Gestalt

Coaching
AN OVERVIEW

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 Evolution of Gestalt Coaching

Coaching Versus Therapy

Overview Basic Gestalt Assumptions

Gestalt Models

Side bar: Gestalt is a way of life that can

be applied to all of who you are.

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 For 60+ years the Gestalt Institute
of Cleveland has refined Gestalt
How It theory for use in coaching as well
Started: as OD consulting.
Gestalt
Institute of In 1960, Edwin Nevis and Richard
Cleveland Wallen began to apply Gestalt
concepts to organization
development.

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 How It Started:
Gestalt Institute of Cleveland
• Around 1974, Nevis, John Carter, Carolyn Lukensmeyer,
Leonard Hirsch and Elaine Kepner founded the
Organization and Systems Development Center at the
Gestalt Institute of Cleveland (GIC).
• During the late 1990s, Carter and Dorothy Siminovitch
developed the Gestalt Coaching concepts that led to
GIC’s International Coaching Program, that was launched
in 2002.

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 Some
Differences

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 Whereas therapy seeks to heal or
remedy an emotional or
psychological form of distress or
dis-ease
Coaching
Coaching supports the client to
learn something new by
revealing blind spots or rounding
out flat sides often referred to as
“unfinished business” in gestalt.

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 Coaching is best described as
facilitating learning.

The coach encourages the learner to

learn for their self
Traditional
Coaching
The learner gradually develops new
Definition and more effective learning skills.

Client becomes a proactive learner,

capable of learning from almost any
experience encountered
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My Guiding
Principle

• I support clients to
be more fully who
they are
• Implies the
paradoxical theory
of change

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 The Gestalt Coaching Stance requires
self-discipline and self–awareness.

Self discipline is revealed in the constant

vigilance of tracking “what is” within the
Gestalt self and with the client.
Coaching
Stance Self awareness is being able to state the
“what is” in descriptive terms for both the
self and the client.

Combined, the gestalt coaching stance

becomes a powerful, present–centered,
awareness building discovery process

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 1. You must become an
awareness expert.
Use of self as
an instrument
2. There should be congruence
between your behavior and
what you want to teach and
model for others.

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 1. Stand for certain values and skills.

2. Model a way of solving problems and of

Provide a dealing with life in general.

presence
which is 3. Help to focus the client’s energy on the
problems, not the solutions you prefer.
lacking in the
system 4. Teach basic behavioral skills.

5. Evoke experimentation.

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 Observe and selectively share what
you see, hear and feel. (Gendlin’s felt
Observe
sense) thereby establishing your
presence.

Employ Attend to client experience (feelings,

Gestalt- Attend sensations, thoughts) without
prescribiing or interpreting.
based
techniques:
Focus on energy in the client system and the
emergence or lack of themes or issues for
Focus which there is energy.
on This supports mobilization of energy so that
something happens.

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 4. Facilitate clear,
meaningful, heightened
contact between the
Employ client system and with you.
Gestalt-
based
techniques: 5. Help the client system to
complete units of work and
to achieve closure around
unfinished business.
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 Cycle of Experience

Unit of Work
Gestalt
Models Contact Model

Paradoxical theory of
change
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 Cycle of Experience

Execute Plan/Pilot/Act

Coalescing and Decision and

Mobilization of Energy Commitment to Action Inte Impact on Perceptions

Energy Shift/Focus
Impact Awareness
Energy Formation Anxiety to Excitement
Shift in Perceptions
. Premature Action

Awareness Development
Figure Formation
& Conceptualization
Relax into Shift/Change

Scanning until
Sensation Disturbance of Figure Assimilate New
Closure Awareness
Steady State. Formation
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©thstevenson 2021
Gestalt Unit of Work

assessing “what is” by heightening awareness of what appears to be

happening in the present moment.

choosing what to attend to in collaboration with the client by

highlighting and defining patterns or themes that exist.

acting on that choice by creating awareness of the pattern, suggesting

an experiment or pilot that tests alternative ways of doing things; and

closing out that activity by acknowledging the new “what is” that
evolved from the experience or pilot

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 Gestalt Unit of Work
Wave 01 Wave 02 Wave 03 Wave 04

Assessing acting on that

choosing what choice by closing out
“what is” by
to attend to in creating that activity by
heightening
collaboration awareness of acknowledgin
awareness of
with the client the pattern, g the new
Emerging what appears
by highlighting suggesting an “what is” that New Figure
to

.
Figure and defining experiment or evolved from
be happening
patterns or pilot that tests the
in the present
themes that alternative experience or
moment.
exist. ways of doing pilot
things

The Beginning: Transition: The Middle: Change, Transition: Dissolution

Figure Formation Figure Selection Shift, Transformation Appreciation, recognition,
and assimilation
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 Closing

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