The program of the course "Theory and practice of Gestalt therapy" (I and II stages)

Block 1. Philosophical, biological and psychological background of Gestalt therapy.  (at the discretion of the trainer)

1. The general idea of psychological counseling and psychotherapy. Professional ethics.
2. The principles of personal approaches in psychotherapy.
3. The revolution of psychoanalysis, its theoretical, social and methodological consequences.
4. The existential Philosophy and Existential Analysis
5. The formation of professional views of F. Perls and the emergence of Gestalt therapy.
6. The basic concepts of Gestalt therapy: integrity, figure and background, "here and now", experience, awareness, self-regulation.
7. The basic concepts of Gestalt therapy: contact and contact boundary, modalities of contact, creative adaptation, field "organism - environment".

Block 2. The theory of contact in Gestalt therapy.

1. The basic concepts of Gestalt therapy: contact and methods of contact, the field "organism - environment".
2. The concept of the contact boundary.
3. The phases of contact. Linear and cyclic models.
4. The contact modalities: fusion, introjection, projection, retroflection, egotism.

Block 3. The integrative nature of Gestalt therapy.

1. The concept of polarities in Gestalt therapy. Opposites and integrity.
2. Working with Dreams in Gestalt Therapy
3. Projection mechanisms in the interpersonal field "I" and "not-I".

Block 4. Therapy as creativity (at the discretion of the trainer).

1. Creative adaptation. SELF as creator of a creative adaptation.
2. Craft and creativity in Gestalt therapy. Therapy as a creative process.
3. Creative methods in gestalt therapy (work with drawing, clay, makeup, movement, voice).
4. Psychotherapy and art.

Block 5. Working with resistance in Gestalt therapy.

1. The evolution of the concept of resistance in psychotherapy.
2. Understanding the phenomenon of resistance in Gestalt therapy and its features.
3. Signs by which we can assume the presence of resistance in the session.
4. Strategy for dealing with resistance in Gestalt Therapy.

Block 6. Theory of SELF.

1. Self as a contact function.
2. The procedural nature of Self.
3. Self functions and signs of their violation.
4. The main approaches in therapeutic work within the framework of the theory of Self.

Block 7. Strategy and tactics of the therapeutic session.

1. Basic principles of primary psychological counseling. Differences between psychological counseling and psychotherapy.
2. Sensitive and facilitative skills of the consultant and therapist.
3. First session. Technical, protocol aspects of the session (therapeutic contract, setting, code of ethics).
4. The concept of a therapeutic alliance.

Block 8. Experiment in Gestalt therapy.

1. Definition of experiment in gestalt therapy.
2. Types of experiment in Gestalt therapy.
3. Feature and specificity of understanding the experiment in Gestalt therapy.
4. The structure of the experiment.

Block 9. The main strategies for the work of Gestalt therapists.  Work with internal phenomenology.  Work on the border-contact.

1. The field theory.
2. Individual, dialogic and field paradigm of the work of a gestalt therapist (general concepts).
3. Work at the contact boundary.
4. Working with internal phenomenology.

Block 10. Principles of clinical application of Gestalt therapy.  Working with neurotic disorders (part 1)

1. Genesis of neurosis in various psychotherapeutic approaches.
2. Neurosis as a victory over oneself.
3. Five-level structure of neurosis according to F.Perls.
4. Practical conclusions from the Gestalt theory of the genesis of neurosis.

Block 11. Principles of clinical application of Gestalt therapy.  Working with neurotic disorders.  (part 2)

1. Application of the principles of psychoanalytic diagnostics in Gestalt therapy.
2. Types of diagnostics in Gestalt therapy. The content of the diagnosis.
3. Models of diagnostics that exist in Gestalt therapy: the dynamic concept of personality, background and process diagnostics, diagnostics of the phenomenal field of experience, aesthetic diagnostics and its other forms.

Block 12. Gestalt therapy of psychosomatic disorders.

1. Symptom and contact: correlation models.
2. Various theoretical models for the determination of psychosomatic disorders.
3. The hypothesis of somatic (retroflexive) projection as an attempt to synthesize two theoretical lines of explanation of psychosomatic disorders.
4. Specificity of psychological assistance in various psychosomatic diseases.

