Читать книгу COACHING-PERSPEKTIVEN - Группа авторов - Страница 45

Coaching, as professional development method, is influenced by many different theories. Among these, the Gestalt therapy approach has shown a great potential in understanding and explaining the dynamics of the coaching process, especially the way in which the client’s change and development occur.

During the past decade many authors have referred to the term Gestalt coaching, describing it as a particular approach to the developmental process in coaching that is based on Gestalt therapy concepts (Stevenson 2005, Siminovitch and Van Eron 2006, Simon 2009 and others). The basic premise assumed in Gestalt coaching is that the client represents a whole, healthy and resourceful person who seeks individual autonomy and creative, efficient adaptation in the environment. The presence of the coach and his interaction with the client stimulate the client’s awareness of what is available here and now. This awareness opens the possibility of different choices and enables the client’s growth, learning and development. The client is responsible for the change, while the coach has a supportive role. In Gestalt coaching the goals are achieved primarily through a dialogue between the coach and the client, also known as the »I and Thou« dialogue.¹

In formal aspects, such as contracting, creating the coaching agenda or process evaluation there should be no significant differences between Gestalt coaching and other approaches to business coaching. Therefore, this approach can be used with a wide range of coaching goals such as developing managerial skills, preparation for a new role, solving specific performance problems, etc. Gestalt coaching can also be successfully applied to other forms of coaching such as team or organizational coaching.

In the following paragraphs I will describe several Gestalt concepts that jointly define the basics of as well as the change process in Gestalt coaching and provide some examples from a business environment.