GANZ Council

	Leanne O'Shea PRESIDENT and Acting CHAIR ETHICS Leanne is a psychotherapist and supervisor in private practice. She studied the Gestalt approach in Melbourne and London, and more recently the relational approach to Gestalt Therapy at the Pacific Gestalt Institute (USA). For the past ten years she has been a faculty member of Gestalt Therapy Australia. She is also a faculty member of the Relational Center, a Los Angeles based organization whose mission is to promote greater diversity within the helping professions. She is also interested in creating greater awareness of and sensitivity to our relational responsibility, and is particularly passionate about the place of sexuality and the erotic within the therapeutic relationship. She is well published and is an inaugural co-editor of the new Gestalt Journal of Australia and New Zealand. Leanne previously served as a member of the GANZ Council (as the Victorian Rep) and after two years as a member of the GANZ Ethics Committee, returns to Council as the Chair of Ethics.
	Brian Hunt SECRETARY I am a graduate of the Gestalt Institute of New Zealand. I have trained as a Lifeline counsellor and qualified as an Interactive Drawing Therapist. I work as service manager in the disability sector for an organization providing support for people with a disability to live independently in the community. Integrating gestalt theory with my management style has proved beneficial in helping to fulfil a vision of full community inclusion. The main focus is relationship development and is a prerequisite in realising individual dreams and goals. I am discovering more of myself as I toggle between organizational manager and potential psychotherapist.
	Michael Pitt TREASURER I worked for more than 20 years as an IT professional - thinking a lot. Then I realised I needed to feel - a lot…. I graduated from Brisbane Gestalt Institute in 2006 and now I have a private practice offering individual and couple therapy, mediation, I facilitate rites of passage programs for boys, run a variety of groups for men (relationship, anger management, communication, grief and loss), and reparative justice conferences for young offenders. I expect to complete my Masters of Gestalt Therapy this year with Gestalt Therapy Brisbane, where I also supervise students. Leading up to the GANZ conference and the AGM, I was prompted by some friends to nominate to be on the council. I assured them that there was no way that I was going to take that on. Not a chance! Too busy, not my thing, etc. The rest is a blur of too many empty chairs (even for a Gestalt group), some very crafty facilitation where attendees were asked to consider and share their resistances, some unexpected hands on my shoulder, and significantly wanting to give something more of myself to the Gestalt community in honour of the passing of a mentor and friend in Maria Vogt. I bring an exciting balance of head and heart, and the ability to work with both the forest and the trees (is god or the devil in the detail?). And a sense of humour. So here I am, and pleased to be here.
	Kath McCarthy CHAIR MEMBERSHIP I have been passionate about Gestalt Therapy since commencing specialist training at the end of the nineties. Coming from a background in community development and social justice activism, it was easy to feel at home with the principles and ethics of Gestalt. Before establishing private practice, I worked for 13 years as a counsellor/advocate in a service for people who have experienced childhood abuse and trauma, family violence and the complexities which stem from these experiences and the impact on their sense of themselves in their world, and was the manager of that hospital based service for three years. As a therapist I create a safe, accepting space where I support and invite people to join in a respectful therapeutic relationship to strengthen their self acceptance and capacity to have more satisfying lives and relationships. To the GANZ Council I bring extensive experience in leadership, policy development, advocacy, community development and organizational management in community based organizations and peak bodies at state and national levels. And I am excited about participating in the growth and development of our profession as Gestalt practitioners and consultants.
	Forrest James CHAIR LIASON AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT I am a psychotherapist, supervisor, trainer and organisational consultant. I have twenty years experience as a helping professional in the fields of trauma treatment, relationship and family issues, men's issues, alcohol and drug dependence, supervision, and management consulting. I have a particular interest in the intersections of gestalt psychotherapy, other relational approaches to psychotherapy, current advances in neurobiology, and their application in 'helping relationships'. Currently I am a Director of Gestalt Therapy Brisbane.
	Lorraine Green CHAIR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Hello, It seems fitting for me to embrace this role having lived in Christchurch, New Zealand all of my life. I spend much of my time travelling across the Tasman to visit the majority of my family who have chosen Australia to be their home. From this perspective I have a connection between both our lands and feel proud to be the New Zealand voice for the GANZ council. I look forward to the challenges and delights that may emerge during my time in this position. I graduated from GINZ in November 2010 and I am now building my private practice and doing the work I love to do. In my spare time I head for the outdoors, and in particular I enjoy camping, boating and tramping. I have a keen interest in spirituality, energy attunement, quantum physics and field theory. In my role as chair of International Relations I am keen to enhance the New Zealand contingent of GANZ and embrace the potential that an organisation such as GANZ offers for both our countries. My hope is that as a council we can build on the momentum of good will and Mana that occurs between us during the GANZ conferences. I really welcome and value your thoughts and contributions as GANZ members and can be contacted via email at lorrainegreen@paradise.net.nz
	Mala Henderson CHAIR COMMUNICATIONS I bring 20 years of experience in counselling, in the areas of addictions, relationships, domestic and social violence, mental health and spiritual enquiry. My counselling practice includes art therapy and communication using visual, sound and body language. I also work in consultation with community organisations delivering relational group work, parenting seminars, individual & couple counselling and child-inclusive practice in Family Dispute Resolution. I am a trainer at the Sydney Gestalt Institute which has been a joy over the last year. I am excited about joining the GANZ Council, and am eager to bring my passion, interest and wisdom to the role.
	Ashleigh Woolridge CHAIR TRAINING AND ACCREDITATION This is my third term with GANZ council; previously I was the NSW State Rep and Membership Chair role. My current position is Chair of Training and Accreditation as well as the PACFA Representative for GANZ. Other involvement in Council has included co-convening GANZ 2008, the 6th International GANZ conference at Ballina, which was quite a hoot! Professionally my blurb includes; Grad Dip Gestalt Psych. Cert Holistic Counselling, Adv Cert Community Welfare Psychotherapist and Trainer with over 15 years experience working with individuals, couples and families, groups and organisations. Currently, I have a private practice on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. I am also the Director of Training of Gestalt therapy Sydney (GTS) and a member of the faculty ofThe Australian College of Applied Psychology (ACAPSyd).

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