Evaluating Client Profile 3 Using a Gestalt or Existential Approach

¶ … Gestalt Approach

There are more similarities than differences between Gestalt and Existential theories and both are based on the self. The client knows himself better than anybody else in the world. Therefore, one should start to understand the client's needs and personality along with the careful definitions of these two approaches. Gestalt Therapy takes a holistic approach to human experience by stressing individual responsibility and awareness of present psychological and physical needs (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/232116/Gestalt-therapy). The term of holistic approach should be the center of the therapy. In this approach the client needs to be evaluated analyzing his physical image, his mind, his emotions, and his environment. Although, existential approach is also concentrated on clients' needs, it can be summarized in the components of the life; death, freedom, and meaningless (http://www.existential-therapy.com/General_Overview.htm). Death would be explained by human's limits against the nature or life whereas freedom refers the responsibilities and boundaries. Meaningless is how the client reflects the world and which labels he assigns to his environment and himself. Since, these two approaches based on the theories, one very important limitation applied to the therapist can be staying in the limits of theory or trying to fit the client in the theoretical boundaries of the approach.

Taking all together, the client is the center of the therapy and it is very important to take close look at his history and personality.

Analyzing the Client

Although Patrick maintained a successful study and education life, his family history is traumatic. The first trauma is losing the older brother, most likely a role model and a friend. Another trauma, the separating of parents, followed the first one. Although, National Center for Health Statistics declared that the divorce rate was reached at the peak in 1981, it was still a big deal with separated parents in mid 80s. The remarriages of the mother could be another adaptation for him, but never the same as he had step sisters instead of a brother. These three rapid developing and unexpected situations must have separated him aside from his peers. The early marriage of the client gives some clues that he desired to have his own family to fill the gap of his childhood. However, he stopped trying, most likely to stay away from another trauma related to a relationship or a marriage. In this aspect he needs to face with his past and accommodate the past experiences adapting to the present time.

In the aspect of his education and professional life, he was a very successful student and his dream to be a firefighter came through. Until 2001, he bounded to his work and his peers to fill the gap of lacking family bounds. Now in 2010, he has no bounds. Therefore, he is very confused and cannot understand the meaning of life. He is angry the fact that he could not help his friends and was powerless against death. He has concerns about his job and his life. Therefore, he has anxiety attacks.

It is more important for him that how others think of/about him than his idea of self. Therefore, he shies away from people and acts out to the people who try to be close to him. However, deep insight he wants to have friends. He has a very low self-esteem, lonely.

His drinking habits reflect that he tries to cure his loneliness with alcohol and tendency to be an alcoholic.

The proposed Approach for the therapy

The Gestalt approach would be the best approach for this client. It is a holistic method, client centered. It helps client to accommodate the past under today's conditions and accept the fact that the past is not possible to change. Gestalt therapy is mainly applied in the present time imposing that his feelings, his perception and his body matter in the time being. This will help him to be aware of his subconscious beliefs, ideas and past experiences which block his adaptation and success to the environment. After understanding the subconscious feelings and perceptions, his choices in the life would change and he would be more assertive. One of the reasons Gestalt approach was proposed is his dreams. The therapy would help him to speak out his dream as it happened today. Then the therapy would bring him to the question he stands where in the dream, what his roles are. As each component of the dream is his imagination and his perceptions about his life, he should interpret him as the components of dream either a person or an object. At the end of the therapy he should be at the point that he would face with his childhood, accept his failures and successes.

The chairwork study would also provide benefits to improve his life skills. He needs to open himself to an empty chair to improve his communication skills and become a more assertive person.

More examples for the approach can be given, but the client is the center of the sessions; therefore, he would be the only person making a decision of the process. This would help his shyness and anxiety. Moreover, he would start to think that he is important as a person and is likable. The main issue would be his age. He is 33 years old and would think that he is stuck with his job. He has a respectful image as a firefighter and would be scared of losing this. Therefore, these could affect his assertiveness to himself. In addition, as a person the therapist would shy him away.