It’s well established in the clinical literature that the therapeutic relationship is of key importance; attending to client-therapist contact is a useful lens for any therapeutic practice, whatever the orientation. But how this knowledge is played out in the course of our work can be unclear. It is easy to get caught up in our clients’ ever-urgent presenting problems and try to “fix” whatever is wrong. Part of the power of Gestalt therapy is that its focus is not on problem solving or on getting people to think differently. Rather,
Gestalt calls us to attend closely to the here and now of the relationship, creating an encounter in which the client can develop awareness of the therapeutic encounter
Gestalt calls us to attend closely to the here and now of the relationship, creating an encounter in which the client can develop awareness of the therapeutic encounter—what is happening to him and between us in the moment.