The Empty Chair Technique

Strengths of The Empty Chair

Gestalt Theory

• Allows individuals to externalize dichotomies
• Useful with both interpersonal and intrapersonal issues
• Helps clients become aware of repressed feelings
• Facilitates dialogue
• Strengthens healthy coping skills
• Increases positive self talk

• Founded by Fritz and Laura Perls in the 1940s
• Gestalt means "whole " in German
• Focus is on uniting thoughts, feelings, and actions into a unified whole
• Believe emotional problems are the result of lack of understanding and recognition of an individuals feelings
• Focus on "unfinished business"
• Directive
• Here and Now
• Deals with disowned parts of self

Limitations

Gestalt Techniques

• Clients may be resistant to technique out of fear of looking foolish
• Counselors may move clients between chairs before polarities are fully expressed
• Clients may become uncontrollably emotional
• Counselors need supervised training to properly perform technique

• Exercises vs. Experiments
• Exercises - preplanned techniques used to achieve a specific goal
• Experiments - spontaneous, develop from the therapeutic process

The Empty Chair Technique

Monica Lewis and Lauren Stinson

Why an Empty Chair?

What is the Empty Chair Technique?

Step One

• Allow the client to identify two polarizing points of views
• The Counselor will explain how the empty chair can help the client express themselves

• The counselor will direct the client to refocus their experience if the client begins to vent old feelings, in order to keep the client aware of their here and now feelings

• Creates a dialogue to discover feelings related to unfinished business.
• Polarities within the client or between the client and someone/something else
• Allows the client to process opinions from both polarities in a safe environment
• Clients experience feelings in the "Here and Now"

• Chairs add visual representation of problems
• Allows the client to experience the change in opinions in a physical way
• Gives them a target for expressing their feelings
• Keeps clients present in the moment and allows for deeper awareness of the here and now

How to Perform the Empty Chair

• Client/Counselor Rapport
• Focus on the Present
• Bring past feelings into here and now language
• Counselor must be directive
• 6 Basic Step

Ideal Clients for the Empty Chair Technique

Goals of the Empty Chair Technique

Step Two

Step Four

Multicultural Research

Some of the Research

• Asian Americans have seen great benefits from using the Empty Chair technique
• Allows Clients to express feelings without fear of offending others in their culture
• Connects the meaning of "shame"
• Avoid loss of "face" in confronting friends or family
• Replaces direct confrontation
• Uses inner control and spirituality to resolve interpersonal guilt and conflict
• Clients respond and engage to therapy quicker and begin showing progress within two sessions

• Substance abuse clients resistant to believing they have a problem develop ownership of issue through use of "I" statements in Empty Chair
• Imagining their addiction in one chair and themselves in the other or the opposing side of theirself regarding sobriety
• Clients may be surprised at how they advocate for both sides
• works with all types of addiction, including substance abuse, eating disorders, and process addictions

• Reconcile opposing views within the client's life
• Increase self-awareness
• Focus energy toward here and now
• Experience feelings and sensations connected to both sides of an issues
• Bring internal dialogue into external awareness

• Children
• Parents
• Couples
• People dealing with Trauma
• Clients dealing with Grief
• Substance Abuse Clients
• Clients with Eating Disorders
• Clients with Borderline Personality Disorder
• Multicultural Clients

• The counselor will assist the client in deciding which side the client identifies most with
• Counselor will keep client mindful of here and now
• Client will bring all past experiences into present feelings
• Ex: A cheating partner

• Client will switch chairs and begin expressing the opposing view
• Client stays in the Here and Now
• Client becomes increasingly more aware

Step Three

Four Basic Assumptions

Step Five

Populations Empty Chair Technique is Ineffective for?

Step Six

Example of Empty Chair Technique

• The Client will express their dominant opinionon the subject
• Counselor will monitor the clients here and now experiences
• Counselor will have client exaggerate points or repeat statement or motions
• Use "What" and "How" Questions

• Little research to suggest Empty Chair is ineffective on any specific population
• Clients who are psychotic or have a diagnosis of pyschosis
• Clients with Cognitive Disabilities

• Use of chairs helps heighten client awareness
• Makes counseling more multi-sensory and therefore more memorable
• Promotes here and now awareness
• Demonstrates to clients, choice in their reactions to given situations

Client will move freely between chairs, expressing both views until the Client and Counselor feel both polarities have been fully expressed

• Client evaluates all of the expressed opinions
• The Client chooses a plan of action
• Further investigation into polarity

Questions?