Simon Maurice (“Bud”) Feder, PhD (1930—2018)

Abstract

Born in 1930, Simon Maurice Feder (known to the world as “Bud”), died of complications associated with congestive heart failure on October 16, 2018, at the age of eighty-eight. Bud lived most of his life in New Jersey, having graduated from Columbia University's clinical psychology doctoral program in 1961. After working as a florist for two years following his degree, he began his fifty-eight years of clinical practice, fifty-two of which he devoted to Gestalt therapy. As an active member of the New York Institute for Gestalt Therapy, he studied with Laura Perls for three years and over time held various positions within the Institute.He authored several important books, including A Living Legacy of Fritz and Laura Perls: Contemporary Case Studies (1966), along with its “second generation” edition in 2011, and Beyond the Hot Seat: Gestalt Approaches to Group (1980), both of which he edited with Ruth Ronall. In 1984, Bud wrote a guide book: Peeling the Onion: A Manual for Clients, revised in 1992. In his most recent work, Gestalt Therapy: A Practical Guide (2006), he outlines what he refers to as his “interactive format,” a process-oriented group dynamic focusing in on the present-centered experiences of group members occurring in the “here-and-now.” It showcases an intervention style reflecting the democratic principles that he valued so highly in both his psychological approach and his political philosophy.During his lifetime, Bud presented workshops, lectures, supervision opportunities, and group experiences to professionals and students throughout the world. In addition, he was a founding member of the Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy (AAGT), serving as one of its early presidents. He was also instrumental in establishing a scholarship committee for AAGT which, over the years, provided over $100,000 in funding for student members of the organization. He served as an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University and was a founding member of the Gestalt Association of New Jersey.Bud leaves two daughters who live in Massachusetts, a son, and two grandchildren in Germany, in addition to friends, colleagues, and students—along with all of those others who had the opportunity to experience the nurturance of both his wisdom and his presence.1