Abstract
Most of the systems in Humanistic Psychology aim at structural change or personal transformation in people so that we are empowered to take control over our own lives and develop full creative skills unfettered by personal distress. Yet most people who use skills based on these systems are not aiming at any such thing. They do not offer psychotherapy to their clients but are involved in caring for them in a great variety of ways. They are better at it because they have used a Humanistic Psychology system to develop themselves. They often counsel clients who are suffering. This is usually aimed at helping them gain a different perspective on their situation and make decisions about what to do, which has led to debate—even furious debate—about the true nature of Counselling. After the Client Centred Approach it is probably Gestalt that has had most influence on the art of Counselling. Nobody knows this better than Petruska Clarkson, Director of metanoia, who has just published Gestalt Counselling in Action published by SAGE. Here is an extract from it.