Considering Kinharvie’s Gestalt Coach Training Programme?

Selecting the right coach training programme can feel like a daunting task. With so many options available, how do you know which one is right for you?

As a way to support your considerations, we offer this blog about Kinharvie’s Gestalt Coach Training programme. Here, we will respond to some of the questions we frequently encounter - shedding light on what makes Gestalt coaching unique, how our programme supports professional development, and how it aligns with International Coach Federation (ICF) accreditation standards.

We hope this helps you determine whether Kinharvie’ Gestalt Coach Training programme is the right fit for you.  However, if you come away with more questions, please do get in touch – our team will be happy to assist. We will also be offering our two-hour Introduction to Gestalt Coaching taster on Wednesday 2nd April.

What is Gestalt Coaching?

Since 2014, Kinharvie has been delivering a Gestalt Coach Training programme that has supported leaders, managers, consultants, and aspiring coaches to deepen their coaching practice and make a real impact. 

The International Coach Federation (ICF) defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential.”

Gestalt coaching offers an experiential and holistic approach, focusing on increasing the coachee’s awareness. As their awareness expands, new perspectives emerge, illuminating potential choices or responses to their issues. More than a set of tools and techniques, the Gestalt coaching approach is a way of being that emphasises self-awareness, embodied presence, and working with the coachee’s here-and-now experience.

Gestalt coaching distinguishes itself from other coaching models in several key ways:

• Focus on Awareness: While many coaching approaches emphasise goal-setting and problem-solving, Gestalt coaching prioritises awareness as the foundation for meaningful change. By deepening self-awareness and understanding environmental influences, coachees are better equipped to make choices that align with their values and circumstances.
• Working in the Here-and-Now: Rather than analysing past events or speculating about the future, Gestalt coaching brings attention to the present moment, helping clients gain insight from their immediate experience. More than listening to the client’s story, the Gestalt coach attends and responds to physical and emotional observations, including changes in the coachee’s posture, breath, or energy.
• Embodied Presence: Gestalt coaches engage their whole selves in the coaching process, paying attention to their own emotions, physical sensations, and relational dynamics to enhance the coaching dialogue.
• Use of Experiments: Rather than giving advice or solutions, Gestalt coaches facilitate in-the-moment experiments that allow clients to try out new ways of thinking, feeling, or behaving in a safe environment. “I notice you are talking about having this difficult conversation. How about you experiment with voicing what you want to say to your colleague, right now? Let’s see what you discover.”
• The Paradoxical Theory of Change: Unlike some coaching methods that push for immediate change, Gestalt coaching holds that transformation happens naturally when individuals fully acknowledge and accept their current reality. For example, if a client feels stuck in procrastination, a Gestalt coach wouldn’t push them to "just be more disciplined." Instead, they might invite the client to fully explore what it's like to be procrastinating—what thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations arise? Through this awareness, the client may recognise deeper patterns or hidden assumptions and naturally begin to shift.  

Who is our programme for?

Kinharvie’s Gestalt Coach Training programme is ideal for:

• Leaders and managers who want to enhance their impact by using a powerful approach to coaching others in their role.
• Consultants and professionals who support others in their growth and development.
• Individuals who aspire to become ICF-credentialed coaches.
• Those in helping professions seeking to strengthen their practice by developing their ability to effectively use a Gestalt approach in their interactions.

What is included in Kinharvie’s Gestalt Coach Training Programme?

Our ICF Level 1 accredited Gestalt Coach Training programme consists of two modules. It is possible to book these modules separately or take advantage of our discounted bundle offer when booking both together.

Foundation Module

The six-day Foundation Module provides a solid grounding in core coaching skills, Gestalt principles, and the ICF Core Competencies. Participants will:

• Learn fundamental coaching skills such as active listening, attending, powerful questioning, contracting and building trust with clients.
• Explore the Gestalt approach to coaching, which emphasises awareness, presence, and working in the here-and-now with coachees.
• Develop their ability to recognise and work effectively with coaching dynamics using key concepts like Figure and Ground, the Cycle of Experience, and the Paradoxical Theory of Change.
• Engage in experiential learning through coaching practice, feedback, and reflection to integrate new insights.
• Gain a foundational understanding of ethical decision-making in coaching, aligned with ICF standards.

Advanced Module

The three-day Advanced Module builds on the Foundation Module, moving into more complex areas such as the ability to tap into Embodied Presence as a powerful coaching instrument. Key themes explored and expanded on include: 

• Resistance: Supporting clients through transitions by recognising forms of resistance as a natural and creative process.
• Awareness and Embodiment: Enhancing sensitivity to physical and emotional signals, both in oneself as a coach and in the client.
• Gestalt Experiments: Designing in-the-moment experiments that help clients explore new insights and experience behaviours in real-time.
• Working with Metaphor: Attending to the coachee’s use of imagery and symbolic language to help them gain a deeper understanding of their experience.

