Review article
https://doi.org/10.21464/mo.33.1.1
Supervision in gestalt psychotherapy. The development of professional skills and responsibility of the therapist
Maja Laklija
orcid.org/0000-0002-2580-4983
; Study Centre for Social Work, Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, Croatia
*
Višnja Matić
; Imam san, Osijek, Croatia
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Supervision plays a key role in the professional development of therapists by enabling reflection, growth, and the improvement of therapeutic practice. In Gestalt therapy, supervision emphasizes the importance of awareness of the “here and now,” both in therapeutic work and within the supervision process itself, allowing the therapist to remain present in the immediate experience. The aim of this paper is to present the characteristics of supervision in the context of Gestalt therapy, with the integration of the supervisory wheel as a model that connects the theoretical foundations of the Gestalt approach with what occurs in both the therapeutic and supervisory fields. Gestalt supervision follows the same principles as Gestalt therapy; the supervisor uses dialogue, experimentation, and phenomenological focusing in their work. A supervisor should have knowledge of existential and phenomenological philosophy and be familiar with key concepts of Gestalt therapy, such as field theory, the paradoxical theory of change, contact and contact boundaries, awareness and responsibility, the process of organismic self-regulation, resistance, and other important concepts within the Gestalt framework. Within the Gestalt approach, the supervisor helps the therapist recognize and clarify unfinished experiences/issues that may block energy and hinder therapeutic work. The supervisor also encourages the therapist to explore and apply different approaches in therapy, thereby supporting the therapist’s professional development.
Keywords
supervisor; supervisee; client; Gestalt; professional skills; responsibility
Hrčak ID:
349803
URI
Publication date:
27.7.2026.
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