Introduction to Counseling and Psychotherapy: Gestalt and Person-Centered Therapies

Comprehensive question-and-answer flashcards covering Gestalt Therapy and Person-Centered Therapy based on lecture notes by Mr. Symon M. Carpiso, RPsy, RPm.

Who founded Gestalt therapy, and who later expanded it?

Gestalt therapy was founded by Fritz and Laura Perls, and it was later expanded by Miriam and Erving Polster.

What are the core characteristics of Gestalt therapy?

It is experiential, process-oriented, integrative, emphasizes awareness, choice, and the here-and-now, and is grounded in the therapeutic relationship rather than being technique-driven.

What historical roots and philosophies influenced Gestalt therapy?

It arose as a reaction against psychoanalysis and was influenced by phenomenology, existentialism, field theory, and humanistic psychology, emphasizing holism and authenticity.

How does Gestalt therapy view human nature?

It sees people as capable of self-regulation, driven toward wholeness and integration, influenced by the field or environment, and responsible for their choices.

What is the core sequence representing the Gestalt belief regarding change?

Awareness → Choice → Change.

What are the five contact boundary disturbances identified in Gestalt therapy?

1. Introjection (swallowing others' beliefs)
2. Projection (attributing one's own feelings to others)
3. Retroflection (doing to oneself what one wants to do to others)
4. Deflection (avoiding direct contact)
5. Confluence (blurring boundaries between self and environment).

In Gestalt therapy, what is 'unfinished business' and how does it manifest?

Unfinished business refers to unexpressed emotions (such as resentment, anger, grief, or guilt) and unmet past needs lingering from the past, which manifest physically as tension or blocked energy.

What is the core premise of Gestalt therapy's Paradoxical Theory of Change?

"Change occurs when one becomes what one is, not when one tries to be what one is not." Change is achieved through awareness rather than forcing.

How does Gestalt therapy distinguish between experiments and exercises?

Experiments are spontaneous, tailored, co-created, and emergent from the client's process, whereas exercises are pre-planned activities. Gestalt therapy prefers experiments.

What is the function of the empty-chair technique in Gestalt therapy?

It is used for resolving internal conflicts, working through unfinished business, and increasing awareness of internal dialogues by having the client speak to different parts of themselves.

What do the 'Topdog' and 'Underdog' represent in Gestalt internal dialogue work, and what is the therapeutic goal?

The Topdog represents 'shoulds,' rules, and perfectionism, while the Underdog represents resistance and avoidance. The goal is integration of both parts, not elimination.

How are dreams viewed and handled in Gestalt therapy?

Dreams are considered projections of the client's own parts. Clients act out elements of the dream with the goal of integration rather than intellectual interpretation.

Under what clinical conditions should Gestalt therapy be used with caution?

With clients who have difficulty containing affect, are highly anxious, have active psychosis, have limited cognitive insight capacity, or feel unsafe with emotional confrontation.

What major departure marked the introduction of Carl R. Rogers's person-centered theory?

It marked a major departure from early 20th-century psychoanalytic and behavioral models by emphasizing that individuals are fully in charge of their lives and inherently motivated to improve themselves.

What are the five key beliefs about people in the person-centered perspective?

1. People are trustworthy.
2. People are innately motivated toward self-actualization and health.
3. People possess inner resources to move in positive directions.
4. People respond to their uniquely perceived (phenomenological) world.
5. These characteristics interact with external factors, and activating them in supportive environments fosters optimal development.

According to person-centered theory, why do inappropriate or harmful actions occur?

They occur when an individual's ideal self does not match their real self, prompting defensive thoughts and actions to guard against this discrepancy, often resulting from trying to meet others' expectations rather than authentic self-actualization.

How did Rogers (1959) define the drive toward actualization?

As an innate tendency to develop all abilities in ways that maintain or enhance the organism, serving as the primary force for positive individual development, autonomy, and self-control.

How do unconditional positive regard and conditions of worth differ in their impact on development?

Unconditional positive regard enables individuals to trust themselves as positive beings and fosters autonomy and growth. Conditions of worth (giving approval only when expectations are met) lead to devaluing internal potential and relying on external validation.

What is the core therapeutic goal of person-centered counseling?

To facilitate movement from incongruence to congruence, helping clients perceive and utilize their positive nature more accurately in daily life.

What are the three essential core conditions for change in person-centered counseling?

1. Genuineness of the counselor (authenticity and transparency)
2. Acceptance and caring (unconditional positive regard)
3. Empathic understanding (deeply understanding the client's internal frame of reference).

What is 'immediacy' as an intervention strategy in person-centered counseling?

Focusing on here-and-now experiences occurring directly between the client and counselor, providing immediate feedback on present thoughts, feelings, and reactions.

What clinical practices are deliberately avoided in person-centered counseling?

Diagnostic labeling, rigid treatment planning, and over-directing clients, keeping assessment as a collaborative process instead.

What are the primary limitations of person-centered therapy identified in practice?

Its apparent simplicity can lead to repetitive surface-level sessions, it is complex to track shifting phenomenological worlds, it offers limited guidance on confrontation, it relies heavily on trust (difficult with violent or extreme behaviors), it lacks fallback structured techniques, and it presents challenges for new practitioners pressured to 'do the right thing.'