Exploring Relational Conflicts among University Students: The Limitations in Utilizing the Empty Chair Technique in Gestalt Counselling

Abstract

This study examined the limitations of the empty chair counselling techniques in addressing relational conflicts among university students, which significantly affect their overall experience at university. The empty chair counselling technique is recognized for its effectiveness in dealing with both internal and interpersonal conflicts. However, the specific challenges faced by counsellors and clients when using this technique to resolve relational conflicts between university students had not been fully explored before this research. By adopting a constructivist paradigm and a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, the study engaged with 20 participants, consisting 16 students and 4 counsellors, chosen through expert purposive sampling. Data was collected using semi structured interview guide and were subsequently analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings revealed several limitations, such as fears of miscommunication, initial inertia when encountering the technique for the first time, perceptions of the method as unusual, difficulties with imagination and role play, as well as the impact of cultural background, individual client conditions, and general discomfort with the process. Overall, the study highlights that the limitations stem not only from the nature of the issues that clients bring to counselling but also from the counsellors' ability to collaborate effectively with clients and their overall skill set and knowledge. This study has demonstrated areas that counsellors intending to use the empty chair counselling technique need to improve on.