Product Description
This remarkable collection traces central themes in the work of Erving and Miriam Polster, two of the best-known and best loved Gestalt therapists in the world. The writings herein span 4 decades in the history of psychotherapy, bringing together practical, theoretical and aesthetic dimensions of the Polsters' work in a single book. Ranging across diverse subjects and distinct historical periods, the work collected in this volume will educate, provoke, inspire and nourish Gestalt therapists for years to come. ... Read more

Product Description
The ideas of Max Wertheimer (1880-1943), a founder of Gestalt theory, are discussed in almost all general books on the history of psychology and in most introductory textbooks on psychology. This intellectual biography of Wertheimer is the fi rst book-length treatment of a scholar whose ideas are recognized as of central importance to fi elds as varied as social psychology, cognitive neuroscience, problem solving, art, and visual neuroscience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Max Wertheimer and Gestalt Theory
I originally bought this because of my interest in Gestalt Theory, but found myself even more taken by the story of Wertheimer's life, his feeling for justice, and his intellectual depth and breadth.A fascinating memoir!

Interesting, fascinating, important
I hope to write a longer review when I have time, but here goes.I ordered this book a couple months ago and have been referring to it constantly.

Gestalt psychologists -- and by this I mean the original variety -- are among history's most fascinating and deep psychologists.This might not be evident from the few tidbits that show up in most basic psychology texts. But one hint that does get passed down frequently is that Abraham Maslow viewed Wertheimer as one of the few "self-actualized" people he had met. This book paints a portrait of the heroes of Gestalt psychology, and their profound outlooks on science, life and everything.They were creative, courageous, outrageous, profound... and human. Their long-neglected ideas were important then and they are important now.

This is Michael Wertheimer's long-awaited biography of his beloved and long-deceased father, completed with his long-time research collaborator, Brett King.I remember seeing him, and later them, work on the enormous project when I was a graduate student in the 1980s and 1990s in Boulder, Colorado.Professor Wertheimer's offices were cluttered with document after document related to his father and other Gestalt psychologists.The Gestalt/Wertheimer story was remarkably intricate, and it was clear that Professor Wertheimer wanted to do justice to the story.Well, the resulting book is remarkable, and I recommend it strongly.

Another book on Gestaltists that I recommend strongly - Ley's book on Wolfgang Kohler and the Apes of Tenerife.

Oct 16, 2006: New Book/translation of a classic and important Gestalt text:

LAWS OF SEEING
by Wolfgang Metzger (originally published 1936)
Translated by Lothar Spillmann, Steven Lehar, Mimsey
Stromeyer, and Michael Wertheimer
MIT Press.

I just ordered the Metzger/Spillmann et al. book.

I think it is great that there is so much "new" material on the great Gestalt thinkers.Taking a deeper look at Gestalt thinking has been well worth it.The school's thinking was much more deep and significant than the cartoon versions that are found in many textbooks. ... Read more

Product Description
In these groundbreaking new collections, the reader will find an exciting, boad-ranging selection of work showing an array of applications of the Gestalt model to working with children, adolescents, and their families and worlds.  From the theoretical to the hands-on, and from the clinical office or playroom to family settings, schools, institutions, and the community, these chapters take us on a rewarding tour of the vibrant, productive range of Gestalt work today, always focusing on the first two decades of life.  With each new topic and setting, fresh and creative ideas and interventions are offered and described, for use by practitioners of every school and method.  ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Applications presented herein range among settings
The Heart Of Development: Adolescence is the second volume in the "Great Approaches To Working With Children, Adolescents And Their Worlds" series, and aptly edited by the collaborative efforts of Mark McConville and Gordon Wheeler. Adolescence is an extensive guide to the Gestalt model of working with children, adolescents, and their families. The applications presented herein range among settings from the clinical office to the family and schools. Creative new ideas and effective interventions are described for those who practice every school and method of psychology. The Heart Of Development: Adolescence is an enlightening read and recommended for students of psychology and therapists who work with adolescent youth and their families. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Gestalt, eyewitness to therapy
Awsome book! it will change your life! it brings your attention to things that you dont even realize is an issue... until you read the book. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Leading gestalt therapist Michael Kriegsfeld led therapy groups around the world. Gestalt therapy focuses on conflicts between aspects of the self, and the attempt by patients to avoid responsibility for their choices and behavior. When Kriegsfeld died suddenly in 1992, he left 170 three-hour-long videotapes of his work with groups in the United States and Europe. Through excerpts from these tapes, author Lee Kassan provides examples of Kriegsfeld’s methods that will be of use to every therapist regardless of his or her field.

