What is Gestalt Coaching?

A red bud leaf soaking up a summer rain.

I was trained as a Gestalt coach, but what does that mean? Gestalt coaching is a holistic, experiential approach to personal and professional development that grew out of Gestalt therapy and Gestalt organizational development. It focuses on awareness, presence, responsibility, and whole-person growth. In this way, I support my clients in better understanding how they think, feel, behave, and relate—so they can make more conscious, aligned choices.

(This is different from Gestalt psychology which is a branch of perceptual psychology that deals with how the brain processes information.)

The word Gestalt has a variety of meanings that derive from the German word for “organized whole” or “complete form.” You know the saying, “the whole is bigger than the sum of its parts”? That’s a good way to think about Gestalt; it’s our capacity to see things in terms of wholes, not just randomized parts. As a Gestalt coach I look at the entirety of my clients within their environment—thoughts, emotions, body sensations, behaviors, relationships, and context—rather than analyzing problems in isolation.

My Gestalt coaching practice is grounded in these four pillars:

Awareness in the Present Moment

While the past can be informative, my focus as a Gestalt coach is on what is happening right now. I help my clients develop awareness of:

• Thoughts

• Feelings

• Physical sensations

• Energy levels

• Behavior patterns

This degree of awareness creates choice and change.

Whole-Person Integration

As a Gestalt coach, I work with my clients’:

• Mind 🧠

• Emotions ❤️

• Body sensations 🧍

• Energy & intuition ✨

• Spirit 😇

This approach leads to deeper insight and sustainable change.

Experiential Learning

Instead of talking about change, I use these techniques with my clients to help embody change:

• Guided experiments

• Role play

• Visualization

• Body awareness

• Dialogue exercises

My clients go beyond thinking and instead actually experience insights.

Relational Focus

The coaching relationship itself is a tool for awareness. Patterns that show up in life often show up in the coaching relationship. So, as a coach, I pay attention to what’s happening in our relationship, which can offer us real-time insights.

Here are some key distinctions between Gestalt and more traditional approaches to coaching:

Traditional Coaching Gestalt Coaching

Goal-driven Awareness-driven

Problem-solving Pattern awareness

Future-focused Present-centered

Strategy-based Experience-based

Of course, I support my clients’ goals and actions; however, I do believe that change comes primarily through deep awareness, not simply strategy.

In essence, I help clients integrate their life experiences so that they develop a deeper, more loving relationship with themselves and the world around them. That said, here are some more specific reasons to seek out a Gestalt coach:

• Personal growth & self-awareness

• Emotional intelligence

• Relationships

• Psychedelic & spiritual integration

• Confidence & presence

• Communication skills

• Life transitions

• Stress & burnout

• Decision-making

• Leadership development 

Dorothy Siminovitch, Ph.D., M.C.C., who literally wrote the book on Gestalt coaching, describes the Gestalt approach as “the pragmatics of magic.” She goes on to say:

“This magical feeling has a great deal to do with the sense of energy, renewal, and self-liberation released by acting with informed awareness in the moment that holds the greatest possibility for choice and change.” (Siminovitch 3). 

I love helping my clients (re)discover this magic in themselves. Connect with me to learn more.