Evidence-Based Therapy
Awareness is the first step to change. Gestalt therapy is a warm, experiential approach that helps you understand yourself more fully in the present moment — and live more freely because of it.
WorkCover, NDIS or TAC approved? YOU PAY NOTHING.
If your claim has been approved, we bill your funder directly. Zero out-of-pocket cost — no gap, no upfront payment, nothing.
Gestalt therapy is a humanistic, experiential approach developed by Fritz and Laura Perls in the 1940s and 1950s. The word ‘Gestalt’ means a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts — and the therapy focuses on you as a whole person: your thoughts, feelings, body, and relationships, understood together in the here and now.
Rather than analysing the past at length, Gestalt therapy works with what is happening in the present moment. Through awareness of your feelings, body sensations, and patterns as they arise in the room, you come to understand how you meet — or avoid — your needs, and gain the freedom to make different choices.
Gestalt therapy has a growing evidence base, with reviews and studies supporting its effectiveness across a range of concerns including anxiety, depression, and relationship difficulties. Its emphasis on awareness, experimentation, and the therapeutic relationship has shaped many modern approaches.
Gestalt therapy uses present-moment awareness and creative experiments — such as chair work, role-play, or attending to body language — to help you notice patterns as they happen and try out new ways of being, rather than only talking about them.
Gestalt therapy suits people who want to understand themselves more deeply and take an active part in the process:
Gestalt sessions are active, collaborative, and grounded in the present. Your psychologist supports you to:
Notice what you are thinking, feeling, and sensing right now, rather than only recounting events.
See how you relate to yourself and others as it happens in the session, including what you tend to avoid.
Use methods like chair work or role-play to experience situations differently and access what goes unspoken.
Bring these insights together into a fuller sense of yourself, with more freedom to make deliberate choices.
Gestalt therapy can be shorter- or longer-term depending on your goals. Your psychologist tailors the pace and depth to what is right for you.
We believe cost should never be a barrier to quality mental health care. There are several ways to fund your sessions at The Talk Shop:
Medicare Mental Health Care Plan — up to 10 rebated sessions per calendar year with a GP referral. Bulk billing may be available.
WorkCover & TAC — no out-of-pocket cost with an approved claim; we bill your funder directly.
NDIS — supported for plan-managed and self-managed participants.
Private Health & self-funded — extras may apply; affordable rates from $50, no referral needed.
Not sure what you are eligible for? Call 1300 224 665 and our team will help you work out your options before your first session.
We offer gestalt therapy in-person at all four Melbourne clinics and via secure Telehealth Australia-wide:
Gestalt experiments like chair work can be powerful, but they are always invitations, never demands. Your psychologist works collaboratively and only suggests what feels safe and useful for you.
CBT focuses on identifying and changing specific thoughts and behaviours. Gestalt focuses on present-moment awareness and experience — understanding how you function as a whole person in the here and now. Both are valuable, and your psychologist can help you decide what fits.
Yes. Gestalt therapy has a growing research base, with reviews supporting its effectiveness for anxiety, depression, and relationship difficulties, and outcomes broadly comparable to other established therapies.
It is used for anxiety, depression, low self-awareness, relationship difficulties, and personal growth, and suits people who want an active, experiential approach rather than a purely talking one.
Yes. Gestalt therapy adapts well to secure video, and awareness and experiential work can be done effectively online.
No referral is needed to book. A Mental Health Care Plan from your GP lets you access Medicare rebates for your sessions.
Raffagnino, R. (2019). Gestalt therapy effectiveness: A systematic review of empirical evidence. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 7(6), 66–83. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2019.76005
Elliott, R., Watson, J. C., Timulak, L., & Sharbanee, J. (2021). Research on humanistic-experiential psychotherapies: Updated review. In Bergin and Garfield’s Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behavior Change (7th ed., pp. 421–467). Wiley.
Leung, G. S. M., & Khor, S. H. (2017). Gestalt intervention groups for anxious parents in Hong Kong: A quasi-experimental study. Journal of Evidence-Informed Social Work, 14(3), 183–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/23761407.2017.1311814
Our Melbourne psychologists offer warm, experiential Gestalt therapy to help you grow in awareness and freedom. Book online or call — no referral needed to start.
