Rooting for Children: A Gestalt Approach

Shrinks Rap

Rafael Cortina & Felicia Carroll Break New Ground

Felicia Carroll, is a Licensed Marriage, Family Therapist and Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor in private practice in Solvang, California. She is a natural story teller, child advocate, celebrated Gestalt trainer, and consummate gardener. One could argue that Felicia is the Shel Silverstein of Gestalt Therapy. Her work is the metaphoric “Givingtree” that keeps on giving. Better to consider how to give back, recognize the gifts in all of us, and plant seeds, versus taking from others. Her passion for Gestalt therapy and children recently turned her attention to the refugee crisis in Eastern Europe—particularly, how war impacts children. Felicia is dedicated to helping clients work through their “unresolved situations” versus their “unfinished business.”

Rafael and Felicia wax metaphors in their dialectic. They discuss the importance of rootedness, interconnectedness in human beings, mushrooms, and redwood trees. Interestingly, fungi are closer to man than plants in their DNA structure and their capacity for motility. Rafael and Felicia also discuss redwood trees and how they are like human beings as they need to stand together to survive. They have a deeply interconnected underground root system. Similarly, human beings survive best when they are deeply rooted. Felicia even noted that human beings and trees communicate in a clever way to protect one another. Trees release pheromones like humans do. In the case of trees, pheromones are released when danger is imminent. It activates their antibodies in order to survive. Human connection or “togetherness” also activates antibodies and bolster our immune system.

Felicia takes us on on her journey from being a teacher, educator at the Esalen Institute, academic at UCSB, to becoming the Founder/Co-Director of the West Coast Institute for Gestalt Therapy with Children and Adolescents (www.westcoastinstitute.us). In this podcast, Felicia plants seeds in our frontal lobe where some of our best ideas can germinate.

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