Group Profiles New South Wales

Name: Meditation Group for Gestalt Trainees and Practitioners

Objective: Our intention is to create a space for Gestalt practitioners and trainees to connect with each other and meditate together.

Profile: The group has been meeting monthly since November 2008. Many Gestalt practitioners and trainees meditate as part of their everyday life. We have organised a space on the Northern Beaches of Sydney where novice and experienced meditators alike can meet once a month with the common thread of being Gestalt therapists or trainees and meditators! All participants are asked to take responsibility for running the group and contacting members with a reminder. Each month a group member volunteers to lead the meditation the following month. Ongoing dates for 2009: Sundays @ 5.30-6.30pm – 30.8; 27.9; 25.10; 22.11; 27.12

Venue: The Oxford Falls Peace Park at the corner of the Wakehurst Parkway and Dreadnought Road (Opposite the Christian City Church on one corner and the Oxford Falls Grammar School on another).

Membership: Open to Gestalt trainees and practitioners. The cost of attending the group is the hire of the venue ($11.50 per hour) divided by the number of people who attend. We ask for a commitment of 6 months which has been less than $10 per person all up.

Contacts:
Maria Dolenc (M: 0425 277 279; E: maria[at]gestaltpractitioners.com[dot]au)
Felicity Gendun (M: 0438 184 727; E: felicity[at]penski[dot]net)
Link to website: Nil

Name: Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy (AAGT) – Australian Regional Group

Objectives: AAGT is organic at heart and so we have no formal structures for members. This does not mean there are no structures; the choice is yours as to how much you wish to get involved. All energy levels are welcome. Australia is a designated region within AAGT. Some countries have several regions such as the US and UK. Each region has a Regional Contact Person (RCP) who usually volunteers and then formally appointed at our biennial conferences - the next one is in Philadelphia in 2010. Kerry Shipman is the RCP for Australia. The Chair of the RCP Committee is also an Australian (Brian O'Neil).

Through "association" we aim to act as a catalyst for establishing a dynamic and supportive Gestalt Community by organising local and regional gatherings/conferences with minimum cost to participants. Because Australia is so large such gatherings are not meant to be national, rather, we attempt to focus on smaller regions so regular contacts can be maintained and nurtured.

Through "advancement" you can actively participate in discussion groups through the website with an international community, or you can set up your own regular discussion/research groups seeking to advance gestalt in our local areas.

The 2nd AAGT regional gathering will be held from 24-26 November 2010 (check the website for more information). We hope this will become an annual event in this region and hold the possibility for many new networks and joint initiatives for the future advancement of Gestalt in Australia. The new and not so experienced members in the Gestalt family are encouraged to run workshops/seminars at these gatherings so they can experience their emerging ground in a supportive environment.

Australia now has a significant number of "Elders" within the Gestalt community and we strive to bring them together in more informal contexts to share their experiences; meetings of wisdom and enthusiasm.

Profile: The Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy, (AAGT), is a dynamic, inclusive, energetic non-profit organization committed to the advancement of theory, philosophy, practice and research in Gestalt therapy and its various applications. This Includes but is not limited to personal growth, mental health, education, organization and systems development, political and social development and change, and the fine and performing arts. AAGT has a wide international member base including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, teachers, academics, writers, artists, performers, organizational consultants and political and social analysts, activists and students.

We are an experiment, an ongoing organic process of gestalt formation. We provide the ground for the enrichment; articulation and support of the constantly emerging figure that is Gestalt therapy. We are not part of any other organization. We welcome members of all races, religions, ages, sexual preferences, and differing abilities/disabilities. We attempt to operate on as much of a consensus model as our far-flung membership and meeting structure allow.

AAGT holds international (and regional) conferences which provide opportunities for us to associate, develop community, enjoy one another's company and energy, and share our work-in-progress, research, theoretical knowledge, strategies and values through peer reviewed presentations, plenary sessions, socialising opportunities, experimental workshop formats and community meetings. These conferences have consistently received very high participant satisfaction ratings.

We hold annual community meetings, usually during conferences, where the direction and course of action of the organization is discussed and planned by the membership.

Membership: Membership is open and inclusive and available through our website.

Contact:
Kerry Shipman (Regional Contact Person for Australia) E: keiv[at]westnet.com[dot]au)
Link to website: www.aagt.org
Link to register for local regional conference: www.gestalt.org.au

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Name: The Gloo Project

Objectives:
1) To provide free and affordable, long-term therapy to people in recovery from addiction
2) To provide free and affordable supervision, training and mentoring (along with free room usage and client referrals) to volunteer 3rd and 4th year Gestalt students wanting to gain experience in the clinical setting
3) To foster a co-operative/community of Gestalt therapists learning, developing and working together.

Profile: The Gloo project is a co operative of student therapists and qualified therapists offering free and affordable therapy to people in recovery from addiction.
"The Gloo" (Gestalt in Woolloomoolloo) was established in 2005. It is a collective of therapists, with the more experienced therapists supporting and mentoring the less experienced. Everyone offers their time on a volunteer basis, receiving something valuable (but not monetary) in return- experience, learning and the satisfaction of ‘giving back’ to the community.

Our model is very simple- we utilize the services of 3rd and 4th Year Gestalt therapy students (with a minimum of 300 hours training time) who need to gain one-on-one experience with clients. By year three, students are eligible to practice as certified counsellors and to register with GANZ. We offer students specific training in addictions as well as regular, affordable, group supervision and the use (rent-free) of our rooms. In return, each student commits to see their client/s regularly and for as long as that client requires the service. The students must have their own insurance.

The Gloo Project has affiliations with other experienced, well regarded therapists (both local and international) who offer our clients free places in weekend workshops and our student –therapists training and clinical supervision.

All of the Gloo Project’s management, administration and public relations are run on a volunteer basis.
Since July 2006, we have accepted over 100 clients for therapy, workshops and psycho-educational groups. Our reputation is growing and we have become a preferred provider to several half-way houses, adolescent homes and rehabilitation programs. We currently have approximately 55 clients receiving our services and 35 therapists providing those services.

We use an on-line calendar to maximize efficient usage of the three consultation rooms we currently have at our disposal. Two consulting rooms are in the premises that we lease from The Department of Housing at 95 Forbes Street; the other we have access to due to the goodwill of Walla Mulla Family and Community Support (a nearby community service for indigenous Australians).

Membership: All members of the GANZ community are welcome to become involved. We accept applications for 3rd and 4th year student therapists from November until the end of January every year.

Contact:
Susanna Goodrich (E: susanna_goodrich[at]silverspirit.com[dot]au )or
Tanya Dawson (E: g8ivity[at]bigpond.net[dot]au)
Link to website: www.gloo.org.au