An instance of Gestalt therapy with emotionally disturbed adolescents in a therapeutic community.

257 Pages·2006·4 MB·English

by  Neill, Roger B.

ERRATUM
Due to typographical error the text of this
Thesis begins on page xiii rather than page one.
AN INSTANCE OF GESTALT THERAPY WITH EMOTIONALLY
DISTURBED ADOLESCENTS I N A THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY
Roger B. Neil1
B.A. , Simon Fraser University, 1971
A THEXIS SUBMITTED I N PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF ARTS
In the Dep~irtment
of
Political Science, Sociology, and Anthropology
0 ROGER B. NEILL, 1976
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
APRIL 1976
All Rights reserved, This Thesis may not be
reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy
or other means, without
permission of the author,
Name : Roger B. Neil1
Degree: Master of Arts
Title of Thesis: An Instance of Gestalt Therapy With
Eknotionally Disturbed Adolescents
i n a Therapeutic Community.
Examining Committee:
'
K a r l Peter
Senior Supervi sor
I James Marcia
External Examiner
Department of Psychology
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, British Columbia
~ xetrn al ~kaminer
Psychiatrist, Burnaby Mental Health Centre
.
.
Date Approved:
PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENSE
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without my written permission.
Title of ~hesis/~issertation:
An Instance of Gestalt Therapy With Emotionally Disturbed
Adolescents in a Therapeutic Community
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Author : - . -
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/
('signature)
Roger Brian Neil1
(name )
April 14, 1976.
(date)
ABSTRACT
This thesis is a case study, the object of which is
to establish the applicability or inapplicability of Gestalt
Therapy as a treatment modality for emotionally disturbed
young adolescents in an institutional therapeutic community
setting. On the basis of available data, the study attempts
to draw conclusions as to the general applicability of Gestalt
Therapy as a therapeutic tool for the treatment of young
adolescents.
Data was drawn from eighteen months of participant
observation i n a Provincial Government residential treatment
centre for disturbed adolescents, and i n the course of the
study, an audio-taped staff-sample interview was conducted,
content analysis of relevant unit documents took place, and a
resident sample popuLation was drawn from clinical records.
Relevant source material on Gestalt Therapy, the social
psychology of early adolescence, and therapeutic community
was surveyed.
The design and intent of Gestalt Therapy (as out-
lined by its principal proponent, Frederick S* Ferls) relative
to the range of appropriate psychiatric and behavioral dis-
orders, age group, socio-economic status, and level of educa-
tional achievement (or verbal skill) of its target population,
was compared to the design iand intent of the treatment facility
under analysis and the characteristics of its treatment pop-
ulation relative to these same categories.
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It was demonstrated that the original design and
intent of Gestalt Therapy relative to the above variables
(as described i n the Gestalt literature) was not applicable
to the subject-unit's treatment population, because the range
of psychiatric or behavioral disorders represented at the unit
was too broad, the age group was too immature, the socio-
economic status of residents was too low, and the level of
educational achievement or verbal skill was inadequate rela-
tive tot (a) the high level of abstraction, (b) unconven-
tional moral stance, and ( c ) ego-identity development demanded
by Gestalt Therapy.
Perls' own view of the applicability of Gestalt
,
Therapy relative to psychiatric disorders age group, socio-
economic status and verbal skill, was reinforced by the asses-
sment of staff interview respondents who held that Gestalt did
not work w e l l with psychotic, delinquent or severely acting-out
adolescents who were necessarily immature, of low socio-economic
status, and of poorly developed verbal skill.
It was further demonstrated that based on Gestalt
Therapy' s approach to therapeutic environment, patient roles,
and the prerequisites of long- term co-operative, therapeutic
community living, Gestalt was not applicable r
(a) as a training tool for child care staff because
it makes no distinction between adolescent and adult develop-
ment ;
(b) as a role model for the staff employee because
its demands are inconsistent with institutional role demands r
(c) as a system of behavioral demands for the
resident because its tenets are inconsistent with institutional
behavioral demands; or
(d) as a system of behavioral demands relative to
co-operative, democratic-egalitarian group living because its
individualistic and ventilationist qualities are demonstrably
problematic i n such an environment.
Participant observation, staff interviews, analysis
of source material and analysis of relevant literature on
adolescent treatment, all concurred to support Perls' original
assessment of Gestalt Therapy as a highly successful treatment
modality for mildly neurotic, middle or upper-middle class,
highly verbal adults i n a remote natural setting, where staff
and patient roles can be obliterated i n an ethos of personal
responsibility and individuafity and where a private "growth
experience" is the primary goal.
TO KORY
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank the members of my
committee, Dr. K a r l Peter, DrO Gary B. Rush,
'Dre James Marcia, and Dr. Peter Campbell,
for their advice and assistance on this
program. The staff of the "Easton" facility
graciously permitted use of unit documents
and records. I owe a special debt to Miss
Marguerite MacLennan for her assistance i n
editing and typing.
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v i i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE i
APPROVAL ii
ABSTRACT iii
DEDICATION v i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v i i
LIST OF TABLES x i
LIST OF FIGURES xii
INTRODUCTION xiii
CHAPTER I. SETTING : THE "EASTON" TREATMENT CENTRE
FOR EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED
ADOLESCENTS.
. .
A. Physical Deszr;pt;on
B. History and Social Organization
C. Program
Footnotes
CHAPTER 11. GESTALT THERAPY WITH EMOTIONALLY
DISTURBED ADOLESCENTS I N A THERA-
PEUTIC COMMUNITY.
A. Statement of the Problem
B. Methodology
Footnotes
CHAPTER 111. DESIGN AND INTENT OF PERLS'
GESTALT THERAPY.
Frederick S. Perls and Gestalt Therapy:
Source Material
Overvi ew
A. The Theory
B. The Gestalt View of Man and the Place
of Gestalt Therapy
C. The Therapy
Dm Summary
Footnotes
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v i i i