Immediacy in Therapy: The Power of the Present Moment

In psychotherapy, some of the most meaningful change comes from the present moment, when therapist and client meet each other exactly as they are. This is what therapists call ‘immediacy’.

Gestalt teachers described therapy as a “here-and-now encounter.” They taught that what emerges in the room, whether it’s a pause, a sigh, a tightening in the chest, a silence, is not separate from life, but an expression of, or window into life. When a therapist draws gentle attention to these moments, the client is invited into deeper contact with themselves and with others.

Marsha Linehan, the truly inspirational founder of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), highlighted something strikingly similar: the need for radical genuineness in the therapeutic relationship. She was pointing to the fact that, in order to be effective, a therapist must be real, responsive, and willing to acknowledge what is actually happening between them and the client. Immediacy here is not a ‘technique’. It’s a stance of enduring willingness to meet the client directly, with honesty and care.

When Gestalt’s “contact” and DBT’s “radical genuineness” come together, immediacy becomes a way of working that is both present-centred and deeply validating.

These moments of immediacy can be profoundly healing, especially for clients who have felt unseen or dismissed in other relationships, or who have experienced previous therapeutic encounters that felt distant, clinical, or businesslike. The simple act of naming what is alive right now between two people in the room can be an honesty unlike anything the client has previously encountered.

Immediacy requires sensitivity to timing, pacing, and the client’s readiness. Offered with care, immediacy can help break old relational patterns, strengthen trust, and create opportunities for new ways of being.

At its heart, immediacy is about the courage to step into the present moment together, without hiding behind analysis or avoidance.