A history of the Kootenay gestalt community
Date
1986
Authors
Mackey, Jane
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Abstract
The study is a contemporary history of a loosely-knit community which grew out of experience in Gestalt therapy groups held throughout the 1970s in the Kootenay region of British Columbia. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with community members, as well as written documents such as newsletters, diaries and personal correspondence. Data were presented in the form of an historical narrative, which addressed the following questions:
1. What were the origins of Gestalt activity in the Kootenays?
2. What services existed, and for whom?
3. How did the Gestalt community evolve?
4. What kinds of organizational structures were established and how did they function?
5. What was the relationship between the development of the counterculture in the area and the popularity of Gestalt?
6. What contributed to the decline in Gestalt activity and the fading of the community?
Historical and cultural trends were examined in relation to the community's development and some possible explanations offered to account for the widespread use of Gestalt therapy techniques and values outside of the usual therapeutic context.