Petruska Clarkson was a professor and fellow of the British Association for Counselling and Fellow of the British Psychological Society. A Consultant Psychologist, Psychotherapist Supervisor and Management Consultant, she worked and taught at universities and private institutions internationally. Petruska sadly passed away in 2006.

The Life of Fritz Perls
Perls' Major Theoretical Contributions
Perls' Major Practical Contributions
Criticisms and Rebuttals
The Overall Influence of Fritz Perls
A Select Bibliography of Perls' Major Writing

`A well-researched, clearly written book... Petruska Clarkson and JenniferMackewn did a splendid job organizing the theoretical material... Their judicious use of graphics enhances their discussions... The chapter on Perls' contributions to practice is nicely peppered by samples of his actual therapy work and this is true for other chapters. This, I imagine, is how Fritz would have liked it: to let his work speak for itself... Petruska Clarkson and Jennifer Mackewn have carefully crafted and produced a powerfully informative book. Its pages are crammed with up-to-date facts and issues relating to Perls... The work is lean, not one word is wasted. Congratulations!' - British Gestalt Journal

Fritz Perls was the co-founder of Gestalt Therapy, which is based on a holistic view of people and their relationship to the environment, and which remains one of the most influential approaches in counselling and psychotherapy today. This book provides a clear account of the diverse life of this popular but controversial psychotherapist and discusses his ideas simply and lucidly.

The book includes examples of Perls' work, drawn from transcripts and films of his demonstration sessions. A further feature is a full acknowledgement of the criticisms and appreciations which Perls' life and work have attracted and an honest evaluation of whether and to what extent they are justified.