Analysis of Gestalt and Person-Centred Psychology Theories

This report provides an overview of two prominent counseling theories in psychology: Gestalt therapy and Person-centred therapy. It begins with an introduction to counseling theories, highlighting the importance of understanding human behavior and mental processes. The report then delves into Gestalt therapy, exploring its core principles of wholeness, integration, and awareness, as well as its focus on the present moment. It also examines Person-centred therapy, emphasizing the client's role in the treatment process and the importance of empathy, unconditional positive regard, and congruence from the therapist. The report further discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each therapy, providing a comparative analysis to help readers understand their respective advantages and limitations. Finally, the report concludes by summarizing the key findings and emphasizing the significance of empathy and understanding in establishing effective therapeutic relationships. The report aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of both theories, their practical applications, and their relevance in addressing various psychological issues. The report is available on Desklib, the platform that provides all the necessary AI-based study tools for students.

Running Head: PSYCHOLOGY
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Theories of Counseling
5/17/2019

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Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Theories/therapies in Psychology..........................................................................................................2
Gestalt Therapy.................................................................................................................................3
Person-centred/Client-centred therapy...............................................................................................4
Strengths and Weakness of gestalt Therapy.......................................................................................5
Strengths and Weakness of Person-centred therapy...........................................................................5
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................6
References.............................................................................................................................................7

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Introduction
The report brings about the discussion on the theories of counselling and various
other approaches used in Psychology. It is referred to as the science of behaviour and mind,
and functions, including the study of conscious and unconscious aspects. Theories of
counselling in context to psychology include humanistic theory, behavioural, psychodynamic,
humanistic, systemic, and cognitive theories. The theories are used by psychologists to
determine and provide right direction to the clients. Therefore, the discussion will bring
assessment of the two theories of psychology, i.e. Gestalt, and person-centred theory of
psychology (Rhyne, 2016). The reason behind choosing these two therapies and their
relevance in our lives will be analysed through discussion. In addition, these theories will
study the related problems, and the change within therapy. In the later part, strengths, and
weaknesses of each theory or therapy used in psychology will also be mentioned.
Theories/therapies in Psychology
Mental health counselling provides a framework to understand clients and help them
with their problems affecting their health and wellbeing. It has been found that Psychologists
explore behaviour and deal with the mental health processes, which consists of perception,
cognition, attention, intelligence, motivation, brain functions, and personality of an
individual. These aspects lead to several problems and issues affecting the state of balance of
mental health and wellbeing. Therefore, it stated the need of the theories of counselling which
address several life related issues presented by clients within therapeutic relationships (Levis,
2017).
A number of approaches or therapies are used in psychology, i.e. behaviour therapy,
psychodynamic theory, cognitive therapy, humanistic therapy, and holistic therapy, gestalt
theory, and person-centred psychotherapy. Thus, it has been analysed that using a particular
theory or therapy established in psychology, a counsellor enhance their competence, and deal
with their clients. In this report, two theories of counselling have been selected for the
analysis, i.e. Gestalt therapy and person-centred therapy (Tomasello, 2017).
The rationale behind choosing these two therapies, i.e. gestalt therapy is it aligns with
my personality. Moreover, from the perspective of this therapy, I get awareness about the
aspects of functioning into different environmental settings, i.e. school, work, or with friends.

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On the other hand, in some of the situations I face the problems of stress, and anxiety which
requires involving into the practice of client-centred or person-centred therapy, or theory of
psychology. Therefore, it can be stated that the use of these two theories or therapies of
psychology is relevant as they completely resonate with the aspects of our life (Yardley et al.,
2015).
Gestalt Therapy
Gestalt therapy was developed in the year 1940s by Fritz and Laura Perls and
according to them people is not made up of components, i.e. mind, body, and soul. It means
that the human beings or an individual functions as a whole, and it has their own existence in
the world, and completely has greater importance than parts. Gestalt therapy refers to the
complex psychological system, which emphasizes on the aspect of development of the self-
awareness and personal responsibility of the clients. It has been found that gestalt therapy is
to enhance the awareness of the clients towards the aspect; about they function in their
environment i.e. with family, work, and friends (Trower, Jones & Dryden, 2015).
The therapy highlights and put stress on what is happening around (moment-to-
moment process), rather than what is discussed, i.e. content. Two main concepts of the
therapy include wholeness & integration, and awareness amongst individuals. It has been
found through the research on the theories of counselling, that gestalt therapy does not focus
on the past, and what is happening, or talked about. The primary focus of the theory is on the
process itself that occurs in present moment within the therapeutic relationship (Wong, 2017).
Wholeness & Integration: the aspect of wholeness refers to the whole individual or
body, as a single unit rather than separate parts. Further, the concept or aspect of integration
explain the ways these parts fit together, determining the interaction or integration of an
individual with the external environment (Petrauskiene, Zemaitaityte & Grigaliene, 2018).
Awareness: it is the most important element of Gestalt therapy as it indicates the
healthy person and the goal of the treatment. Awareness amongst individuals helps them
understand their own behaviour and exert control in their environment. The main goal of the
gestalt therapy is to help one become more self-aware and understand relationship between
their responses and the present situation. A gestalt therapist is concerned with the aspects of
‘what’ and ‘how’ instead of ‘why’ (Fogarty et al., 2016).

