The tab “School of Psychotherapy Lodz” is a space where you can browse and compare approaches in Institutes offering training programs for those who dream of becoming therapists. We have selected Centers from Lodz that offer 2, 4 and 4.5-year cycles in other modalities to further facilitate your understanding of what distinguishes Gestalt psychotherapy from other strands, but also what they have in common – in addition, of course, to the common desire to help others in the profession of psychotherapy.
Lodz School of Gestalt Psychotherapy | School of Psychotherapy Lodz.
Gestalt psychotherapy is distinguished from the aforementioned therapeutic trends because of its unique approach to working with clients (in Gestalt psychotherapy, as a humanistic trend, the term “patient” is not used so as not to emphasize the hierarchy between the people involved in therapy) and its specific therapeutic techniques and assumptions. Here are some of the main differences:
Focus on the present and the experience of the here and now:
Gestalt psychotherapy places special emphasis on the client’s current experience in therapy. Unlike the psychodynamic approach, which often focuses on the past, Gestalt focuses on what is happening in the moment. Similarly, compared to the cognitive-behavioral approach, which may focus on changing behavior through operations on thoughts and beliefs, Gestalt focuses on directly experiencing and expressing emotions in the present moment.
Use of experimentation and action in therapy:
Gestalt therapy often uses experiments and activities in therapy, such as role-play, simulations, or confrontations, to help clients explore and relive their experiences. Compared to more verbal therapeutic approaches, such as psychodynamic or cognitive-behavioral therapy, Gestalt relies on action and experimentation as key therapeutic tools.
Focus on process and relationship:
Gestalt psychotherapy places great emphasis on the therapeutic process and the relationship between therapist and client. Like Arnold Mindell’s approach, Gestalt recognizes the relationship as a key element of therapy and actively explores the interaction between client and therapist as part of the healing process.
Holistic approach to man:
Gestalt understands man as a whole, integrating mental, emotional, bodily and social aspects. This is similar to the systemic approach, but Gestalt focuses more on the client’s individual experience than on their social relationships.
Directness and authenticity:
Gestalt psychotherapy encourages clients to directly express their feelings, emotions and needs in therapy. This is similar to the Ericksonian approach, which also emphasizes authenticity and immediacy in the therapeutic relationship.
Therefore, although Gestalt psychotherapy may use some elements from other therapeutic currents, such as psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral or systemic, its specific techniques and assumptions, such as its focus on the present, use of experimentation and action in therapy, and holistic approach to the person, make it a unique and distinct therapeutic approach.
Foundation for the Promotion of Mental and Somatic Health Vis Salutis – School of Psychotherapy in Lodz, Poland
“Students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to work in psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral and systemic modalities. With this concept of education, they define their professional path by choosing one of the paradigms or integrating them.”
Psychodynamic Modality:
- He focuses on a deep understanding of unconscious mental processes, believing that many of our actions and thoughts are motivated by unconscious forces.
- It includes conflict theory, psychosexual theory (like Freud’s psychosexual theory), and the concept of mental structures such as the id, ego and superego.
- Psychodynamic therapy focuses on exploring the patient-therapist relationship and analyzing childhood traumas and experiences to understand the patient’s current problems.
Cognitive-behavioral modality:
- It focuses on observable behaviors and the thoughts and beliefs that drive them.
- The basis is the assumptions that behaviors are learned responses to external stimuli and that negative thoughts and beliefs can lead to problematic behavior.
- Therapy based on a cognitive-behavioral approach often uses techniques such as social skills training, desensitization aimed at reducing anxiety, and cognitive therapy based on changing thinking and beliefs.
System Modality:
- It focuses on relationships between people and the social context in which these relationships develop.
- It assumes that an individual's problems can only be understood in the context of his relationships with others and the systems in which he participates (e.g., family, social group, workplace).
- Systemic therapy focuses on changing the interactions between members of the system, not just the individual.
The integration of these strands takes into account both mental and behavioral processes, as well as the social context. In practice, this can mean using therapeutic techniques and strategies from different modalities depending on the client’s needs and preferences. Integration can also be understood as the search for common elements between different approaches and using them for more effective therapy.
Center for Short-Term Therapy in Lodz | School of Psychotherapy Lodz.
“We base our work on the assumptions and practice of the SFBT solution-focused psychotherapy method. We learned this way of working directly from its creators, Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazera. The Brief Therapy Center is a member of the European Brief Therapy Association, the Polish Federation of Psychotherapy and the Polish Society for Solution Focused Psychotherapy.”
