A Comprehensive, Integrative Approach at Wellspring Counselling

Gestalt Therapy in Vancouver, BC

Gestalt Therapy focuses on helping people become aware of their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours in the present moment. It is based on viewing individuals as complete beings, emphasizing personal responsibility and direct experiences. This method helps clients investigate their relationships with themselves and others, fostering insight, personal development, and authentic self-expression.

At Wellspring Counselling & Psychotherapy Inc., we use Gestalt Therapy to help individuals and couples move beyond just understanding things in their minds. We focus on creating authentic experiences that lead to lasting change.

What Is Gestalt Therapy?

Fritz Perls, Laura Perls, and Paul Goodman created Gestalt therapy in the 1940s. This therapy focuses on the idea that healing and change happen when we fully know our current experiences.
Rather than focusing on analyzing past events or predicting future problems, Gestalt Therapy emphasizes:

Present-Moment Awareness: Exploring what is happening now rather than getting lost in past narratives or future worries.
Personal Responsibility: Recognizing how you contribute to your experiences and how you can actively create change.
Integrating Mind, Body & Emotion: Understanding how thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations shape your experience.
Experiential Processing: Engaging in exercises, role-play, and conversations helps gain insight and encourage change.
Authentic Self-Expression: Learn to express your feelings and needs healthily and constructively.

Unlike traditional talk therapy, Gestalt Therapy is interactive, process-oriented, and profoundly engaging—ideal for individuals who want more than just talking about problems.

Who Can Benefit from Gestalt Therapy?

Gestalt Therapy is effective for individuals struggling with:

Anxiety & stress
Depression & emotional numbness
Unresolved trauma & past wounds
Relationship difficulties
Low self-esteem & self-doubt
Struggles with identity & self-expression
Emotional blockages or difficulties processing feelings
Feeling “stuck” or disconnected from life
Gestalt Therapy is beneficial for those who:
Want a more active, experiential approach to therapy
Struggle with overthinking or disconnection from emotions
Feel disconnected from their body or inner experience
Want to develop greater self-awareness, emotional resilience, and personal responsibility

Schedule Your Initial 15-Min Gestalt Therapy Consultation Today

How Gestalt Therapy Works

Gestalt Therapy helps clients connect with their emotions, thoughts, and physical feelings in the moment. It uses hands-on techniques to encourage this engagement.

1. Increasing Present-Moment Awareness

The first step in Gestalt Therapy is to become aware of what is happening in your thoughts, emotions, and body right now.
Example:
Instead of asking, “Why do I always feel anxious?” a Gestalt therapist might ask:
“What are you feeling in your body as you talk about this?”
“Where do you sense tension or discomfort?”
Bringing attention to the physical and emotional experience at the moment helps uncover unconscious patterns and hidden emotions.

2. Exploring Unfinished Business

Many emotional struggles come from unresolved feelings or unfinished conversations from the past. Gestalt Therapy helps clients express and resolve these experiences safely and structured.
Example:
A client who felt unheard by a parent may still carry that pain into current relationships. In therapy, they may engage in an “empty chair” exercise where they:

Imagine speaking directly to their parent (or another figure)
Express what they never got to say
Explore and process the emotions that arise

By completing these experiences, clients gain closure, empowerment, and emotional resolution.

3. Role-Playing & Chairwork

Gestalt Therapy often uses role-playing to help clients explore and connect different parts of themselves.

Empty Chair Technique: Speaking to an imagined person (e.g., a parent, a partner, or even a part of oneself) to process unresolved emotions.
Two-Chair Dialogue: Engaging in a conversation between two conflicting parts of the self (e.g., a self-critical vs. compassionate side).
Exaggeration Exercise: Amplifying gestures, facial expressions, or phrases to explore unconscious emotional material.

These exercises bring hidden emotions and internal conflicts to the surface, allowing for deeper integration and transformation.

4. Emphasizing Personal Responsibility

Gestalt Therapy helps clients see how they affect their experiences, feelings, and behaviours.
Rather than focusing on external blame, clients learn to:

Own their thoughts, emotions, and actions.
Recognize how they respond to life situations.
Make conscious choices rather than reacting automatically.

This shift in perspective leads to greater empowerment, self-awareness, and freedom.

Gestalt Therapy Techniques & Exercises

Some common Gestalt Therapy interventions include:

Empty Chair Work: Engaging in dialogue with an imagined person or aspect of oneself.
Mindfulness & Body Awareness: Bringing real-time attention to sensations, emotions, and posture.
Acting Out Situations: Rehearsing difficult conversations or exploring past events through experiential role-play.
Sentence Completion: Exploring emotions through structured prompts (e.g., “What I want to say is…”).
Gestalt Dreamwork: Exploring dreams through active re-experiencing and dialogue rather than interpretation.

Why Choose Gestalt Therapy?

Gestalt Therapy is different from traditional approaches because it:

Goes beyond intellectual insight: Clients actively engage in their emotional experience instead of just talking about feelings.
Integrates mind and body: Emphasizes bodily sensations and present-moment awareness for deeper emotional processing.
Helps clients become unstuck: Encourages experimentation and active exploration rather than passive reflection.
Empowers authentic self-expression: Helps clients develop a stronger sense of self and inner confidence.

