The Caregiver’s and Nurse Therapist’s Experiences on Gestalt Therapy

The most often neglected member of the group who cares for the patients in the hospital is the informal family caregiver who often experiences emotional crisis. This study explored how gestalt therapy helps the caregiver and the personal experiences of the nurse therapist who did gestalt therapy. Utilizing phenomenological design, three caregivers were provided with gestalt therapy and interviewed. The caregivers and the nurse therapist related that through gestalt therapy there was a feeling of relief and awareness of the crisis being experienced developed by the participants. It is concluded that gestalt therapy enables the caregivers to go through their crisis by enabling them to develop relief from emotional crisis, awareness of their problems and to move on despite the continued presence of the crisis.

 

Keywords - gestalt therapy, caregiver experiences, nurse therapist