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The Therapist's
Use of Self |
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The Therapist’s
Use of Self from a Gestalt Perspective - By
Kay Ferriter
When I listen to therapists talk about their work, particularly
experienced therapists, I do not hear much theory. What I hear
are
instances of their struggles to be real and more themselves in
the therapeutic relationship. "There is a lot going on in
me (when I am with clients), what am I supposed to do with it?".
"Why do I leave some sessions energised and others weighed
down and heavy?" "When
I come out with things from inside myself it seems to work. I
want to be able to do it more often"; "How do I?". "At
present a lot of what happens to me ends up in the file. I would
like to be able to make use of my experience". In these
questions and reflections I hear how therapists are already using
themselves in the therapeutic relationship. However, they lack
a model in which to locate these experiences. The process of
working illustrated below is one such model of therapists use
of self.
In this model the therapist is recognised as
a participant in a here and now
relationship (Kaplan. N,&Kaplan.M, unpublished). In Gestalt
therapy the
health of the relationship manifests itself in the energy and
liveliness of the contact. Contact is defined as the process
of touching, exploring, discovering something new either inside
yourself or in how you relate to others (Humphreys. V, unpublished).
The goal is to shift the relationship with support, out of the
familiar and into what is new and unfamiliar. In other words
support change. The therapists use of self plays a key part in
this process.
This article is an illustration of some of
the main focuses of this way of working. The body of the article
is a composite of more than one client, taken from the early
stages of therapy and presented as a process recording of a session.
First I note what is actually said in the session. Then, in italics,
I note my awareness of my inner process. I use this inner process
to illustrate three things. Firstly, there is the client’s
impact on me. Secondly, there are the choices I make about my
interventions. Thirdly, there is my awareness of my impact on
the client. Finally, I illustrate the ebb and flow of contact. Continued
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