for those at the beginning stages of studying various approaches to counselling. Clear, concise and written without unnecessary jargon.

[John-Paul Flintoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Thanks Steve Chapman for recommendation