Gestalt Therapy

Gestalt therapy works in the present tense. Rather than analysing why you feel a certain way, it asks you to notice what's happening right now — in your body, your breathing, the way you're sitting, what you're avoiding saying — on the theory that whatever you're carrying tends to show up in the room, not just in the story.

Sessions can be experiential rather than purely conversational: a therapist might ask you to speak directly to an empty chair representing someone from your life, or notice a sensation as it arises rather than explain it away. The aim is greater awareness — of your patterns, your body, and how you make contact with other people — trusting that awareness itself creates change.

It suits people who feel disconnected from their own feelings, who intellectualise rather than experience, or who are drawn to a more active, embodied style of therapy than pure talking. Gestalt therapists listed with ABCAP have verified training and insurance.

19 Therapists Found
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Suzi Tutus

Accredited Member
Verified
Verified by it's Owner
Popular
  • Midlands, United Kingdom
    • Sessions offered : Online, Phone
    Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Gestalt Therapy, Integrative Therapy, Life Coaching, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Person-Centred Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Humanistic
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Soraya Mohammadi

Accredited Member
Verified
Verified by it's Owner
Popular
  • London / UK
    • Sessions offered : Online, Phone
    Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Existential Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Integrative Therapy, Person-Centred Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Humanistic
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Turbulent Minds Therapy

Accredited Member
Verified
Verified by it's Owner
Popular
  • United Kingdom
    • Sessions offered : Online, Phone
    Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT), Gestalt Therapy, Integrative Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Men's Health Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Humanistic, Menopause Counselling
Maria Kershaw-Kelly

Maria Kershaw-Kelly

Verified
Verified by it's Owner
  • Whitchurch, United Kingdom
    • Sessions offered : Face-to-Face, Online
    Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Gestalt Therapy, Person-Centred Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Humanistic
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Lucy Adelaide Paul

Verified
Verified by it's Owner
Popular
  • Skegness, United Kingdom
    • Sessions offered : Online, Phone
    Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Gestalt Therapy, Person-Centred Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Humanistic
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Jayne Oseland

Verified
Verified by it's Owner
Popular
  • Dudley, United Kingdom
    • Sessions offered : Face-to-Face, Online, Phone
    Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Couples Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Family Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Integrative Therapy, Life Coaching, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Person-Centred Therapy, Humanistic, Menopause Counselling
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Marni Penner

Verified
Verified by it's Owner
Popular
  • Online
    • Sessions offered : Online, Phone
    Integrative Therapy, Life Coaching, Person-Centred Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Humanistic
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Adam Corbett

Verified
Verified by it's Owner
Popular
  • Telford, Shropshire
    • Sessions offered : Face-to-Face, Online, Phone
    Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Couples Therapy, Family Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Group Therapy, Integrative Therapy, Life Coaching, Men's Health Therapy, Person-Centred Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), Humanistic
Rebecca Atkins

Rebecca Atkins

Verified
Verified by it's Owner
Popular
  • South Wales, United Kingdom
    • Sessions offered : Online, Phone
    Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Existential Therapy, Family Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Person-Centred Therapy, Play Therapy

ABCAP is not a regulatory body. Listing in the ABCAP directory is not an endorsement of a therapist's competence, fitness to practise, or conduct. We recommend verifying a therapist's qualifications and professional body membership directly before booking a session.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to do the "empty chair" exercise?

No technique is compulsory — a good gestalt therapist follows what's useful for you, and some sessions are simply conversation with a present-moment focus rather than structured exercises.

Why does it focus on the present instead of the past?

The idea is that old patterns replay themselves in current relationships and even within the session itself, so working with what's happening now is often the most direct route to the pattern — not an avoidance of history.

Is gestalt therapy evidence-based?

It has a smaller research base than CBT but growing supportive evidence, particularly for depression and interpersonal difficulties, and decades of clinical use. It's usually chosen for fit and style rather than a specific diagnosis.

What kind of problems does it help with?

Feeling cut off from your emotions, low self-awareness, relationship patterns that keep repeating, and general personal growth work — less commonly used as a first-line treatment for severe symptoms.