Chairwork Psychotherapy Initiative

The Chairwork Psychotherapy Initiative (formerly the Transformational Chairwork Psychotherapy Project) is fundamentally based on the Art and Science of Chairwork. This work has been informed by Gestalt Therapy, Voice Dialogue, Schema Mode Therapy, Redecision Therapy, and Harm Reduction Psychotherapy. We offer professional Chairwork psychotherapy trainings and consultations to licensed therapists in the US and abroad. Founder, Dr. Scott Kellogg, PhD, has been a leader in the renaissance of Chairwork. Along with Co-Director Amanda Garcia Torres, LMHC, we have now established Chairwork as both a standalone therapy modality and integrative therapy technique. What is Chairwork? Chairwork is a psychotherapeutic technique that takes two basic forms. To start, two chairs are placed several feet apart – each facing the other. In the “Empty Chair” version, the patient sits in one chair and tries to imagine an important person or figure in their life – past, present, or future. They then talk to this person as if he or she were actually there. In the “two-chair” version, the patient will shuttle back and forth between the two chairs. In this way, they can have a conversation with an imagined person or they can have a dialogue with different parts of themselves. Chairwork Psychotherapy can be particularly helpful for those wrestling with: (1) Interpersonal Strife – loss, grief, mistreatment, and difficult relationships; (2) Internal Difficulties – self-criticism, depression, impulsivity, and fear; (3) The Challenges of the Heroic Life – making decisions, being assertive, acting with courage, and creating the future; and (4) Addictions – problematic relationships with drugs and alcohol. This will be approached using Harm Reduction Psychotherapy. Chairwork is an effective therapeutic method for those who have not found success in other forms of psychotherapy.