Divided into five main sections, Who Could We Ask? The Gestalt Therapy of Michael Kriegsfeld delivers a revealing, personal portrait of Kriegsfeld. Kassan explains Kriegsfeld’s theory of the gestalt model as an alternative to the medical model that dominates the therapy field today.

Kassan brilliantly illustrates and explains the procedures that Kriegsfeld used in gestalt therapy. Informative and intimate, Who Could We Ask? is a rare glimpse of a master therapist at work.

Product Description

Cocreating the Field is about developing a radically new story to shift our perception of who we are as humans from a focus on our separate individual natures to our complex interconnectedness.

The core Gestalt model offers a theoretical and pragmatic frame for addressing urgent concerns in a wide range of crucial arenas. Topics include the new relational neuroscience and how it interfaces with Gestalt's assumptions about healthy human process; how one therapist is working with children in Dharamsala, India and Capetown, South Africa to help them digitally tell their stories in support of resilience; how transformational thinking brings pro-social and, for some, spiritual questing into focus; and how Gestalt-trained practitioners, therapists, coaches and consultants can become citizen-practitioners in a troubled world.

Going beyond the original Esalen Institute study conference on the Evolution of Gestalt, Cocreating the Field offers guidance for moving forward effectively and joyously as awakened interdependent participants in these stressful times.

Product Description
Describing contemporary integrative Gestalt counselling and psychotherapy, this book addresses 30 key issues which will help both trainee and practising counsellors examine and improve crucial areas of their work.

The field theoretical and relational model which underpins the book suggests that therapy is a complex process which requires therapists to be intuitive and self-aware while engaging in a number of interrelated therapeutic tasks. The importance of meeting clients person-to-person in a meaningful relationship is highlighted.

Jennifer Mackewn encourages counsellors to focus on areas that they may feel need special attention, and shows them how to blend their skills into a subtle and versatile art form. The book covers vital aspects of Gestalt counselling and psychotherapy, such as: appreciating the significance of beginnings; understanding the client's context; the dialogic relationship; contact and awareness; exploring life themes and support systems; and experimental and creative methods.

Developing Gestalt Counselling is primarily addressed to practitioners who are already familiar with counselling and psychotherapy. It will refine and develop their skills and knowledge so that they may form even more effective relationships with their clients.

Customer Reviews (2)

Current, grounded & positive overview of Gestalt
In the evolving theory of gestalt therapy, Jennifer MacKewn takes a readable, leading and positive stance on gestalt therapy.

Content-wise it would have probably been called "gestalt therapy integrated",would the Polsters not have claimed that title. I found this bookcomparably eloquent.

Whilst a book may not be the most powerful way ofgrasping gestalt concepts, MacKewn provides case studies, illustrations andcomprehensive referencing to enhance access & ground her claims.

Nicely done
I had a pleasant surprise with this book. Not just a theory discussion, this book is a nice overview of the "how to" of a practitioner who uses gestalt. I highly recommend it to those embarking on integratinggestalt in their work. ... Read more

Product Description

Gestalt Therapy: Perspectives and Applications is a classic text which, when it was first released in 1992, signaled a renaissance of Gestalt scholarship throughout the world.  In this volume, Edwin Nevis, one of the foremost Gestalt writers, thinkers, and practitioners of the last 40 years, skillfully draws together a diverse selection of essays from Gestalt therapists of every persuasion, united here by the clarity of their thought, and the constancy of commitment to the development and extension of the Gestalt model.  Here you will find one of the finest overviews of classical Gestalt therapy theory and practice available:  groundbreaking essays on such topics as diagnosis and ethics from a Gestalt perspective, and an assortment of pragmatic clinical essays of immediate value to the working practitioner.

