Where Gestalt and qualitative research merge: a heuristic inquiry into mothers’ experiences in stepfamilies

"Abstract: Using six stages of heuristic inquiry (Moustakas, 1990) as the structural outline, this article is a partial account of the author’s research journey as a Gestalt practitioner working on a doctorate at Metanoia Institute. It includes an extract from the author’s research journal and excerpts from the doctoral findings. The doctorate focuses on stepfamily relationships through the experiences of mothers and includes personal material alongside the narratives of other women. Some of the findings are included here. The author touches on fears and insecurities around learning and issues of identity that she encountered through the process of researching. In the course of learning about qualitative research the author found many methodologies that share the same philosophical and ontological roots as Gestalt therapy and drew from these to create a mixed methodology. Thus this writing highlights a fuzzy boundary between the practice of psychotherapy and qualitative research where the practice of Gestalt in the therapy room might be thought of as a form of heuristic research with the therapist supporting the self investigation of her client in the context of their relationship. Key words: heuristic inquiry, qualitative research, stepfamilies, mothers, narrative, identity, self in research."