🪑 Gestalt Therapy | Free Course

Free Course by Everything IFS Academy | Therapeutic Modalities Series

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Welcome to the Free Gestalt Therapy Course for Everyday People

Gestalt Therapy was created in the 1940s and early 1950s by three remarkable founders: Fritz Perls, Laura Perls, and Paul Goodman, a psychiatrist, a psychologist-philosopher, and a poet who together built one of the most influential therapies of the twentieth century. Their central insight was radical then and is still bracing now: you don't change by analyzing your past or forcing yourself to be different, you change through full awareness of what is actually happening right now. That present-moment, experiential stance went on to shape nearly every modern therapy that works with the body, the moment, and the live relationship, and it gave the world some of therapy's most famous and enduring techniques.

This course teaches pure Gestalt Therapy, with no other modalities blended in. It's written in plain, emotionally relatable language anyone can follow, whether you work in the field or have never set foot in a therapy room. It isn't clinical training for therapists; it's Gestalt Therapy you can put to use in your own life. Each module offers clear teaching, real-life examples, and the practical tools, techniques, and strategies Gestalt is known for, and every lesson ends with a simple practice so you can begin using the skill right away.

This course is self-paced, with no tests, exams, or homework. Feel free to go through it in order, or jump around to whatever interests you most.

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Course outline

Click any lesson below to begin.

The Basics What Is Gestalt Therapy Who Were Fritz Perls, Laura Perls, and Paul Goodman Figure, Ground, and the Cycle of Experience

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How Gestalt Sees Change The Paradoxical Theory of Change The Here and Now and the Awareness Continuum The Five Contact Interruptions Unfinished Business

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The Experiments

The Empty Chair Technique Top Dog, Underdog, and Polarity Work The Language Experiments Body Awareness and the Exaggeration Technique Gestalt Dream Work

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Living It Gestalt Therapy in Everyday Life

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Disclaimer:

Everything IFS Academy is an independent educational platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the IFS Institute. While we strive for accuracy, errors can occur, and users are encouraged to cross-reference critical information. These courses, lessons, skills, and practices are offered for educational and self-reflection purposes only. They do not constitute therapy, mental health treatment, clinical training, or crisis support, and they should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health care.

Crisis Support: 🚨

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, feel unsafe, feel at risk of harming yourself or someone else, or feel too overwhelmed to safely use self-directed practices, please pause this material and reach out for immediate support. Contact a licensed mental health professional, call or text 988 in the U.S. or Canada, or use your local emergency or crisis resources.