The diagnostic process in psychotherapy using the aesthetic evaluation is described in this article. Unlike the classical diagnostic process, which presents a result of comparing clinicians´ observations with a diagnostic system (DSM, ICD, etc.), the aesthetic evaluation is a pre-reflexive, embodied, and preverbal process. A Gestalt Therapy theoretical frame is used to introduce a concept of the aesthetic diagnostic process. During this process, the clinicians use their own here-and-now presence, which takes part in the co-creation of the shared relational field during the therapeutic session. A specific procedure of the aesthetic evaluation is introduced. The clinical work with depressed clients is presented to illustrate this perspective.

International Institute for Gestalt Therapy and Psychopathology 10143 Turin Italy

International Institute for Gestalt Therapy and Psychopathology Poiesis Turin Center for Gestalt Therapy 10143 Turin Italy

Psychotherapy Training Gestalt Studia Training in Psychotherapy Integration Center for Psychotherapy Research in Brno Masaryk University 601 77 Brno Czech Republic

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