This metaanalytical assessment of evaluation research in the field of Gestalt therapy has been conducted on the basis of 38 studies which took place between 1970 and 1986. Its scope is substantially broader than the metaanalysis of Smith, Glass and Miller (1980) or the secondary analysis of Grawe's Berner Workgroup documented in Forschungsgutachten zu Fragen eines Psychotherapeutengesetzes (1991). The results indicate Gestalt therapy to be an effective psychotherapeutic treatment which is not inferior to other comparable methods of treatment. No definitive statement can be made concerning differential indication, individual therapy setting or long-term measures.