Gestalt Therapy and Phenomenology

A very common theme in the history of psychology is the discussion of the philosophical bases of the systems or approaches that occupy the psychological field. Due to the plurality and dispersion that characterises psychological knowledge, epistemological reflection is particularly important given the need for psychologists to choose an approach that serves as a theoretical guide for their professional practice. Among the main strands in clinical psychology today, Gestalt therapy, not least because of the spread it has enjoyed, is beset by controversy over its foundations and philosophical matrix. Therefore, this paper aims, in an introductory manner, to echo the epistemological quarrels in psychology with the intention of discussing whether Gestalt therapy, both in its conceptual structure and in its clinical orientation, has its philosophical support in Husserl's Phenomenology.