The Gestalt Therapy Book: A holistic guide to the theory, principles, and techniques of Gestalt therapy developed by Frederick S. Perls and others

by Joel Latner

Excerpt from the The most visible aspect of Gestalt therapy is its techniques. Its forceful advocates have demonstrated their effectiveness in person and on film and tape before many thousands of lay and professional people. The Gestalt approach is called Gestalt therapy, underscoring its orientation to therapeutic change. Gestaltists are practical people, primarily concerned with helping people mature emotionally. They stress the hard work and rewards of personal growth, not speculation about it. Gestalt therapists tend to be activists, more interested in doing therapy than in talking about what they do. As a result of this orientation to activity and the practical on the part of Gestalt practitioners, the literature of Gestalt therapy is small and strongly weighted toward applications of Gestalt principles to psychotherapy and other activities such as teaching and the arts. One of the two volumes of Gestalt Therapy, the basic book Gestalt therapy, is devoted to theory, and it contains a wealth of provocative writing. But a clear and thorough explanation of the theoretical foundations of Gestalt therapy does not exist. This is the task I have addressed in The Gestalt Therapy Book.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Kalem Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Gestalt Therapy Book is an excellent crash course to intervention overall. It sketches its philosophical history and goals in an efficient and contemporary fashion. Although I would have enjoyed a glossary of terms for quick reference, the metaphors and distillations of hard-to-graph concepts make for approachable learning.