Gestalt Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice

I am only reading this text for a course. The language is not concrete, and I am having a hard time applying the information to counseling applications.

I am very impressed with this important and comprehensive contribution to the Gestalt Therapy literature. We have assigned it for our post-graduate training institute. The students find it clear and informative. I highly recommend it for both beginning and advanced students of Gestalt Therapy.

First, full disclosure admits that I am a contributing author to this book. However, I'm not writing to advocate my chapter; rather, I'm writing because I am feeling fortunate and grateful to be among the other authors in this great book. That is true, and it is also true that the content and approach to this book provides a comprehensive treatment of Gestalt therapy that serves our discipline well and provides a solid reference for trainees. Many of these authors are people with whom I have been meeting, conferencing, discussing, arguing, and from whom I have been learning ever since I started my journey in formal Gestalt training. I would rank this volume in the top five for Gestalt therapy literature worldwide.

Many aspects of gestalt therapy presented in a way that I find engaging and at the same time exploring theory in detail. I particularly like the commentaries in the form of a dialogue along side many of the chapters, as they deepened my own thinking. This has been an extremely useful book to me as a resource in my training- I imagine I will continue to re-read and refer back as I begin my practice. It's quite pricey but it is a treasure trove.

My Tutor told us that this was a good reference for Gestalt - I enjoy knowing the background to a subject and this surely gives that - but it is the style of the way it is written that is interesting - a side bar discussion / commentary written by the person writing the section makes it much more postmodern. A dense book that will last for years - as a student invaluable - as a practitioner informative and a great reference.