A Gestalt Coaching Primer: The Path Toward Awareness IQ
by Dr. Dorothy E. Siminovitch, MCC
I was motivated to read this book mainly because I had the good fortune to learn, in person, from its author, Dr. Dorothy Siminovitch, MCC.
It took me four long months to finish this book. There were inevitably numerous technical terms and descriptions that made speed-reading nearly impossible for me. It’s not that the writing isn’t academically-esoteric; it’s just that most of the sentences lack flow.
Ironically, the portions that I could speed-read through were the ones that I found somewhat repetitive. I think Dr. Siminovitch had the good intention to pack as much as she could into this book to make qualify it as a ‘primer’ to Gestalt coaching, and in doing so, may have padded a few sections a little too thickly for this reader’s preference. These sections tended to be those where the ‘must’s’ and ‘should’s’ of the discipline were (over) emphasised, making it that much harder to make it through awake.
As expressed earlier, Dr. Siminovitch packed this book – mainly with information… which made it feel heady for me. More often than not, I felt I was being told about the subject, as opposed to being shown the subject. After all, Gestalt interventions are highly-experiential and typically have plenty of phenomenological (observable) data that can be ‘shown’ through illustrative writing.
I wish there were a lot more how-to’s (especially where techniques are concerned), and more detailed blow-by-blow of case studies, so that I could ‘see’ what the principles look like when applied – like in Appendix C (the chapter that lifted my spirits towards the end). And I say this with full awareness that reading alone will not turn me into a Gestalt coach.
At the time of completing this book, I am an ontological coach who has experienced enough Gestalt interventions practically (as trainee, coachee and coach)… enough to know what I am looking for, I think. Did I benefit from this book? Yes, I did. Just not in a manner that was as efficient as I’d hoped.