Gestaltungstherapie (depth-psychological design therapy)

Domain VIII · Creative & expressive arts therapies · E. Franzke, G. Schottenloher · 1977 · Germany

What it is

What it is: Gestaltungstherapie is a German-language school of clinical art therapy. The DAGTP–KHSB curriculum defines it as "(Psycho-)Therapie mit bildnerischen Mitteln auf tiefenpsychologischer Grundlage", meaning (psycho)therapy with pictorial means on a depth-psychological basis. Its…

Format

• No phase manual with fixed session numbers was found. Neither the KHSB handbooks (2017, 2019, 2023, 2024) nor Waser 2005 define phases with session counts. The structure below is the treatment arc as the curriculum's modules teach it. The handbooks' Modul 03.3 lists Anamnese, Zielvereinbarung,…
• Format: individual or group. The mode (resource-oriented and structure-oriented versus conflict-centred) is chosen from the psychodynamic diagnosis. Diagnostic steps and diagnosis glossaries feed into the treatment goals and the themes set for the work (Gestaltungsthemen).

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• regression with fluid materials in fragile patients. Keep a structuring material within reach.
• confidentiality of the images, which are identifiable clinical data. Get consent before any use in teaching or publication.
• switching to conflict work when the patient becomes disorganised, regresses or dissociates. Return to structure (section 5).
• blank-page anxiety, or flooding (see section 5). If the patient freezes, offer structure (4.4 or 4.5) rather than pushing on.
• devaluation of earlier works, or shame. It is working when the patient recognises their own development (the prospective function).

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.