About The Course

Sydney Gestalt Institute offers a fully accredited Graduate Diploma of Gestalt Therapy

The Gestalt Therapy Training Program aims at:

• Providing students with supported experiences to assist their personal development and extend their self awareness.
• Providing the student with the fundamental knowledge and understanding of the theoretical base of Gestalt therapy. This knowledge will support the development of personal awareness and group awareness throughout the whole term of study.
• Promoting and strengthening the students' skills, personal qualities and competencies that are relevant to becoming a Gestalt therapist in a wide range of practice contexts.
• Promoting an appreciation and support of professional practice that is responsive, creative, ethical and innovative.

The training process is interactive and experientially based. The exploration and articulation of the trainees' subjective experience is valued and utilized in the learning. The program uses a competency based learning model and the curriculum is designed to teach the core personal, theoretical and practice competencies associated with practitioners of the Gestalt approach. This journey is trainer and trainee together on path of learning and discovery, with mutual respect.

Both teachers and students are challenged and supported to experiment in their learning process. The training program is designed and taught with an awareness and respect for diversity in areas such as culture, race, gender, generation and sexual preference.

In order to be granted the government approved Post Graduate Diploma students must fulfil admission criteria, all practical and written requirements, to attend 90% of the 620 contact hours of the course and abide by the GANZ Code of Ethics.

Students may be accepted into the course from a range of backgrounds. Applicants are welcomed from people who have an undergraduate degree in a relevant field eg psychology, social work, medicine, nursing, education, counseling or with equivalent work and life experience.

Acceptance into the course depends on passing an interview. if you are not accepted your deposit will be refunded.

Eligibility is determined by a number of factors including the candidate's academic background, willingness to learn at a tertiary level, life and work experience (including therapeutic experience), degree of self-awareness and self-responsibility including being open to feedback on their strengths and constraints, personal stability and a capacity to reflect on and learn from experience. Ability to cope with the financial obligations and academic commitments of the course are also considered. Selection is non-discriminatory with respect to race, gender, sexuality, age or physical handicap.

The Course Structure

The course is designed as a four year program, currently structured at 620 hours of face-to-face teaching, and sessions are conducted weekly. Students are required to engage in 50 hours of personal therapy in the first two years of training outside of the course and 25 hours of supervision while seeing external clients for 100 hours in Third and Fourth Year.

Students are encouraged to take a self-directed learning approach thereby allowing them to approach the course at their own pace and engage preferred learning styles. Study groups are structured by students throughout the four years, providing a forum to extend learning and build mutual support in the study process.

A variety of educators are brought in to each year's program to expose participants to a range of styles of Gestalt practice.

In the first year students are introduced to the core principles of the Gestalt discipline through an integrative approach of Theory, Skills and Practice. There is a component of written work and a book of readings is supplied; the main focus is on establishing an initial experiential familiarity with the basics of Gestalt.

In second year, the course builds on the basics of the first year but emphasises the application of the principles to working with people.

By third year students are engaging in intensive supervised Gestalt work, and the fourth year hones those skills to a high level of competence

Successful completion will lead to the issuing of a Graduate Diploma of Gestalt Therapy.

For a more detailed look at the course structure, click here