Theory and practice of gestalt therapy: situated and engaged

Date: Saturday 5 October 2024

Duration: 10.00 am–4.00 pm

Location: Elie, Gestalt Centre Training Campus, 27 Royal Parade Parkville, VIC 3052

Fees: $220 including GST

Facilitated by: Tony Jackson (Managing Director)

Hosted by: Eugenia Yuan (Community & Partnerships Lead)

What do situated and engaged mean in gestalt therapy, and why are they important?

In gestalt therapy, we are committed to understanding the ways that all experience must be understood contextually. It starts by recognising that we are relational beings, and that we are always embedded in social, cultural and environmental worlds.

In this context situated means paying attention to these spheres of influence and the ways we are supported and limited by these factors. It supports us to be more curious our lives and the lives of the people around us (and miles away). Given how impacted we are by contexts, the idea behind engaged is a call to action.

Therapy should equip us to relate better in every aspect of our lives, improving the quality of connection and deepening understanding and compassion for self and others. It might also call us to action and the become a part of small and global change. There is something radical in this approach to therapy, and it moves us from a model of individual health to one of supporting and enlivening engaged living with others.

Join us to explore these concepts and see how building more compassion, and deepening interpersonal relationships can be a force for good in the world.

What can I expect from this workshop?

These experiential workshops will introduce some of the building blocks of relational gestalt and their role in personal development and therapy.

The workshop is highly interactive. You will practise and apply the key concepts through pairs and small group activities. We will also introduce you to our inquiry-based teaching methodology.

Along the way, we will also explore some of the philosophical roots of gestalt theory and how they interplay to inform a holistic and compassionate approach to living and health.

By the end of this workshop, you will know more about gestalt, how it informs therapy, how to apply the concepts in personal and professional contexts, the role of a gestalt therapist, and pathways to further learning.

Is this for me?

This one-day introductory workshop is designed for anyone interested in learning more about gestalt, whether it is to apply gestalt principles to your current work, personal life, or explore becoming a gestalt therapist.

Past workshop participants come from diverse professional backgrounds, including psychology, social work, youth work, counselling, occupational therapy, nursing, pastoral care, people management (HR), coaching, engineering, and consulting.

What are the other workshops in this series?

There are three workshops in the “Introduction to gestalt therapy” series designed around the foundations of gestalt: present & aware; receptive & choiceful; situated & engaged.

You don’t have to attend the workshops in a certain order, and you can choose to attend one or more. A certificate of completion is available upon request if you have attended all three workshops.

About your facilitators

Tony Jackson, Managing Director, Gestalt Centre

B.Theol, BA.Psych, GradDip.Counselling, AdvDip.Gestalt Therapy, GradDip.Supervision, M.GANZ

Tony is a psychotherapist, facilitator and coach with over 20 years of experience. Tony works with people to support resilience and wellbeing and helps them develop a sense of vitality and choice in their lives. He provides supervision for psychotherapists which assists them to deepen their own personal and professional capacities. Tony also provides training for individuals and groups that focuses on building responsiveness to individual and group needs in emergent situations.

About your host

Eugenia Yuan, Community & Partnerships Lead, Gestalt Centre

B.Com, M.Social Work

Eugenia brings her diverse skills and experience in community building, business development, entrepreneurship, facilitation, consulting, and coaching to the Gestalt Centre. With a mixed background in commerce and social work, Eugenia has worked in multiple industries across business and not-for-profit sectors, and has developed her passion for empowering meaningful human connections through learning and practising gestalt. You can connect with Eugenia or reach out to her on LinkedIn if you are interested in collaborations.

We look forward to seeing you at the workshop!