Philosophy & Publications
“It is not possible to become who one is alone…”
-Frank M. Staemmler
“It is not possible to become who one is alone…”
-Frank M. Staemmler
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We all learn to become who we are through the relationships with the important people in our lives - our families, friends, neighborhoods, communities and the culture we have grown up in. In individual therapy a dialogue evolves between client and therapist that pays attention to these relationship dynamics, and as a gestalt therapist I become an active participant in this dialogue. For example, I will offer my perceptions, observations and experiences as part of the therapeutic process.
In order to grow, we need an environment that fosters a good balance between needed support and appropriate challenge. Group therapy offers learning opportunities as well as support for life’s struggles. Group members value the input of how they are seen and experienced by others, and I foster active interaction between the men and women in my groups. |
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Lecture in Mexico City at the Instituto Humanista de Psicoterapia Gestalt, Feb. 2017
Transcript and Publications:
Living in a world of meaning: (Click here) This paper appeared as a chapter in the 2022 published book, “The Relational Heart of Gestalt Therapy: Contemporary Perspectives,” edited by Peter Cole. Gestalt Couples Therapy: The article discusses an approach to couples therapy from a Gestalt Therapy point of view. It features a theoretical overview as well as numerous examples of clinical situations in couples therapy. The article was published 2018 by the British Gestalt Journal. Dialogue and Experiment: This article was co-authored by Gary Yontef and Friedemann Schulz and it appeared in the British Gestalt Journal. In it the authors elaborate on the psychotherapeutic method of dialogue in conjunction with Gestalt Therapeutic interventions, called experiments. Root and Shoots of Gestalt Therapy Field Theory: This article appeared in the Gestalt Journal of Australia and New Zealand. It is an in-depth overview of Gestalt Therapy field theory, one of the three theoretical pillars of Gestalt Therapy Theory. This article has also been translated and published in Mexico. Relational Gestalt Therapy: Theoretical foundations and dialogical elements by Friedemann Schulz In May 2004 I was invited to give the concluding speech of a weeklong Gestalt Therapy symposium at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico. In it, I summarize my way of thinking about psychotherapy, and describe an attitude regarding the client-therapist relationship in contemporary gestalt therapy. |