What is Gestalt therapy?
Gestalt therapy is a humanistic form of psychotherapy that focuses on the whole person - thoughts, feelings, body, relationships, and environment - rather than on symptoms alone. It rests on four key foundations:
A central aim of Gestalt therapy is to support awareness - and awareness of awareness - in the “here and now”. As awareness grows, people can see more clearly how they relate to themselves, others, and the world, and where they may be interrupting or limiting their own contact with life. This emphasis on awareness underpins Gestalt’s paradoxical theory of change: that lasting change tends to arise not from forcing ourselves to be different, but from fully meeting and owning how we are, right now.
Gestalt therapy also pays particular attention to process - how things are happening moment by moment - rather than only to content or stories. This experiential way of working invites people to notice and feel their experience more directly, which can be a powerful catalyst for meaningful change in adults.
- existential phenomenology - paying close attention to lived experience in the present
- field theory - seeing each person in the context of their wider life situation
- relational dialogue - the genuine, two‑person encounter between therapist and client
- experimentation - trying out new ways of relating and responding in the safety of the session.
A central aim of Gestalt therapy is to support awareness - and awareness of awareness - in the “here and now”. As awareness grows, people can see more clearly how they relate to themselves, others, and the world, and where they may be interrupting or limiting their own contact with life. This emphasis on awareness underpins Gestalt’s paradoxical theory of change: that lasting change tends to arise not from forcing ourselves to be different, but from fully meeting and owning how we are, right now.
Gestalt therapy also pays particular attention to process - how things are happening moment by moment - rather than only to content or stories. This experiential way of working invites people to notice and feel their experience more directly, which can be a powerful catalyst for meaningful change in adults.
Gestalt therapy and how I work
My work is grounded in Gestalt therapy and influenced by existential psychotherapy, including the work and writings of Irvin Yalom. In simple terms, this means we pay close attention to what is happening for you in the present - in your body, in your emotions, and in your thoughts.
We also pay careful attention to what happens between us in the room, because our conversations can sometimes reflect the ways you meet other people and the world around you.
Gestalt therapy places awareness at the centre of change. Drawing on writers such as Gary Yontef, I see therapy as a process of becoming more aware of your experience in the “here and now” - your feelings, needs, bodily sensations, impulses, and the meanings you give to events - in the context of the relational field we co‑create in the session. As awareness grows, it becomes easier to recognise how you interrupt, avoid, or support contact with yourself, others, and the environment, and to see where you may be repeating familiar patterns that no longer serve you.
Together, we explore your concerns with curiosity. Rather than giving you tips or quick fixes, I support you to notice patterns in your life, understand what you’re feeling and needing, and experiment with new ways of responding. This includes paying attention to moments of choice, and to the ways you take - or avoid - responsibility for what you can influence in your situation.
Over time, this process can help you feel more aware and more able to take responsibility for your actions, decisions, and responses, without blaming yourself for what is genuinely outside your control. As your sense of agency grows, new choices and different ways of being become possible, which makes change more meaningful and more likely to last.
We also pay careful attention to what happens between us in the room, because our conversations can sometimes reflect the ways you meet other people and the world around you.
Gestalt therapy places awareness at the centre of change. Drawing on writers such as Gary Yontef, I see therapy as a process of becoming more aware of your experience in the “here and now” - your feelings, needs, bodily sensations, impulses, and the meanings you give to events - in the context of the relational field we co‑create in the session. As awareness grows, it becomes easier to recognise how you interrupt, avoid, or support contact with yourself, others, and the environment, and to see where you may be repeating familiar patterns that no longer serve you.
Together, we explore your concerns with curiosity. Rather than giving you tips or quick fixes, I support you to notice patterns in your life, understand what you’re feeling and needing, and experiment with new ways of responding. This includes paying attention to moments of choice, and to the ways you take - or avoid - responsibility for what you can influence in your situation.
Over time, this process can help you feel more aware and more able to take responsibility for your actions, decisions, and responses, without blaming yourself for what is genuinely outside your control. As your sense of agency grows, new choices and different ways of being become possible, which makes change more meaningful and more likely to last.
Further resources
Below is a short introductory video on Gestalt therapy by another Gestalt practitioner.
For a more detailed overview, you can also visit Gestalt Therapy Brisbane, the institute where I completed my training.
