Words in People's Mouths

• Welcome to the BOL Forum on Gestalt Therapy by John Grohol, 3/19/97
  • building rapport by gingers@CMHHealth.org, 3/15/98
    
    

Gestalt therapists work phenomenologically and dialogically; that is, they seek what the client is doing in the moment and to meet the client as they are, without the idea of changing them. A Gestalt therapist may inquire or self disclose in that process. To do what you have proposed, to "put words" in the mouths of clients is to create a meaning in the therapist's head about what is going on in the client and then to attribute, or project, that meaning to, or onto, the client; even while trying to be empathetic, this is truly an intrusion, and can be illusory and self deceiving on the part of the therapist.

• putting ideas into clients heads by ginger, 5/16/98