Gestalt Therapy is a relational, talk-based psychotherapy that centres agency in the present moment. Rather than focusing solely on the past, it helps clients notice how they are living, relating, and responding right now, allowing new possibilities to emerge.

Mathew’s approach to Gestalt is deeply relational. He invites clients to notice what is unfolding in their inner and outer worlds through thoughts, feelings, sensations, and relational patterns. This practice honours the way individuals are shaped by their environments, cultures, relationships, identities, sexualities, and bodies.

A Somatic Approach to Psychotherapy

With the understanding that "the body keeps the score," Mathew’s Gestalt practice gently attends to sensation, breath, posture, and emotional residue. This often reveals what words alone cannot reach. Through somatic enquiry, Gestalt therapy listens for what may be held beneath the surface, hidden in old stories and memories, allowing them to be integrated and transformed.

Commitment to the Therapeutic Process

The length of therapy varies depending on the client's needs:

• Immediate Issues: A single session can often help resolve a specific, immediate blockage.

• Deeper Work: Three to five sessions may be required to address deeper relational patterns or long-held trauma.

• Lasting Change: As there is no "quick fix" for a lifetime of experiences, Mathew often recommends committing to a block of sessions to ensure meaningful and lasting progress.

Eco-Therapy: Healing with the Support of the Land

Gestalt therapy has gained considerable traction when integrated with Eco-therapy, where the client can choose to be held by nature and experience the support of the land. In addition to studio-based sessions in Surry Hills, outdoor Eco-therapy is available upon special request.

Why Choose Ecotherapy?

Ecotherapy is a therapeutic approach that recognises the vital healing relationship between humans and the natural world. It invites a reconnection with nature and a contemplation of the interconnectedness shared with the land, the elements, and all living creatures.

The benefits of engaging with natural environments include:

• Stress & Anxiety Reduction: Helps lower cortisol and increase serotonin levels, fostering a sense of calm.

• Nervous System Regulation: Restores balance and reminds individuals they are part of something larger than themselves.

• The Healing Triad: By introducing nature as the "third participant" (alongside the client and therapist), this approach is especially helpful for those feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck in cycles of rumination.