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As we have seen in the previous paragraphs, the Gestalt approach focuses on awareness, on working in the present and on using what is available »here and now«. Being aware is not just thinking or feeling, but even more than the sum of these factors: it represents a body of knowledge related to the situation (Wollants 2007).

Gestalt has a unique view of the concepts of awareness and behavioural change. Gestalt practitioners believe that there is a direct relationship between the degree of awareness and the potential for new choices of behaviour (Simon 2009). According to Beisser’s (1970) paradoxical theory of change, change occurs when someone becomes what he truly is and not when he tries to become what he is not.

The paradoxical theory of change is the key to development and learning in the process of coaching. Basic coaching interventions clearly focus on what already exists in the present for the client, in his current situation, which, paradoxically, results in an experiential shift toward something new.

Believing in the paradoxical theory of change, the coach shows respect for the client in a way that she supports the client in finding his own answers to questions about what he wants and how to get it. Therefore, the task of the coach is through timely interventions, such as questioning, observation, experiment or other, to expand the field of the client’s awareness and to allow him to open a new perspective on a topic that he has brought into the process, or a topic that has been developed, crystallized, as the figure during the process.

For many people, especially in the fast business environment, the paradoxical theory of change represents a radical approach, because it seems faster and easier to impose one’s arguments and the way of seeing things. In the organizational environment there is often a tendency to achieve fast solutions and mobilize energy as quickly as possible in order to achieve the goal. However, if this mobilization occurs too fast, it leads to behaviours that are not truly accepted by the client or results in resisting acting in a certain way. For example, during the process of implementing a new system in a company, employees are often unwilling to accept the new system, which usually causes frustration for their leaders. A more efficient approach would be to ensure enough time for the process in order for the employees to become aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the existing system and only then to familiarize themselves with the new system.