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In the perspective of the Gestalt therapy of psychology, problems occur when the
individuals have difficulty in interacting or integrating with the environment. It state the
difficult of a person to integrate different aspects of self into a unified whole or the issue as
they struggle to integrate effectively into the new environment. Moreover, gestalt
psychologists mention that the aspect of a healthy body is dependent on an individual’s level
of self-awareness. Thus, it states that individuals with lack of self-awareness face difficulties
in adapting to new things or changing situations, and may react aggressively, on the
occurrence of any problem (Jenkins, 2016).
In Gestalt therapy, awareness is considered as the major element for the mechanism of
change. It means when clients are fully aware of themselves, and conscious about their
experiences, change occurs. Therefore, it can be stated that change is spontaneous and does
not need any coercion or persuasion, on the part of therapist or psychologist. Under this
theory, change happens through the aspect of contact, between therapist and client/patient.
According to the therapist, it is considered as a paradoxical theory of change, and the
conditions of wholeness and growth supports change. In another way, the aspect of change is
determined as the result of “full acceptance of what it is, rather than striving to be different”
(O'Regan, Bagnall & Hodge, 2017).
Person-centred/Client-centred therapy
Person-centred therapy was developed or formulated by Carl Rogers in the year 1940,
also known as client-centred, non-directive, or Rogerian therapy. It can be defined as the
approach to counselling or psychotherapy where client undertakes the responsibility of
treatment (Proctor, Tweed & Morris, 2016). It has been found through the research that
counselling from person-centred therapy is effective in the cases of common mental health
problems such as anxiety and depression. Moreover, person-centred approach focuses upon
giving importance to the interests of individuals receiving care or support during the process
of treatment (Cowie & Pecherek, 2017).
Certain values are considered vital to the effectiveness of counselling through person-
centred therapy, such as individuality, independence, privacy, choice, dignity, right, and
respect. The focus of the person-centred therapy is on the patient or client, not the problem.
The goal or purpose of the counselling here, is for the client, i.e. to enable them achieve
higher independence, as it will allow the client to deal with any problem in the present as well
as in future. It has been analysed from the research that the purpose of the Roger’s

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humanistic theory is to increase the feeling of self-worth of an individual, and reducing level
of congruence between the ideal self and actual self (Kim & Park, 2017).
Person-centred therapy is talk therapy wherein the most of their client does most of
the talking, and play a vital role in the process of treatment. From the above discussion, it
can be stated that the success of the person-centred therapy is subject to certain conditions.
First, the therapist must be empathetic, and non-judgemental to convey their thoughts,
feelings of trust, and confidence, which motivates the clients to make effective decisions at
their own (Meyer & Morin, 2016).
Discussing about the scenario of the problems and the way they are perceived in the
client-centred therapy, it has been found that the therapists focuses more on the client, than
the problems. In this therapy, the purpose of the counsellors is on the perception of the client
or his/her circumstances. In this way, they assist or help the patient in identifying their own
answers to their problems. Besides, this role of the therapist is not only to resolve the
problems of the clients, but they lead clients to progress and ensure growth in every phase of
life. The aspect of change or change in the therapeutic relationship occurs through therapist
efforts to provide empathy, and unconditional positive regard, and congruence leading to
change (Rashid, 2015).
Strengths and Weakness of gestalt Therapy
One of the strengths of the gestalt therapy is that the therapy is used at greater scale to
treat various disorders, such as personality disorders. Moreover, the effects of the therapy are
positive and found stable on the clients or patients. Gestalt therapy focuses on the aspect of
personal responsibility, awareness, contact, and choice. It also encourages the client to stay
focused in the present moment, and assist them regulate themselves. Under this therapy,
there is high commitment of the therapist to connect and communicate with client without
controlling the client to develop effective therapeutic relationship (Rashid, 2015).
One core limitation of the gestalt therapy is that, it requires the therapist to have a
high level of personal development and experience. Moreover, this therapy of psychology
may not be effective for the patients who have difficulty abstracting and imagining things. It
does not include the element of diagnosis and testing therefore lacks a strong theoretical base
(Herrera et al., 2018).

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Strengths and Weakness of Person-centred therapy
One of the vital strengths of person-centred therapy is that it enables clients to accept
and act on their own personal internal evaluation. The therapy of person-centred care
develops a greater degree of independence and aspect of integration for the individuals in
their surroundings. This provides a positive outlook and leads to openness in the clients for
the experience of counselling. It further motivates clients to appreciate who they are and what
they are capable of accomplishing. Besides, strengths of the approach i.e. ability to trust
oneself and surroundings, person-centred approach also reduces anxiety and depression in
individuals through personal communication with the therapist. Another uphold or strength of
person-centred therapy is that it enable therapist perceive and accept their clients as they are,
without pressurizing them for any change (Joseph, 2015).
One of the main weaknesses is that the client is not challenged and does not have the
opportunity to show their abilities. Moreover, no intervention, i.e. no involvement from the
therapist who might offer a sound advice or suggestion is another major drawback. Thus, the
approach of person-centred approach also lacks the aspects of interactive communication,
which creates difficulties helping patients to deal with their problems (Wong, 2017).
Conclusion
To conclude the above discussion it has been analysed that psychology determines the study
of emotions, values, beliefs, thinking, and understanding of human mind. The discussion in
the above report has mentioned different aspects and theories or therapies of psychology, i.e.
Gestalt and Person-centred therapy. These theories apply or resonate with the traits of my
personality due to the issues or problems faced in the daily aspects of life. The report has
described well both the therapies or approaches of psychology, and their strengths and
weaknesses. It can be stated from the above assessment that both the theories, apply to
different circumstances and clients. Hence, psychologist or therapists must focus on the
values of empathy and understanding with the clients to effective healthy therapeutic
relationships.

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References
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clinic? The expert consensus. British Gestalt Journal, 25(1), 32-41.
Herrera, P., Mstibovskyi, I., Roubal, J. & Brownell, P. (2018). Proposed methodology for
Gestalt-psychotherapy research: The use of case studies in the analysis of the change
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