Product Description
Originally published in hardcover in 1980, "Beyond theHot Seat" was the first Gestalt Therapy book devoted to groups and itpioneered the movement away from individual work with an audience toan emphasis on group process and group dynamics within a Gestaltframework. It is consider a Gestalt Therapy classic and containssections on theory,clinical applications and community applications. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Still the seminal book of Gestalt Group Work
Beyond the Hot Seat was the first book to integrate Gestalt Group Therapy and Group Dynamics. It is still the best of its type and offers a wide range of theory and practice. Outstanding for trainees as well as more experienced group therapists ... Read more

Product Description
A comprehensive manual for group leaders from the inception of the group, choice of clients for group, guidelines for members, sample sessions, situations and practical ideas, suggestions, tips and handouts to use with group members ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Exquisite know-how... and reader-friendly!
An excellent compendium of a rich experience in Gestalt group therapy leadership: simple, unexpectedly witty, and incredibly enlightening

No doubt Fritz would be swayed
Appropriately named, the book is a practical toolbox. The guide packs ideas, techniques and years of experience. A must have for group therapists- Gestalt trained or not. Thanks Bud!

A great addition
This book is a great addition to the training materials of Gestalt Therapy. It is clear, concise and full of suggestions, wisdom and practical forms ... Read more

Product Description
Erving and Miriam Polster, directors of The Gestalt Training Center - San Diego, wrote of this book: "Rich Hycner and Lynne Jacobs, representing a new generation of Gestalt therapists, have written a rich book expanding the implications of Gestalt therapy principles. In addition, the examples they use from their own therapeutic practice are warmed by the humanity and sensitivity that pervades their work." ... Read more

Product Description
This book tracks a particular understanding of self, philosophically, from research evidence and its implications for psychotherapy. At each step, the author includes the theory, the clinical implications of the theory, links to the philosophical outlook inherent in the theory, and finally a more extended case example.

Philipsson takes the view that the continuing self is partly an illusion, partly a construct, and that we in fact have to work to stay the same in the face of all the different possibilities the world offers us. He believes that we do this for two reasons. First, continuity allows deeper contact: friendships, loving relationships with partners and families. Second, the predictable is less anxiety-producing, and that we avoid this existential anxiety by acting in a stereotyped way and avoiding some of the depths of contact. He argues that this dual nature of continuing self, in one context deepening contact and in another context avoiding contact, has an important place in the understanding of psychotherapy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

This is a must-read for Gestalt Therapists and therapists of all persuasions
I'm a Gestalt Therapist in the Northern California, USA.

I love this book.I keep talking about it months after having read it.I find myself musing on it -- and saying to my wife things like "you know what Peter Phillipson says about ... " and then I try to explain it.Usually unsuccesfully.She is getting very tired of this -- but I just keep bringing up ideas from this book.

Emergent Properties, State Dependent Memory, Chaos Theroy, Husserl, Sartre, Mirror Neurons, Intersubjectivity, A devastating critique of the notion of God (this part really made me think - as I am one of those "spiritual" types who finds the idea of God quite comforting) and much much more is here to take you on a truly fabulous intellectual journey.This book is highly recommended for therapists of all stripes.For Gestalt Therapists - Peter Philippson is one of our finest and most original thinkers.Read it and grow!

Simple to Complex
Peter Philippson captures a very complex subject with clarity. He takes original thinking in gestalt therapy and gives it an updated flavor by bringing in recent thought from quantum physics and neuroscience that support many of gestalt therapy's original contentions, and yet overall he maintains the integrity of the gestalt approach. His presentation of "simple to complex" operations in nature created vivid images for me of what he was trying to explain. I don't think the materials can be completely assimilated in one reading, and I know eventually I'll go back for another dive into "emergence."
Ken Hutchinson, Ph.D.6-25-09

Emerging from a rich field of ideas
Peter Philippson presents his view of self as relational and emergent, and poses existential questions such as: What is the nature of self, mind and consciousness? What is the relationship between these and body? What happens when we die? Do we have free will, and if so, how can this emerge in a scientifically lawful universe?

