Introduction to Chairwork in Therapy

This 3-Hour introductory training offers an overview of Chairwork, a powerful experiential approach used across a range of therapeutic modalities, including Psychodrama, Gestalt Therapy, CBT, CFT, and Schema Therapy. Increasingly recognised as both an effective stand-alone intervention and a valuable ingredient within psychotherapy, Chairwork draws upon dialogue, movement, positioning, and embodied experience to facilitate therapeutic change.

Rather than simply talking about problems, Chairwork invites clients to speak directly to emotions, inner parts, memories, conflicts, or significant figures in their lives. Through this process, therapeutic change can become immediate, memorable, emotionally meaningful, and, at times, rapid.

During this three-hour workshop, participants will be introduced to the principles and practice of Chairwork and explore how these methods contribute to approaches such as Dialogical Psychotherapy, Dialogical Coaching, and Action Supervision.

The course will include discussion, clinical examples, demonstrations, and opportunities for experiential reflection. Participants will gain an understanding of how Chairwork can be used to:

• Strengthen compassionate, resilient, or “wise” aspects of the self
• Work with distressing thoughts, emotions, and internal conflicts
• Address unresolved experiences and painful memories
• Explore unfamiliar, conflicted, or neglected parts of the personality
• Support clients struggling with indecision, guilt, anger, sadness, or loss
• Develop assertiveness, emotional expression, and self-understanding

The training will also consider how to create a safe, supportive, and appropriately paced therapeutic environment when using experiential methods.

Suitable for therapists, counsellors, psychologists, coaches, and mental health professionals interested in integrating Chairwork into their clinical practice.