Gestalt Therapy Role-Play - Two-Chair Technique with Perfect Part of Self

[@angelinastanton7996]

I really liked that Dr. Grande asked the client to act out the characteristics and style of her perfectionist part of herself, before continuing to respond to the empty chair. I think that it helps the client benefit more from the technique and feel to a greater extent. I also thought it was important that the counselor pointed out the new behaviors he saw the client take on when switching roles. This can help the client become more aware of some behaviors that she may have been unaware of. I noticed that the client was also asked if she gained any greater insights from the technique, and this is a great way to see if the client has made progress or believes that the technique was useful.

[@lizconnor1820]

I found this video really effective in demonstrating the Gestalt theory of counseling. The counselor’s major area of emphasis during this exercise was increasing his client’s awareness of her emotions and bodily sensations. He assisted her in identifying her feelings associated with the need to be perfect (i.e. her feeling burdened, stressed, burned out, etc.) and helped her gain a better understanding of herself. In this respect, I can definitely see how this two chair technique would be useful for someone who has difficulty engaging in abstract thought and needed to really look inward to explore their thoughts and feelings related to a specific issue.

[@aussiebreeze3971]

This example was relatable! I imagine the therapist has to really help focus the client on the topic or the "conversation with yourself" could go in many directions. I liked the idea that he suggest she physically sit as the Perfection which immediately gave her the idea to sit "perfectly"; but it also changed her tone. She was direct and more judgmental with Rebecca. I can see this being a valuable option for many clients.

[@lizconnor1820]

I too noticed the counselor attending to Rebecca's nonverbal behavior. This appeared to have a positive impact on Rebecca as she appeared to be completely engaged in the exercise and, as a result, she had more insights and a better self-awareness of the emotions and her bodily sensations related to the issue of being perfect.

[@jilliancurtis9825]

I also liked how he suggested she physically act out Perfection and how it changed her tone. I think that this technique could definitely be beneficial to a lot of clients.

[@rebeccafalter2206]

I liked this technique because she really had to face that part of her that stressed her out. That's something hard to do without being able to visualize it. I found what she got out of it to be interesting too because I thought it would be more cathartic rather than actually helpful in accepting that part of her. Dr. Grande had her do this so she could realize that it was not something to stress over because it was only a small part of her instead of something that she should feel overwhelmed about. This way of utilizing the technique made me like it better.

[@jilliancurtis9825]

I really liked this role play. I thought that it did a good job at showing how the technique works. I struggle with feeling like I have to be perfect all the time so I identified with her struggle. I think that the two chair technique is a great way to work through feelings and issues because it personifies them and allows the client to see things differently and gain a better understanding of themselves.

[@angelinastanton7996]

I also liked how this technique was used with the client. I think it is helpful to act this out in front of the counselor, so the counselor can observe and point out behaviors of the client that she may not have noticed before. I agree that this technique was helpful for the client, but I also loved that the counselor asked the client if she thought it was beneficial.

[@virginiamurrey9139]

The two chair technique in relation with perfect part to self, gave a great example of how to apply this technique to a client. It allowed the client to "separate" that problematic piece of self, and view it from a different angle, which gave the client a different perspective. In this way this technique could prove to be very effective to a client in problem resolution or coping methods.

[@rebeccafalter2206]

I agree that this technique can help the client to face problems and cope with them. It was also a good way to gain new perspective. I think using this technique to explore a part of oneself is a good way to gain a new perspective but when using it to communicate with someone else might be more of a coping skill and cathartic.

[@klattalexis]

I knew a guy once who hated his dad & the therapist told him to pretend the empty chair was indeed his father & he was given freedom to say/do whatever he wished to the empty chair. This guy walks over to the props, grabs a plastic bat & thrashes the chair while supposedly telling his dad off. The rage just kept on coming which scared him & those listening to his story. Was this Gestalting??? I knew his wife too & they were separated due to his violent temper. Does this really help with displaced anger?

[@hectorsanchez6908]

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