In answering these questions, Philippson draws on Eastern and Western philosophies, recent findings from the fields of neuroscience, chaos theory, quantum mechanics, mathematics, and he also discusses the clinical implications of this view of self, with case studies which relate theory to practice.

I enjoyed this book. It's a slim volume, and also a big read. On the one hand, this is a book with exciting, high-concept thinking integrating material from a wide range of different disciplines, and posing some deep existential questions. On the other hand, it's also accessible and practical because the concepts are grounded in and by the clinical examples which are given. For instance, in the chapter on "Chaos, Process and Structure", I enjoyed the sections which drew on Taoism, chaos theory, and then the shift into considering clinical applications of this perspective - for instance, looking at neurosis and psychosis, and expressive and defensive transference - and then another movement into looking at philosophy, followed by a case study to end the chapter. The writing flows easily from theory to practice, and coherently through a wide range of ideas from different disciplines.

I think a strength of this book is that it reads as if it's emerging fluidly from a very rich and diverse field of ideas (from the relationship between gestalt psychotherapy theory and other disciplines), and that it moves easily between theory and practice. There's a real range and depth to it conceptually, and yet it also feels very practical. ... Read more

Product Description
This book presents a coherent state-of-the-art survey on the area of systematic and cognitive musicology which has enjoyed dynamic growth now for many years. It is devoted to exploring the relationships between acoustics, human information processing, and culture as well as to methodological issues raised by the widespread use of computers as a powerful tool for theory construction, theory testing, and the manipulation of musical information or any kind of data manipulation related to music. The book comes with a CD providing sound examples for various chapters; it contains a comprehensive name and subject index and the following chapters: Gestalt theory revisited, from pitch to harmony, from rhythm to expectation, from timbre to texture, from musical expression to interactive computer systems. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is an introduction to gestalt play therapy a technique which combines the principles of gestalt theory with play techniques, so that children are able to use play to address their needs and problems. Research has shown that this approach can be applied successfully in children with different types of emotional problems in order to improve their self-support and self-esteem. "The Handbook of Gestalt Play Therapy" provides the reader with an explanation of gestalt theory, a practical explanation of the gestalt play therapy model and also a wide range of play techniques that can be applied during each phase of the therapy process. It also features case studies throughout which illustrate how the techniques work in practice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The Handbook of Gestalt Play Therapy
I received the book a week after ordering when the initial date was two months ahead.I was really impressed with the speed and the easy payment.The book is in excellent condition

play therapy
it is hard to reach kids that are unfocused and this book gives skills to help

Handbook of Gestalt Play Therapy
This is a good educational book that offers many Gestalt techniques for play therapists. It works through assessment to on going therapy to closure. It is clear consice and easy reading. I wished it had more techniques for on-going therapy that were specific instead of a general overal technique. The first chapter is very technical and theory oriented, but the following chapters explain the techniques and make the theory clearer.

Overall it was a very good and useful book.

Very practical
You can't miss this book if you're interested in Gestalttherapy or Play therapy.

Also great reading! ... Read more

Product Description

What determines whether stepfamilies remain together? What helps stepfamilies overcomes the difficulties of remarriage and become mutually supportive family units? How can mental health professionals better support this development? This book brings both clarity and depth to the unique and complex dynamics of remarried families. Patricia Papernow draws on interviews with over 100 stepfamily members, up-to-date research, a solid theoretical framework, and an empathic clinical sensibility to present an insightful model of stepfamily development, the Stepfamily Cycle. This details account of the sages of forming a lasting, cohesive group is richly illustrated by stepfamily members' own stories.

