Gestalt therapy emphasizes the here-and-now and contends that unfinished business from the past interferes with present functioning.

• A. Gestalt Therapy
• B. Reality Therapy
• C. Solution-Focused Therapy
• D. Person-Centered Therapy

Answer: (A)

Gestalt therapy centers on awareness of the present moment and the idea that unresolved feelings from the past can intrude on how a person functions now. In this approach, clients pay close attention to what they are experiencing in the here and now—their thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and actions as they occur—rather than getting lost in an analysis of past events. When past experiences aren’t fully experienced or expressed, they linger as unfinished business, disrupting current contact with oneself and others. The therapeutic aim is to bring these experiences into present awareness and resolve them in the moment, helping the person act with greater authenticity and freedom.

This description aligns with Gestalt therapy because its core emphasis is on present awareness and completing unresolved past experiences to improve current functioning. Other modalities focus on different foci—present choices and responsibility, future-oriented goals and solutions, or a nonjudgmental environment for self-discovery—without centering on finishing unfinished business in the present moment. Techniques like the empty-chair exercise illustrate how Gestalt therapy invites immediate experience and resolution in the here-and-now.