Program structure
Year 1 and 2: Foundation studies in relational gestalt practice
Years 1 and 2 introduce you to relational gestalt through the exploration of gestalt theory and practice. This allows you to apply gestalt principles to professional and personal contexts, which means you can take the learning from these 2 years into your existing professional practice, with greater personal awareness and confidence, enhanced interpersonal skills, and a solid grounding in a gestalt. This can be studied as a stand-alone program and you will be awarded an Gestalt Practitioner certificate upon completion. The certificate is also a prerequisite for further study at GTA.
Personal therapy
All students are required to complete 50 hours of individual therapy by the end of 2nd year. Up to 15 hours of therapy completed in the year before study can be counted towards this requirement. You can also count some hours of group therapy.
Year 3 and 4: Advanced clinical training in relational gestalt psychotherapy (with internship)
Years 3 and 4 expand on the previous two years and help you develop the clinical thinking and practice competencies to become a therapist. Students who complete both the training program and internship graduate as a Gestalt Psychotherapist. It is possible to complete the training program without an internship, and you will graduate with a certificate of completion for applied gestalt practice recognising the 600 hours of training.
ConnectGround clinic student internship
During years 3 and 4 of training, students are expected to complete 100 hours of face-to-face client work under supervision. Most students undertake an internship in our community-based clinic ConnectGround. Those students who are already working with clients in a therapeutic setting may apply for an exemption for the internship. Students located interstate will receive support in finding their own clients.
An internship at the ConnectGround clinic offers a unique opportunity to gain practical experience in working with clients. It serves as an apprenticeship in gestalt psychotherapy, providing interns with a supportive and collegial learning environment. It is also necessary to put the skills to practice in a gestalt psychotherapy setting.
Interns work with a caseload of 3 clients per week and receive fortnightly group and individual supervision. Most placements are 12 -18 months in duration, and are usually started in the third year and completed in the fourth year.
Dates, times, and location
For the first-year in person program, classes run from late February to October with school and public holiday breaks. You can choose either the Monday afternoon (1 pm – 4.15 pm) class or the Wednesday evening (5.30 pm – 8.45 pm) class, and you will stay with the same group throughout the year. Most classes are held at ‘Elie’ (our training campus), located at 27 Royal Parade, Parkville.
Weekends usually include four non-residential weekends held at Elie (March, May, June and September), plus two residential weekends (August and October), one of them a whole school residential in regional Victoria.
For the first-year hybrid program, classes run from November to August with school and public holiday breaks. Online classes are conducted 5:30 pm - 8:45 pm Melbourne time on Tuesday evenings. You can view/download the latest draft timetable through the program guide.
In-person long weekends (Thursday - Sunday) usually include three non-residential weekends held at Elie in November, February and May, plus one whole school residential in regional Victoria in August.
Fees and financial aid
- The annual program fee for 2025 is $10,300. This includes onboarding and administration fees, weekly tuition, weekend residential and specialist modules. The fees are the same between in person and hybrid programs.
- Connect Ground internship and group supervision fees are currently $887.50 per term ($3,550 per year). Students also see a senior therapist for individual supervision approximately fortnightly (this is currently $120 per session).
- Personal therapy sessions are organised by the student.
- All fees include GST.
At Gestalt Therapy Australia, we strive to make our training programs accessible to all. A limited number of partial scholarships are available for those facing significant barriers, with a focus on promoting diversity and inclusion. As part of our reconciliation plan, we give special consideration to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants.
We welcome and celebrate students from all backgrounds to enrich our learning community. We can also offer flexible fee payment plans to accommodate challenging financial situations.
Student demographics and career outcomes
Our students come from diverse professional backgrounds, including but not limited to psychology, social work, counselling, occupational therapy, nursing, music/art therapy, yoga and bodywork, teaching/school welfare, HR, coaching, engineering, and consulting.
Graduates of our program work in various settings and take up many different roles, including working in education, hospitals, youth services, community health, mental health settings, and other business or social organisations. Many have thriving private therapy practices.