If you are dealing with anxiety, past trauma, or relationship issues, using an integrative approach with Gestalt Therapy can help you reconnect with yourself. This can lead to a more fulfilling life focused on the present.

Book Your 15-Minute Gestalt Therapy Consultation Today!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Gestalt Therapy

1. What is Gestalt Therapy?

Gestalt Therapy is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on being aware of the present moment. It encourages people to take responsibility for themselves and to have direct experiences. This therapy helps individuals look at their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours to increase self-awareness and express their true selves.

2. How does Gestalt Therapy differ from traditional talk therapy?

Gestalt Therapy focuses on what is happening now rather than looking at past events or worrying about the future. This type of therapy is interactive and hands-on. It uses techniques like role-playing, mindfulness, and exercises that increase awareness of the body.

3. Who can benefit from Gestalt Therapy?

Gestalt Therapy helps people facing anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship problems, low self-esteem, emotional blockages, or feelings of disconnection. It is helpful for those who tend to overthink or have trouble expressing their emotions.

4. What are the key principles of Gestalt Therapy?

- Present-Moment Awareness - Personal Responsibility - Integrating Mind, Body & Emotion - Experiential Processing - Authentic Self-Expression

5. What techniques are used in Gestalt Therapy?

- The Empty Chair Exercise (dialogue with an imagined person or part of oneself) - Two-Chair Dialogue (resolving inner conflicts) - Mindfulness & Body Awareness - Acting Out Situations (rehearsing conversations or exploring emotions)

6. How does the Empty Chair Exercise work?

In this technique, clients talk to an imaginary person, like a parent or a partner, to express their unresolved emotions. This can help them process past experiences, find closure, and become more self-aware.

7. How does Gestalt Therapy help with trauma and unresolved emotions?

Gestalt Therapy helps clients deal with past hurts through hands-on activities. Techniques such as role-playing and expressing emotions assist in resolving unresolved issues. This process leads to healing and emotional release.

8. Can Gestalt Therapy help improve relationships?

Gestalt Therapy helps people understand their role in relationships. It teaches them to express their needs honestly and to become more aware of their emotions. This approach supports healthier interactions and deeper connections with others.

9. Is Gestalt Therapy suitable for couples?

Gestalt Therapy is helpful for couples who want to improve their communication, solve conflicts, and understand their emotions. It encourages real connection and personal accountability in the relationship.

10. Why choose Gestalt Therapy?

Gestalt Therapy is an active and engaging approach that helps people become more aware of their emotions, accept themselves, and feel empowered. It encourages clients to go beyond just thinking about their issues and actively participate in their healing process.

Clients Say

Testimonials

Mr. Gordon is someone that captures the spirit and the heart of active engagement. He is empathic, genuine and incorporates action and creative problem solving into his practice. I have no hesitation in recommending Mr. Gordon as an effective career and personal counsellor.

I had no experience with therapy and was unsure of the whole process. Alistair made everything very accessible and unintimidating. It was clear that he puts quite a lot of effort and preparation into every session. I'm so glad that I decided to do this, and could not have asked for a better person to help me with this. I would highly recommend Alistair to anyone who has ever thought that they might benefit from talking to a professional.

I am a young professional which for a long time now, has struggled with anxiety, insecurity, and difficulty in finding effective life coping mechanisms. Alistair was referred to me by a friend and upon the first meeting, I found Alistair to be empathetic, compassionate and intuitive. I have now been seeing Alistair regularly for 6 months and through that time my anxiety has significantly decreased, I have found effective methods of dealing with stress, found support dealing with identity issues, as well as finding inner strength to get through a tough break up. Alistair again and again, went the extra mile -thank you Alistair for your candor, openness and a safe space to get support. Thank you for playing such a large role in keeping me healthy and positive.

I have been working with Alistair Gordon as my counsellor at Wellspring for almost 6 months now and cannot begin to tell you how far I have come with his help. I have tried working with other counsellors and therapists in the past but never really found one that clicked for me. I always felt judged, unsupported, and rushed at those appointments until I booked my first appointment with Wellspring and with Allistair. To anyone on the fence about booking an appointment or engaging in therapy: if you are willing to do the work, you couldn't ask for a better partner in your healing journey.

When I decided to find a counsellor, I tried to find someone that I could relate to, someone that is like-minded and down-to-earth and with Alistair I really found the right person. He uses an integrative approach, showed me techniques to relax and get aware of my emotions, and helped me see things in a new perspective. Of course this is an ongoing process but I enjoy meeting and working with Alistair every time. The downtown office is a very neutral place - not too intimate, not too clinical - which is helpful to overcome apprehension, especially the first couple of times. What I find remarkable is that Alistair almost always knows what I'm trying to say, even if I can't put it into words. Working with Alistair helped me a lot and it was the right decision to put my trust in him.

Alistair really cares about you the person, and I could really feel him trying to tackle my challenges. He was also very available for off-session contact via text and email. I think he did a great job with confronting me where I needed it. Alistair always could remember the important peoples' names in my personal life, which really helped with talking about my problems. I really felt like I was talking to a friend.

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