Navigating suicidality in therapy: a gestalt perspective

Key details

Date | Saturday 22 March, 9.30am–4.30pm

Duration | 1 day

Location| Elie, Gestalt Centre Training Campus, 27 Royal Parade Parkville

Fee | $280 (includes GST)

Facilitator | Karolina Krysinska, MA PhD

About this event

Working with clients who present with suicidality can be one of the most challenging and emotionally demanding aspects of therapy. This interactive training is designed to help Gestalt psychotherapists, and therapists from other modalities, deepen their understanding of suicidality through the lens of Gestalt theory and broader clinical frameworks.

Gain insight into the complex nature of suicidal ideation and behaviour, and learn practical strategies to navigate these conversations with greater confidence and care.

Why choose this workshop?

This workshop offers an invaluable opportunity to:

• Explore your own responses to working with clients at risk of suicide.
• Enhance your skills in assessing and managing suicide risk.
• Develop strategies for building a strong therapeutic alliance with clients navigating suicidality.

We’ll discuss key questions, such as:

• “What does it mean for me to work with a client at risk of suicide?”

• “How can I effectively support a client experiencing suicidality?”

What can you expect?

This workshop will combine theory with practice, offering:

• Ideas for suicide risk assessment and management, with a focus on mental pain (psychache), safety planning, and how to establish the therapeutic alliance.
• Interactive small group discussions and case presentations.
• Space to share experiences, challenges, and dilemmas related to working with clients expressing suicidal ideation or a history of suicidal behaviour.
• Guidance on managing emotional and somatic responses that arise in this work.
• A review of published and online resources that will support your practice.

Participants in this workshop consistently commend Karolina’s depth of knowledge, compassionate approach, and engaging teaching style.

Who should attend?

This workshop is ideal for:

• Therapists and counsellors
• Therapy and counselling students
• Professionals interested in better understanding suicide-related client presentations.

About your facilitator

Karolina Krysinska, MA PhD (Psychology)

Karolina is a Gestalt psychotherapist in private practice and a member of the teaching faculty at Gestalt Therapy Australia (GTA). She completed her Gestalt training at The Relational Institute in Sydney.

Karolina is also an experienced researcher, and her main interest for the last 30 years has been suicide research and prevention, and postvention. She is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing at the University of Melbourne. Between 2020 and 2024, Karolina was a member of the Gestalt Australia and New Zealand (GANZ) Council.

About the Gestalt Centre

The Gestalt Centre is the heart of Melbourne’s Gestalt community. We offer a four-year psychotherapy training program through Gestalt Therapy Australia, staying true to the experiential roots of Gestalt while embracing cutting-edge developments in contemporary Gestalt thinking and practice worldwide.

We also operate ConnectGround, a community-based counselling and psychotherapy clinic. ConnectGround serves as both a training facility for psychotherapists and a provider of low-cost individual and group therapy for clients. The clinic emphasises the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist as a key support for building awareness and adaptability. Psychotherapy interns and volunteers gain valuable hands-on experience, enhancing their skills and professionalism through client work.

Visit our websites:

https://www.connectground.com.au/

https://www.gestaltcentre.com.au/