CLINICAL MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN FROM A GESTALT THERAPY PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Gestalt therapy understands the child as a unique individual, constituted in relationship with the environment and in constant transformation. From this perspective, child development is understood as an integral, dynamic, and non-linear process, in which the child participates in the construction of their experiences through contact and self-regulation. This study aimed to investigate the possibilities of clinical management in child psychotherapeutic care from a Gestalt therapy perspective, considering its theoretical assumptions and understanding of child development. This is a qualitative, exploratory, and bibliographic study, characterized as a narrative review of a conceptual nature. The literature analysis was organized around the epistemological foundations, child development, clinical management, playful resources, and the promotion of mental health. The literature analyzed indicates that child care considers the child as a whole and within their field, avoiding reducing them to symptoms or diagnoses. Clinical management is based on presence, a phenomenological attitude, a dialogical relationship, and respect for the child’s forms of expression. Play, art, and experiments promote expression, contact, and awareness. It is concluded that the approach values children’s uniqueness, creative adjustment, and the development of their own resources, fostering self-regulation and mental health.