Trading places

How chairwork therapy can be a liberating force for patients. With its roots in psychodrama and role play, chairwork is a transformative therapeutic paradigm that helps patients heal. Chairwork professionals Scott Kellogg and Amanda Garcia Torres reflect on how chairwork therapy is a powerful, liberating therapy that lets you literally shift perspective on who you are, and who you could become. Here, they reveal why we are seeing a resurgence of the psychotherapeutic use of chairwork and why the future is bright for those who believe in the power of this type of dialogue work. 'The ultimate goal of chairwork is the strengthening of the ego, the inner leader, and the healthy adult mode – which is the part of the self that strives to organise, regulate and direct the other parts. As this part of the personality becomes stronger, patients are able to experience greater internal emotional regulation and more effective, meaningful and purposeful functioning in the world.'