About Me,
Chauncey Sjostedt,
Gestalt Therapist
I'm Chauncey Sjostedt (she/her), a PACFA certified Gestalt Therapist in Surry Hills, Sydney. My practice is warm, compassionate and inclusive. I work with people of all gender identities and sexual orientations and orientations, offering a genuinely safe and affirming space. I have a particular focus on the LGBTQ+ community and on those navigating the psychosocial complexities of fertility, pregnancy, birth and parenthood, drawing on 13 years of experience as a registered midwife.
PACFA Certified Practicing Member #29367
Grounded in training,
shaped by experience
My path to becoming a therapist weaves together formal training, lived experience and a genuine curiosity about what it means to be human. Each strand informs the way I show up in the therapy room.
I came to psychotherapy after years working as a midwife, during which I witnessed the profound emotional complexity of major life transitions. That work taught me that healing is rarely neat, that people need to be truly met where they are, and that real change happens in relationship. These insights sit at the heart of everything I do as a therapist.
Gestalt Therapy Training
I am a PACFA certified Gestalt Therapist with formal training in this in-depth, experiential form of psychotherapy. Gestalt is a present-focused, relational approach. Rather than analysing you from a distance, we work together in the moment, exploring what is actually happening in your body, your thoughts and your relationships right now. My practice is further enriched by Internal Family Systems, Somatic Experiencing, Mindfulness and Polyvagal Theory, allowing me to draw on a broad and integrative foundation tailored to each person.
13 Years as a Midwife
Before training as a therapist, I spent 13 years as a registered midwife. This grounds me in the physical and emotional realities of fertility, pregnancy, birth and parenthood in a way that is rare in a therapy context. I have sat with people in some of the most vulnerable and transformative moments of their lives. I understand birth trauma not just as a concept but as a lived reality that affects people and families in lasting ways. If you are navigating any part of the perinatal journey, I bring both clinical understanding and deep emotional attunement to our work together.
Anthropology & Gender Studies
My undergraduate background in anthropology and gender studies means I approach every person through a macro lens, holding the broader social, cultural and systemic forces that shape our inner lives. Gender, identity, culture, power and community all play a role in how we experience ourselves and our struggles. This perspective helps me support clients whose experiences do not fit neatly into mainstream frameworks, including LGBTQ+ people, migrants, people from non-dominant cultural backgrounds, and anyone whose life story is layered and complex.
Compassion, Creativity
and Authenticity
As both a therapist and as a person, I value compassion, creativity and authenticity in the work I do and the relationships I build. I aim to bring a gentle and curious presence to supporting clients as they navigate what is feeling difficult, unclear or stuck.
Reaching out for support takes courage. I am heartened every time someone chooses to take this step with me. There is no need to have it all figured out before we begin. The first session is simply a conversation, and from there we find our way together at a pace that feels right for you. Most people leave the first session feeling that something, even a small thing, has shifted.
My style is trauma-informed, person-centred and body-focused. I believe therapy works best when it feels collaborative, relational and genuinely tailored to who you are and what you need right now. I am not here to give you a formula or a set of techniques to follow. I am here to be genuinely present with you, to notice what you notice, and to help you develop a deeper relationship with your own inner life.
Compassion
A non-judgmental presence in every session, always.
Creativity
Finding new ways to approach what feels stuck.
Authenticity
Showing up as myself so you can show up as yourself.
My Commitment to the
LGBTQ+ Community
As a proud queer woman of the LGBTQ+ community, I hold a deep and personal commitment to inclusivity. I welcome people of all gender identities and sexual orientations and orientations into a safe, celebratory and affirming space. My practice is proudly queer-affirming, non-binary inclusive and LGBTQ+-centred. You will never need to explain your identity, justify your relationships or manage my discomfort.
This is not simply a professional stance. It is lived. I understand the particular weight of finding a therapist you can trust to hold your full identity without question, without judgment and without the exhausting need to educate them first.