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a therapeutic approach that focuses on finding solutions to the client’s current problems, rather than analyzing the past or the causes of problems. The main tenets of this method include:
Focusing on solutions:
SFBT therapists emphasize what works and what the client wants to achieve, rather than focusing on problems or the past. Instead of analyzing the causes of problems, therapists ask about the client’s goals and focus on developing practical solutions.
Future orientation:
SFBT focuses on the future, on what the client wants his or her life to look like after therapy, and what steps he or she can take to achieve those goals.
Short-term:
It is a brief therapy method, which means that the therapy is short-term and focused on achieving quick, concrete results and change.
Client as expert:
At SFBT, the client is considered an expert on his life and his problems. Therapists pose questions that help clients discover their own solutions and resources.
Language-centered techniques:
SFBT therapists use language-based techniques such as scaling, exception questions, and exception questions to help clients change their perspective and find a way to solve the problem.
Polish Erickson Institute - School of Psychotherapy in Lodz, Poland
“The Curriculum is structured in such a way that participants self-select the workshops of their interest available in the current PIE training program, up to a minimum of 250 training hours in the Ericksonian stream, as well as participate in supervision with a supervisor of the Polish Ericksonian Institute (130 hours of supervision) and, as of 1.01.2013, take 250 hours of self-work. Completion of the Curriculum confirms the qualification to conduct therapy within the framework of the Ericksonian movement.”
The Ericksonian trend is named after its creator, Milton H. Erickson. His flexible approach, focus on the patient’s resources and use of creative therapeutic techniques continue to be valued by therapists around the world. This approach is widely used in today’s therapeutic practice and has influenced many different therapeutic schools.
Here are some of the main tenets of the Ericksonian movement:
Therapeutic hypnosis:
Erickson was known for his use of hypnosis in therapy. Unlike the traditional approach to hypnosis, in which the therapist exerts control over the patient, Erickson used subtle suggestions that encouraged the patient to use their own resources and abilities to heal.
Patient resource:
Erickson believed that every patient had resources within them that could be used to solve problems. His approach focused on discovering these resources and mobilizing them to achieve change.
Individuality:
Erickson emphasized the individuality of each patient and their situation. His approach to therapy was very flexible and adaptable to the needs and characteristics of each person.
Use of metaphors:
Erickson often used metaphors and stories as therapeutic tools. He believed that metaphors could help patients understand their problems in a deeper and more intuitive way.
Short-term therapy:
In contrast to long-term psychoanalytic therapy, Erickson favored a short-term approach focused on achieving quick, concrete results.
CENTER BEYOND THE CENTER: A two-year study of Arnold Mindell's Process Psychology | School of Psychotherapy Lodz.
“The POZA CENTRUM Center at the Polish Association of Process Psychology Psychotherapists and Trainers was founded in June 2000 by Joanna Dulinska and Michal Duda in Warsaw. The Lodz branch was established in 2014. We all work with the Process Psychology method developed by Dr. Arnold Mindell also called Process Work or POP (Process Oriented Psychology).”
Arnold Mindell’s process psychology therapy is a holistic approach that combines elements of depth psychology, body psychology, transpersonal psychology and systemic therapy. It focuses on working with the body, emotions, symbols and the therapeutic relationship as key elements in the process of healing and personal transformation.
Here are some of the main tenets of the Ericksonian movement:
Body Awareness:
Mindell placed great emphasis on body awareness and somatic experience as crucial to the therapeutic process. He believed that the body stores information and experiences that can be crucial to understanding mental problems.
Working with dreams and symbols:
Mindell used dreams, dreams and other symbols as therapy material. He believed that symbols could provide deep knowledge of unconscious mental processes and could be useful in the process of self-discovery and healing.
Process approach:
Mindell focused on the dynamics of mental and emotional processes instead of static personality structures. He believed that therapy should focus on the client’s current experience and the processes that lead to change.
Relationship Therapy:
Mindell believed that the relationship between therapist and client is central to the therapeutic process. The therapist acts as a “helper” in discovering and exploring the client’s experience, but at the same time actively participates in the therapeutic process.
The balance between individuality and community:
Mindell stressed the importance of balancing individuality and community. He believed that each person is part of a larger social and ecological system, and therapy should take these ties into account.
The Lodz School of Gestalt Psychotherapy encourages the exploration of differences in modalities and, in keeping with its values, would like to affectionately emphasize that we see them as a richness and a choice for a wide range of people interested in becoming psychotherapists. We are open to creative exchanges and creative consonance in the therapeutic field.