Block 13. The functioning of the body in life and psychotherapy.  Body phenomena in Gestalt therapy (at the discretion of the trainer).

1. Models of approaches to bodily and mental phenomena in various types of psychotherapy.
2. The concept of "adapted body structure" by J. Kepner.
3. Body process and therapeutic strategies. The role of breath, voice, space and movement in a therapeutic session.
4. Touch as an interpersonal event. Therapeutic use of touch.
5. Corporeality as a biological, psychological and cultural phenomenon. Bodywork techniques.

Block 14. Psychology and psychotherapy of addictive behavior. 

1. The concept of dependence in intercultural approaches.
2. Psychological characteristics of an addicted client.
3. The tactics of the Gestalt therapist with dependent phenomena.
4. Dependent behavior as a regulator of interpersonal relationships.
5. Modern forms of addiction (chemical, psychological, gaming, computer, food, etc.)

Block 15. Working with various forms of organization of experience.

1. Features of the work of a Gestalt therapist with clients with a borderline organization of experience.
2. Features of the work of a Gestalt therapist with clients with a psychotic organization.
3. Building a systematic understanding of psychopathology and the role of a psychotherapist.

Block 16. In-depth consideration of the clinical aspects of working in Gestalt therapy (at the discretion of the trainer).

1. Clinical and psychological aspects of depressive disorders.
2. Types of depression and acute grief reactions.
3. Patterns of work with the experience of grief.
4. Opportunities for a Gestalt therapist to work with major psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, MDP, OCD, anxiety disorder).

Block 17. Creative aspects in the work of the therapist-client (at the discretion of the trainer).

1. Features of the personality of the therapist.
2. Formation of your individual style of work.
3. The ability to work with their own characteristics.
4. The meeting of the therapist and the client as a process of mutual creativity.

Block 18. Therapeutic relationship.  Psychoanalysis and Gestalt therapy. 

1. History of the concept of the therapeutic relationship.
2. Application of the concepts of psychotherapeutic relationships by Z. Freud, K. Rogers and H. Kogut in the work of a Gestalt therapist.
3. The role of the personal characteristics of the therapist and the client in creating a therapeutic relationship.
4. Support and frustration in the therapy session.
5. Therapeutic alliance as a form of resistance prevention in a psychotherapeutic session..

Block 19. Symbolic aspects in the therapeutic relationship.

1. The psychoanalytic concept of the therapeutic relationship.
2. Transfer and types of transfer reactions.
3. Countertransference as a phenomenon of the therapeutic relationship.
4. Dynamics of transference in long-term therapy.
5. The role of constraints in therapist-client interaction.

Block 20. Dialogue in Gestalt therapy.

1. The existential aspect of the therapeutic relationship. Dialogical character of psychotherapy.  Dialogue and therapeutic relationship in existential approaches.
2. The philosophy of dialogue and the peculiarities of understanding dialogue by various theorists of the dialogue concept (J.-P. Sartre, M. Buber, M. Heidegger, E. Levinasse, M. Bakhtin, F. Rosenzweig, V. Biblier, G. Marcel).
3. Phenomena and opportunities for dialogue.
4. Dialogue in the practice of Gestalt therapy.

Block 21. Technique of therapeutic intervention.  Supervision in Gestalt Therapy.

1. The concept of supervision and its necessity for the work of a therapist.
2. Forms of supervision.
3. Questions that are addressed to the supervisor.
4. Supervision of the work of students in a group with a professional analysis of the session.

Block 22. Workshop on injury (at the discretion of the coach)

Block 23. Group therapy (at the discretion of the trainer)

Block 24. Fundamentals of working with couples and families in the gestalt approach (at the discretion of the trainer)

Block 25. Gestalt therapy for children and adolescents (at the discretion of the trainer)

* the trainer may, at his discretion, replace this seminar with a seminar with a different topic.

 In total, the course must contain at least 20 thematic seminars, plus 2 therapeutic seminars during the I and II stages.