Lesson 3: Treatment
Gestalt Therapy
At the centre of this therapy is the co-ordination of body and mind - specifically the integration of feelings, thinking, and behaviour. Gestalt therapists help clients see how previous experiences shape current behaviours, yet they remind them that people are ultimately responsible for their own actions. Therapists teach patients to avoid problems, to follow through with goals, and to experience things in a positive light. They stress living in the present, not the past or the future. Therapists guide their patients to accept that people must take care of themselves instead of expecting others to do it. Techniques used with this therapy include confrontation, dream analysis, dialogue with polar points of view, and role-playing. This form of therapy is often used in family counselling, childhood behaviour problems, and psychosomatic disorders.
