Why Gestalt Therapy?

People engage in counselling or therapy for many reasons. Perhaps you are seeking more authentic ways of relating and being; wanting guidance through a crisis or major life event; experiencing relationship or marriage difficulties; or dealing with the effects of abuse or trauma. You may be:

  • Feeling hopeless or helpless and longing to live more fully
  • Confused about what life path to follow
  • Aware something is missing in your life
  • Subject to bullying or other workplace issues
  • Needing help regulating your emotions
  • Feeling anxious, stressed or depressed
  • Lacking self-esteem and confidence
  • Unwell, in pain or feeling disconnected from your body
  • Struggling with parenting challenges
  • Bereaved by the loss of a loved one
  • Trying to break free from an addiction

Call me for an obligation-free conversation about your concerns and how we could work together to resolve them.

What is Gestalt Therapy?

Gestalt Therapy is a holistic approach that values authentic living and relationship. It was developed in the 1950’s by a group of progressive psychologists, psychiatrists, philosophers and educators, as a reaction against conventional psychoanalysis. When I first read about Gestalt Therapy in a brochure, many years ago, I knew it was the right approach for me.

My training as a Gestalt Therapist has prepared me to create an environment that encourages open and respectful dialogue with each client. I aim to support your personal growth and independence through developing self-awareness and self-care.

I do not claim to know what is best for, instead I will help you to explore and discover what that might be for yourself. Together we proceed in small steps, experimenting with novel behaviours and expanding self-awareness. We also pay special attention to the environment you are operating in. I am committed to working authentically and respectfully.

If we were to choose one key idea to stand as a symbol for the Gestalt approach, it might well be the concept of authenticity, the quest for authenticity… If we regard therapy and the therapist in the pitiless light of authenticity, it becomes apparent that the therapist cannot teach what he does not know… A therapist with some experience really knows within himself that he is communicating to his patient his [the therapist’s] own fears as well as his courage, his defensiveness as well as his openness, his confusion as well as his clarity. The therapist’s awareness, acceptance, and sharing of these truths can be a highly persuasive demonstration of his own authenticity. Obviously such a position is not acquired overnight. It is to be learned and relearned ever more deeply not only throughout one’s career but throughout one’s entire life. – James Simkin, Abraham Levitsky and Erving Polster, Gestalt Therapy Mini-Lectures (1976) pp. 251-52.

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