Personal Abilities Feedback (PAF)
In 2018 we launched the Personal Abilities Feedback (PAF) and it has been re-written for 2023. The PAF is a vital tool used by the Gestalt Therapy Australia to facilitate feedback conversations around the attributes we believe are essential to being a gestalt psychotherapist. The PAF will support an assessment process about individual students’ personal abilities that will sit alongside existing assessments for the theory and practice of gestalt therapy. The PAF consists of six personal abilities; Aware; Present; Receptive; Choiceful; Situated; and Engaged. They are presented in a way that will support personal reflection; feedback between students; a structure for conversation between students and faculty; and a guide to conversations about readiness to practice, course progression or any other conduct related concern that may arise. Read more about the PAF:
Relational principles
What does it mean to say that GTA teaches Relational Gestalt Therapy (RGT)? GTA co-founder Dr Gabe Philips has written a very useful article: Ideas and Skills for Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice Gestalt Relational Integrative Principles (GRIPTM) for exploring and understanding the experiential worlds of people: An integrative approach to psychotherapy and life here.
Annual community event
In the first term each year we create a community event to welcome new students, re-connect with graduates and find a moment to congratulate the graduating students. Please contact the office for details of the next event.
Library
The GTA library is located at Lygon Therapy. Students are welcome to borrow books. There are more than 200 books currently held in the library. Important works include:
- The Heart of Development: Gestalt Approaches to Working with Children, Adolescents and Their Worlds: Volume II. Edited by Mark McConville &Gordon Wheeler
- Relational Child, Relational Brain. Development and Therapy in Childhood and Adolescence. Robert G. Lee (Editor), Neil Harris (Editor)
- Awareness, Dialogue & Process. Gary M. Yontef
- Developing Gestalt Counselling. Jennifer Mackewn
- Embodied Relational Gestalt. Michael Craig Clemmens
- Gestalt Approaches with Organisations. M. Spagnuolo Lobb, F. Meulmeester
- Gestalt Reconsidered. Gordon Wheeler
- Gestalt Therapy. Dave Mann
- Gestalt Therapy; Excitement and Growth in the Human Personality. Frederick Perls, Ralph E. Hefferline and Paul Goodman
- Mindsight. Daniel J. Siegel
- Relational Organisational Gestalt. Marie-Anne Chidiac
- The Myth of Normal. Daniel Maté and Gabor Maté
- The Relational Heart of Gestalt Therapy. Peter H. Cole
GANZ
Gestalt Australia and New Zealand (GANZ) is a membership organisation representing gestalt practitioners in Australia and New Zealand. GANZ has a journal, bi-annual conference and provides professional development opportunities. They offer a discount membership to students. Visit their website https://www.ganz.org.au.
VAGP
VAGP is our local gestalt member organisation. Read more about them here.
Room Rental
Group and Individual consulting rooms are available to hire at both Lygon Therapy and Elie. We have 14 therapy rooms across two sites in Carlton North and Parkville. There are 5 group rooms for group sizes 8 to 40 people. https://www.lygontherapy.com.au.