Integrated Masculinity: Using Gestalt Counseling With Male Clients

Abstract

This article examines several central aspects of Gestalt work that have potential for helping male clients. The authors explain that although a search for literature on Gestalt counseling with men produced no results, Gestalt approaches have much to offer clinicians working with men. Theoretical concepts and interventions are addressed and illustrated with case examples of Gestalt work with male clients. Research implications are discussed.

Using Gestalt Techniques to Promote Meaning Making in Trauma Survivors

“…The primary aim of gestalt counseling is to focus on the process of counseling and the relationships being created, specifically what is happening between the client and counselor in the present moment (Yontef & Simkin, 1989). Maintaining a present-moment focus can help the counselor and client attend to both the client's lived experience and the counselor's reactions to the client (Novack et al, 2013).…”

“…Freedom from one's past and choice for one's future are goals the gestalt counselor has for the client (Novack et al, 2013). Trauma can be the catalyst to learning new ways of coping that can be important and meaningful to one's identity.…”

“…Phenomenology of meaning in gestalt counseling is found within the relation between the figure and background, specifically what stands out to an individual and the context of the observation (Wagner‐Moore, 2004). This phenomenological pattern, when born of a traumatic past, emphasizes an individual's need to survive a situation wherein limited resources existed (Novack et al, 2013). It is not uncommon for individuals with traumatic histories to develop reactive patterns that trigger stimuli in their current life that can affect them both physiologically and psychologically, even if they are not in any immediate threat (Taylor, 2014).…”

“…Gestalt counselors aim to reconstruct the perceived dualities of mind and body, body and soul, thinking and feeling, and feeling and action. According to psychiatrist and psychotherapist Fritz Perls (see Novack et al, 2013; Seligman, 2006; Stevenson, 2016), people are not simply made up of these separate components but ultimately function as a whole. Incorporating this idea into a trauma‐informed framework allows trauma survivors to define their sense of self by how they implement boundaries and choose to respond to environmental interactions.…”

“…This is a crucial moment when clients unlock the ability to make positive changes. Gestalt counseling can be used to access this sense of power and motivation and direct it toward creating a more satisfying life with new patterns that correct and heal old trauma cycles (Novack et al, 2013; Stevenson, 2016).…”