My practice is affirming, informed and genuinely celebratory of queer, trans and gender-diverse lives. You are welcome here exactly as you are. Whether you are exploring gender identity or transition, navigating relationships, working through the particular grief that can accompany queer experiences, or simply looking for a therapist who genuinely gets it, I would be glad to work with you.
I also have experience supporting people through family-of-origin dynamics that include rejection or conditional acceptance, and I understand the particular resilience and complexity that shapes many LGBTQ+ lives and communities.
Learn about LGBTQ+ affirming therapy
Experience across
private and community practice
I bring perspective shaped by both private practice and community counselling. This breadth means I approach each client with an understanding that wellbeing is personal, contextual and shaped by the world around us.
I am currently available for in-person sessions on Saturdays at Suite 324, 410 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills, and for online sessions on Wednesday afternoons (Glebe) and Saturday mornings (Surry Hills). I welcome clients from across Sydney and Australia-wide for telehealth. You can view current availability and book here.
a previous employer Psychotherapy
Private Practice, Darlington
In private practice at a previous employer Psychotherapy in Darlington, I work with individuals across a wide range of presentations, offering in-depth Gestalt psychotherapy and counselling. This setting allows for the depth, continuity and relational focus that meaningful therapeutic work requires.
ACON, Surry Hills
Volunteer Counselling
As a volunteer counsellor at ACON in Surry Hills, I provide affirming support specifically for LGBTQ+ people, including those navigating gender identity, relationships, mental health and community. This community-grounded work continues to deepen the inclusive values and lived understanding I bring to my private practice.
PACFA Membership #29367
I am a Certified Practicing Member of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia. PACFA is the peak body for counsellors and psychotherapists in Australia, and membership requires ongoing professional development, adherence to a code of ethics and regular supervision. Verify at pacfa.org.au · Read my FAQs
Areas of experience
and specialist focus
I welcome individuals with a broad range of concerns. I have particular experience and specialist knowledge in the following areas, though this list is not exhaustive. If you are wondering whether I might be the right fit for what you are carrying, I encourage you to reach out.
Birth Trauma & Perinatal
Specialist support drawing on 13 years of midwifery experience, for birthing people, partners and all those involved in the family dynamic at any stage of the perinatal journey. I understand birth trauma, postnatal adjustment, fertility grief and the identity shifts of new parenthood from both a clinical and therapeutic lens.
LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy
Deeply informed, personally grounded LGBTQ+ affirming therapy for queer, trans and gender-diverse people. A genuinely safe and celebratory space from someone in the community. No explaining, no educating, no managing discomfort. Just good, honest, affirming therapy.
Gestalt Therapy
Present-focused, body-aware, relational therapy for anxiety, grief, identity, overwhelm, relationship challenges, personal growth and more. Grounded in Gestalt, enriched by somatic and trauma-informed practice. Sessions are 50 minutes and available in-person or online.
See all services
Present-focused,
relational therapy
Gestalt therapy is a present-focused and relational style of psychotherapy. It is not about analysing your past from a distance or following a rigid program of techniques. It is about us working together in the room, noticing what arises in your body, your emotions and your relationships as it happens, and exploring what that tells you about your patterns and possibilities.
In sessions, this might involve tracking bodily sensations, exploring recurring patterns of feeling or behaviour, working with dreams or images, or simply sitting with something that is hard to name. The approach is gentle, curious and collaborative. I will not push you faster than you are ready to go.
Many people find this approach both grounding and energising. It creates space for fresh awareness and, over time, the ability to make genuinely different choices. Change in Gestalt therapy is not about fixing what is broken. It is about coming into fuller contact with who you already are. Sessions are 50 minutes. Many people begin weekly and adjust to fortnightly as things evolve. If you are curious whether this approach might suit you, please read the frequently asked questions or simply reach out directly.
Learn more about Gestalt therapy
Take the first step
towards feeling better
Reaching out takes courage. I am here to make it as easy as possible. Book a session, request a free introductory call, or send a message. I will respond within 48 hours.
Acknowledgement of Country
I acknowledge the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation upon whose lands I deliver these services, and their connections to land, waters and community. I pay respect to the Traditional Owners and Elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.