Becoming a Stepfamily describes the developmental challenges involved in building nourishing, reliable relationships between stepparents and stepchildren, in the newly married couple, and between different family groups who must learn to live together in a remarried family.  Papernow discusses the factors that influence the pace and ease of development, and she provides four full length case studies illustrating the varied paths through the stepfamily cycle to the successful remarried life.

The author offers therapists, clergy, school personnel, and others involved with stepfamilies a range of effective interventions, including preventive, educational, and clinical approaches. She provides practical guidance for helping family members deal constructively with the differing attachments of children to their biological parents and stepparents, assisting stepparents as they cope with feeling excluded from the powerful biological parent-child bond, and guiding biological parents torn between their spouse's need for intimacy and privacy and their children's needs for support and attention.

Customer Reviews (4)

Pastor
Well researched and well written. If you are serious about stepfamily counseling this ismust read

Comments on Papernow's "Becoming a Stepfamily"
I am a stepfamily therapist and researcher, and an invited member of the Stepfamily Association of America's Advisory Council. I have read over 40 lay and clinical books on stepfamilies and stepparenting since 1979. "Bocoming a Stepfamily" is one of the two best ones I have read, on a complex and controversial subject. The other is Margaret Newman's "Stepfamily Realities."
A major plus for this book is the many stepfamily vignettes and quotes Papernow uses to illustrate her points. Another is her way of framing the developmental stages of four kinds of typical stepfamilies. A third plus is Papernow's insightful sketching of the respective viewpoints and needs of the biological parent and the stepparent in different phases of stepfamily development. A rare feature of her book vs. others in the genre is her acknowledging that many stepfamily co-parents (bioparents and stepparents) have significant psychological wounds from their childhood that impact their stepfamily relationships. Most stepfamily authors ignore this vital reality.
A last unique advantage to this book is Papernow's (accurate) description that stepparents (and their kids, if any) initially feel like "outsiders" in the new stepfamily system, and that a major task all members face is to acknowledge that, and work to balance the outsiders and insiders through expanding mutual empathy.
A major drawback to this book is Papernow's decision to say little about ex mates. She implies that a nuclear stepfamily excludes or minimizes them (and any new mate and stepkids they have). The benefit of this is to keep her book conceptually simple. The great deficit is that it ignores a major source of re/marital and co-poarenting stress (or potential strength) for adults and kids alike. Unless a remarried bioparent is a widow/er, a nuclear stepfamily system *always* spans at least three co-parents and two or more co-parenting homes - even if a non-custodial bioparent is inactive.
The only other major improvement I can see to this clear, well organized, reader-friendly overview book is to clarify Papernow's metaphoric concept of "stepfamily mapping." She rightly says a common task for new stepfamily members is to "build a map" of each other's part of their new family. The metaphor seems vague and somewhat confusing. I believe what she means is "work to clarify each other's needs, new roles, and new stepfamily rules as you merge your biofamily cultures."

I highly recommend this useful book to courting and remarried coparents, clergy, and other human-service professionals.

For practical help on growing a high-nurturance stepfamily, see these free online articles [...]

Papernow's book focuses on the real issues of stepfamilies.
In 1994, my then fiance and I read together Papernow's book on stepfamilies in order to prepare us for the challenge of blending my five children and his eight children (four of which were already married).This was so invaluable in giving me the perspective of all parties involved.Over and over through the years (it is now 2001) this book made me realize that my side of the various issues that come and go is not the only valid view of things.Time does make a big difference in settling issues and feelings. I think this book should be required reading before anyone undertakes the task of step parenting. It arms you with so many valuable insights before you have to learn by experience and wreck your marriage.Our marriage is going strong; this book did help.

insightful and thorough guide for parents and professionals
While this book is written for professionals, it reads smoothly enough that anyone with a basic understanding of family dynamics should find it helpful.Of particular interest to families facing the challenges ofremarriage are the many interviews and case histories of families who havebeen there, done that. I would also recommend this book to anyprofessional who works with stepfamilies, as it contains clear models ofstepfamily development and the stages of forming long-lasting successfulblended unions. A ray of hope in the sometimes murky arena of steparenting! ... Read more