The prefix ‘step’ still carries some stigma, even though it is now the norm to find a far wider configuration of families in society and among our client base. Jon Blend, a Gestalt psychotherapist and himself a stepparent, describes some…
The functional role of anger in helping adolescents.
We have lost one of the greats: Dr. Violet Oaklander died on September 21, 2021. Yet her amazing impact on the field continues to surge worldwide like a COVID epidemic, only positively. Before I get to her present-day influence, it…
An interview with Violet Oaklander on the role of the relational triangle in her approach to therapeutic work with children and adolescents. Much of what has been written regarding relational practice has focusedon the quality of the two-way relationship between…
Authors in the fields of gender studies and gestalt therapy theory have both placed importance on the issue of “voice” in their work. More specifically, authors in these disciplines are concerned with both “giving voice” and paying close attention to…
I was inspired to create a large collection of Talking Cards based on the work of Dr. Violet Oaklander during the process of doing my dissertation research on her methods of training adults to do therapy with children. I was…
It is important to recognise that boys often need a more direct style of contact in counseling. Peter Mortola looks at the reasons for this, and explains how he uses images to initiate the process of honouring the client’s style.
ABSTRACT Freud’s game-like use of associations was intended to get his patients thinking laterally and not literally. Perls’s use of the “empty chair” aimed to help his clients engage in “as if” scenarios, akin to the make-believe play of children.…
The first article of this series, “Just for Now: Virtual Use of the Oaklander Model in a Time of Crisis,” discussed employing it with children and families in the context of social distancing and the unprecedented global impact of COVID-19.…
