Introduction to Gestalt
Fundamentals of the Gestalt Approach to Counselling
The Cycle of Experience and its Application to the Counselling
Process
Interruptions in the Cycle
Sensation and the Necessary Preconditions for Counselling
Awareness and the Initial Phases of the Counselling Process
Mobilisation and the post-preliminary phases of the counselling
process
Action and the middle phases of the counselling process
Final contact and the later phases of the counselling process
Satisfaction and the penultimate phases of the counselling
process
Withdrawal and the final phases of the counselling process
Responsibility and freedom in counselling
Concluding reflections on gestalt′s future frontiers and
integrations
Petruska Clarkson was a professor and fellow of the British
Association for Counselling and Fellow of the British Psychological
Society. A Consultant Psychologist, Psychotherapist Supervisor and
Management Consultant, she worked and taught at universities and
private institutions internationally. Petruska sadly passed away in
2006.
Simon Cavicchia divides his time between teaching, working as
a psychotherapist and supervisor and as an executive coach and
consultant to leadership teams in public and private sector
organisations. He has held teaching roles at Metanoia
Institute where he was primary tutor on the Gestalt psychotherapy
programme and Joint Programme Leader for the Masters in Coaching
Psychology. He is currently a member of faculty on the
Masters in Executive coaching at Ashridge Hult Business School,
UK. He has published a number of papers on
relational coaching, and co-authored The Theory and Practice
of Relational Coaching - Complexity, Paradox and Integration
(Routledge, 2018) with Maria Gilbert. In all his work
Simon is interested in exploring the centrality of human
relationships in how individuals experience themselves,
think and behave together. He is particularly
interested in the role shame plays in inhibiting human
connection and collaboration and how to reduce shame in order to
create conditions for creative and meaningful relationships.
This popular and well written book which is now in its 4th
edition, provides an accessible and thorough introduction to
the Gestalt approach. At the time she wrote this
book, Petruska Clarkson brought an extensive experience both
as a practitioner and trainer/supervisor to outline the theoretical
and philosophical basis of Gestalt therapy. She provides an
interesting framework using the cycle of awareness to explore
‘healthy’ and ‘dysfunctional’ functioning of the individual in
relation to our environment. The book also outlines the
developmental stages of the therapy process and provides a nice
balance of theory and practice. I would recommend this as essential
reading to anyone with an interest in Gestalt therapy.
*Danny Porter*
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