Gestalt work / GST-A02-2
Figure and Ground — Practice worksheet
Draw a foreground concern and place competing demands in the background; change their sizes to show attention.
15 minutes · Worksheet · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: A job application fills Rae's attention while hunger and noise fade into the background.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. What becomes prominent depends on the surrounding situation.
1. Choose a workable example
Use the fictional example below or an ordinary situation of your choosing. Keep identifying details out of shared copies.
2. Try the practice
Draw a foreground concern and place competing demands in the background; change their sizes to show attention.
3. Compare possibilities
Generate at least two interpretations or options. Mark what you know, what you are guessing, and what remains outside your control.
4. Decide together
What changes when the background is included? Choose one small action, a support request, or no action. Review the fit with your clinician when relevant.
Prompts for this resource
- My chosen or fictional situation, and what I know about it:
- My response to the practice task above:
- What changes when the background is included?
- An optional next step, support, adaptation, or reason to stop:
Conceptual background
Gestalt Therapy: An Introduction — Gary Yontef
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.