Advancing the Art of Chairwork since 2008
CPI Founder and ISST-Certified Advanced Schema Therapist, Dr. Scott Kellogg can be considered one of the most influential clinicians and leaders in the renaissance of Chairwork. Along with CPI Co-Founder Amanda Garcia Torres, LMHC and Certified Chairwork Psychotherapist, they have taken on the mission to share this uniquely profound practice with the world.
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In the years since its creation, Chairwork has traditionally been practiced as a transdiagnostic and integrative therapeutic technique. CPI has now established it as a standalone therapy modality; a Chairwork Psychotherapy.
Chairwork Psychotherapy, as we practice it, is built on the foundation of the Four Principles. These are:
1. It is clinically useful to understand people as containing different parts, modes, voices, or selves.
2. It is healing and transformative for people to give voice to these different parts.
3. It is also healing and transformative for people to enact or re-enact scenes from the past, the present, or the future.
4. The ultimate goal of Chairwork is the strengthening of the Ego, the Healthy Adult Mode, or the Inner Leader
The actual practice is based on the Four Dialogues Model which include Giving Voice, Internal Dialogues, Telling the Story, and Relationships and Encounters.
Giving Voice involves amplifying and giving expression to a feeling, interviewing a specific part or a mode to better understand it, and/or empowering people to claim power and affirm the decisions that they are making in their lives. Internal Dialogues involve creating dialogues that allow two or more parts or modes to directly engage with each other. Telling the Story is centered on working with people to express and work through difficult, painful, or secret narratives, and Relationships and Encounters dialogues are rooted in the interpersonal world, and they involve the expression of love, anger, fear, and grief
We believe that this form of Chairwork provides therapists and patients with a new way of understanding and experiencing psychotherapy. It is a practice that provides perspective, space, and the freedom to grapple with challenging things; from a clinician’s standpoint, it can be a more empowering way to do therapy. We believe that when therapists feel confident and courageous, they can have a profound ability to support the therapy healing process.
“Chairwork Psychotherapy is based on the belief that it is healing and transformative for a patient to give voice to their different parts, modes, or voices and for them to re-enact scenes from the past, present, or future.”
- Dr. Scott Kellogg
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The Chairwork Psychotherapy Initiative is the world’s first Chairwork-centered training institute. Following in the steps of Dr. Fritz Perls, Dr. Jacob and Ms. Zerka Moreno, and many other integrative therapists, we are dedicated to advancing and promoting the Four Dialogues Model of Chairwork Psychotherapy.
We aim to serve courageous clinicians and healers who are focused on relieving the suffering present in the world.
Through compelling and in-depth live demonstrations, trainings, and publications we empower therapists to use this dramatic and emotionally intense form of therapy in their practices.
Bring CPI to Your Institution
At this time, we offer presentations, online webinars, one-day trainings, two-day workshops, and speaking appearances.
In 2023 we launched the world’s first accredited Chairwork Psychotherapy Certification program.
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Many of the clinicians who attend our trainings are seeking a way to advance their skillset or invigorate their clinical practice. At CPI, we do our best to make our events dynamic, engaging, and informative. We know that many professional education trainings can lack experiential learning, and that “role-plays” are just not as impactful as a real and authentic exercise can be. We understand that clinicians learn best by witnessing clinical work and by practicing themselves. That’s why we have given therapists the opportunity to watch, live, real, and unrehearsed clinical Chairwork demonstrations for over 15 years. In addition to live demonstrations, our trainings also include several rounds of didactic group work.
When you attend a training, you will get a real and intense feel for the true impact of Chairwork.
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Have you wondered how you might practice Chairwork with your patients during virtual or phone sessions? We put together a helpful set of guidelines you can use to prepare yourself and your patients.
Download your free pdf of our “Guidelines for Chairwork Teletherapy” DOWNLOAD
Testimonials
2023 Australian Level One Certification Tour
Transformational Chairwork:
Using Psychotherapeutic Dialogues in Clinical Practice
An Amazon Gestalt Psychology #1 Bestseller
Our mission is to bring the Four Dialogues Model of Chairwork Psychotherapy to the world.
We aim to serve courageous clinicians and healers who are focused on relieving the suffering present in the world.
Through compelling and in-depth live demonstrations, trainings, and publications we empower therapists to use this dramatic and emotionally intense form of therapy in their practices.
