Since 1958, when the faculty of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland began offering Gestalt groups to the general public, three distinct forms of group processes have been used: the individually-orientated psychotherapeutic model; the personal growth model, sometimes described as "therapy for normals"; and the group-process-oriented model, which I shall describe in greater detail in this chapter. These models have some things in common: namely, the theoretical perspectives of Gestalt therapy, as well as certain methods and techniques that have emerged from the practice of Gestalt therapy. However, the goals or tasks of each of these groups are substantially different, and the leader interventions are directed to different levels of phenomenological process in each case.
A schema has been developed that can be useful in understanding the differences between these three types of groups. David Singer et al. (1975) have characterised small groups in terms of two basic parameters: (a) the major goal or task of the group; and (b) the psychological levels involved in the task. Group tasks are placed on a continuum that has learning (in the sense of cognitive/perceptual change) at one end and psychological change (in the sense of altered coping capacity, personality structure, or response repertoire) at the other end. In between is the region of dual task systems, with co-equal learning and change tasks located at the midpoint. By "levels," these authors are referring to the three kinds of processes that are occurring simultaneously in every group: intrapersonal process, interpersonal processes, and group processes.