I am delighted to endorse this version of Skills in Gestalt Counselling and Psychotherapy. Having kept their original two versions close by for many years, both as a therapist and as a trainer, this new edition continues to confirm what I already believe about the authors' rich and scholarly theoretical and practical response to the challenges and experience of Gestalt practise.
This new edition is (again) full of practical suggestions, experiential exercises and detailed, precise attention to the moment by moment, unfolding experience of being in therapeutic relationship. The authors provide a comprehensive review of current literature and research, and interweave this with sound recommendations for practise. The chapters on Trauma are timely, thorough, and extremely practical in their guidance on working with people who experience such devastation
The whole tone of the writing is exemplary of the authors' commitment to relational gestalt practise, whilst acknowledging contributions from the wider field
I strongly recommend this book to students and experienced therapists alike.
-- George Bassett
This is a lovely book! It is not easy to write about skills in gestalt therapy without reducing our theory to a set of techniques. Joyce and Sills have found a way to offer skills while at the same time drawing the reader into a nuanced consideration of the complexity of any clinical moment. They also offer creative experiments in self-exploration that support the therapist to develop skill at attending to and working with their continual co-implication in the therapeutic process. Add to that a delightful writing style, and you have a book that would serve any teaching or training program quite well.
-- Lynne Jacobs, Ph.D.
The main adjective that comes to mind as I read this book is 'lucid'. The authors claim that this book is practical, which it certainly is, but not theoretical. I think they do themselves a disservice. The principles and philosophy of Gestalt come flying off the page through their simple explanations and deft descriptions. Gestalt, while it is grounded in Existential philosophy and phenomenological method, is primarily a way of being in the world, which is both beautifully simple but at the same time profoundly challenging. They have provided us with a book which is both simple and profound, accessible and full of the wisdom which is best conveyed by stories. It is down to earth and wise, practical and theoretical and in that sense is true to one of Gestalt's core principles of holism. I recommend this book as core reading to any Gestalt practitioner.
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-- Profesor Bill Critchley
This is an essential read for all those wanting to learn about effective Gestalt practice.
-- Dr Lynda Osborne
