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Gestalt Australia & New Zealand (GANZ) is a Professional Association, incorporated in Canberra, which represents Gestalt Practitioners in this region. GANZ accredits Gestalt psychotherapy training programmes meeting International standards, and offers graduates recognition of their competence to practice as Gestalt Therapists through membership of the Association. There are several levels of membership, from Student to Clinical that reflect the continuous nature of the development of a psychotherapist. There are over 400 members across all levels.
GANZ was formed in 1998, arising from a collaborative initiative between the 10 training centres in Australia and New Zealand in 1996, and a further community meeting with practitioners in 1997, with the intention of strengthening a sense of community of practice, and developing consistent training processes across the centres in the face of changing educational and health services environments.
The word ‘ganz’ in German, means complete, similar to the word ‘gestalt’, and is also similar in sound to ’gans’ – goose. The familiar story of how geese look after each other resonated with our intentions, and so we have chosen geese to be part of our logo. The circle, known as ‘enso’ in Japanese culture, symbolises, amongst other things, a moment when the mind is free to simply let the body/spirit create, a concept that is relevant to the relational and awareness oriented philosophy and practice of our modality.
The activities and formal processes of GANZ are managed by a Council which is made up of an Executive and Chairs of various portfolios, elected by members biennially. We publish a peer reviewed Journal twice a year, a quarterly email newsletter, and offer an International Conference every two years. We are committed to the continuous development of the Gestalt community and the practice of Gestalt, not only in clinical settings, but also in education, organisation development and community work.
GANZ is a member of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) a peak body which seeks to interface with government and non-government regulators, the community, and other professional bodies to enhance awareness of psychotherapy and counselling as professions in their own right. We believe, along with consumers, that psychotherapy has much to offer in contributing to mental health services.