What do past participants say?

"This training module has surpassed all my expectations. It is inspiring, uplifting, and empowering. The Coach/Trainers live the work they do, which speaks volumes about the Gestalt approach and the expertise that they bring into the training sessions. It has been such an enriching and enlightening experience for me, and I leave this course with more capacity… more of myself to serve my communities. I came in curious and I left, satisfied."

"I am very grateful for how I have grown as a coach as a result of the Kinharvie Gestalt Coaching Training. I loved the Gestalt philosophy and really enjoyed the opportunities in the course to connect and share thoughts and experiences. The facilitators create a very safe and supportive environment to try out skills and experiment. This put me at ease, and the personal feedback really helped me grow in confidence. We even had time for some fun!"

"The training was really amazing, and your skill and that of Chris were constantly evident. It’s so rare to have genuinely experiential learning so smoothly and carefully delivered. It was a real privilege to be part of."

What makes this programme unique?

• Experiential Learning: The training is deeply immersive, providing plenty of opportunities for observed practice. Time and again we see how practice helps participants to integrate, apply and embody their theoretical learning.
• A Supportive Learning Community: More than teaching course content, our experienced facilitators use their skill and presence to encourage participants to form a mutually supportive learning community. We strive to co-create a safe and life-giving space where learning can happen most effectively for each individual.  That many of our alumni continue to meet and practice with members of their learning community long after their programme completion is a testament to this!
• Personal and Professional Growth: Beyond developing coaching competencies, the Gestalt Coach Training programme often provides participants with profound personal insight and new perspectives on their life-giving potential – an experience we always feel privileged to witness.
• Expertise and Experience Facilitators: Uniquely, all of our trainers have a solid understanding of Gestalt theory and practice, are credentialed as Professional Certified Coaches (PCC) with the International Coach Federation (ICF) and have attained the Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF) credential with the International Association of Facilitators (IAF).

How does this programme support ICF Credentialing?

Kinharvie’s Gestalt Coach Training is an ICF Level 1 accredited programme, meaning it meets the high standards set by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). It provides the necessary training hours for those pursuing the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential, covering key coaching skills, ethical guidelines, and best practices.

To qualify for an ICF Level 1 Completion Certificate, participants must:

• Complete at least 60 accredited training hours
• Complete a further 10 hours of mentor coaching
• Pass a Final Performance Evaluation, demonstrating coaching skills at the ACC credential level

The Level 1 Completion Certificate is a requirement for individuals wishing to apply for the ICF's Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential. You can learn more about the ICF’s credentialling requirements by clicking here.

Mentor Coaching 

Mentor Coaching is an additional offering for alumni of our Gestalt Coach Training programme. We think of Mentor Coaching as a process of fine-tuning that supports you to coach in alignment with the ICF Core Competencies. The ICF allows for up to 7 of the 10 required mentor coaching hours to be completed in a group setting (the most cost-effective approach), with at least 3 hours conducted one-to-one with your Mentor Coach.  

Your Final Performance Evaluation will take place during one of your one-to-one Mentor Coaching sessions.

For those seeking an ICF credential, we recommend that Mentor Coaching be completed after graduation from both the Foundation and Advanced modules. 

To learn more about Kinharvie’s Mentor Coaching, click here.

Is there Homework?

The majority of training hours happen in the room, together as a group. However, in both modules, there are some assignments for participants to complete in their own time.

Prior to the Foundation Module we ask participants to complete a pre-training questionnaire which encourages reflection on learning goals for the programme. During the break between Day 3 and Day 4, participants are also asked to complete a light article review and a Strengths Profile. 

Before the Advanced Module, participants are asked to revisit their manual from the Foundation Module. This revision will help them to respond to a pre-course reflection, encouraging them to identify their Learning Question or Improvement Goal for the Advanced Module.

Following completion of the Advanced Module, participants are also asked to submit a 1000-word case study, evidencing how they are applying ICF Core Competencies and learning from the Advanced Module in their coaching.

Is the programme Face-to-Face or Online?

In 2025, both the Foundation and Advanced modules will be delivered in-person at Kinharvie’s premises in Glasgow.

In 2026, we intend to run the Foundation module twice. Once in-person and once online using the Kinharvie Virtual Learning Space. In 2026, the Advanced module will be offered online using the Kinharvie Virtual Learning Space.

How can I sign up?

Sign up for the programme here. 

Why not join our next Taster session?

Our next two-hour Introduction to Gestalt Coaching taster will be delivered online on Wednesday 2nd April. Sign up now and learn more about coaching with a Gestalt approach.

Contact Us

If you want to learn more about Kinharvie’s Gestalt Coach Training programme, please click here to get in touch.