The new council was sworn in at the Annual General Meeting of GANZ on the 26th of August, 2017. The Council roles are described here:
Leila Davis
President
My gestalt journey started 10 years ago, with a Masters in Gestalt Therapy at GT Brisbane. Since then I have been walking two paths in my professional life as a GP and a Gestalt Therapist. My goal has been to see these paths converge and in my role of GANZ president I hope to facilitate this process of gestalt becoming more mainstream. It is an honour and a challenge to serve the community in this way, and I am passionate about elevating the status of gestalt theory and practice in Australia and New Zealand. I believe we can create a rich gestalt world here. I will be developing international ties for GANZ through the EAGT and the AAGT, and am certain that this will provide fertile ground for all of us as practitioners of gestalt.
Trish Landsberger
Secretary
My Gestalt journey began 14 years ago when I started training in Brisbane. This training resulted in a Masters of Gestalt Therapy. Prior to this I spent two years gaining a Graduate Diploma in Experiential and Creative Arts Therapy, a course offered out of La Trobe University in Melbourne. Born in the UK, I am now very happily settled in Brisbane. I work full time as a Team Leader for a community organisation offering support to the local community in the area of parenting . I have a passion for community and connection, and particularly for my Gestalt community. These passions are my drivers for standing for secretary on the GANZ council. I want to give back to a community that has supported me and offered me so much rich growth and learning.
Leonie Sinclair
Treasurer
After having been a school psychologist for many years I completed my Gestalt training in Melbourne in 2003, and went on to Masters level following my interest in grief. I established a private practice in Carlton before relocating to Perth where I worked at Mt Lawley Counselling Centre. I became part of the Gestalt community there through graduate groups, peer supervision, and training from visiting GATLA faculty members. I have returned to Melbourne and work nearly full time in my private psychotherapy practice. I am facilitating therapy groups offered by GTA’s Connect Ground clinic.
During the past 5 years I have attended the Pacific Gestalt Institute training in Santa Barbara several times. This experience has enriched my Gestalt practice, but was especially worthwhile because of the contact with Gestalt practitioners from all over the world. Witnessing the passion for this modality, has piqued my interest in helping our community enhance the opportunities available for training and peer support. I
am especially interested in encouraging more involvement from Gestalt therapists in Western Australia, and maintaining our links with New Zealand gestaltists.
I have been fortunate to attend many workshops by international trainers since completing my formal qualifications, and hope we can maintain and expand these opportunities for our Gestalt communities. The enrichment of my life through Gestalt training, therapy, and community inspires me to contribute to the development of this
field. I will carry out my role as Treasurer with commitment and diligence, as we move forward in the new GANZ council.
Elizabeth Denton
Vice President
I trained as a Counsellor at Curtin University in WA. At the same time I began training at the Gestalt Training Institute of West Australia. I did part of my time at the Gestalt Institute of New Zealand. I now run a private practice in Queenstown, New Zealand.
My early career was in adult education where I taught for two decades in different adult education settings. I moved into educational administration specialising in developing quality management systems, curriculum development and educational consultancy. I also spent a decade or so developing quality management systems in the Corporate sector, mainly in the Oil and Gas Industry in the North Sea and later in WA.
I grew up in the Highlands of Scotland. I have lived and worked in Canada, Australia, the UK, and New Zealand. I am a mother of three and grandmother to four. In my spare time I love to read, write and practise yoga.
Jelena Zeleskov Doric
International and External Relationships
I am a clinical psychologist registered in Europe and a provisional psychologist registered with AHPRA who lectures at Charles Darwin University (CDU), School of Psychological and Clinical Sciences in Darwin. Prior to joining CDU, I worked as a Research Fellow at the School of Medicine, University of Belgrade and the Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research in Belgrade, Serbia. I obtained my PhD in Psychology in 2010 and I was working in private practice as a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist for Sava Perovic Foundation Centre for Genito-Urethral Reconstructive Surgery in Belgrade for more than seven years. I am a clinical registrant of Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA), their accredited supervisor and a member of Gestalt Australia and New Zealand (GANZ). Currently, I am a member of the College of Psychotherapy Leadership Group within PACFA.
I completed a five-year program in Gestalt Psychotherapy at the Gestalt Psychotherapy Training Institute Malta and Belgrade and a two-year post-graduate program in Psychopathology and Contemporary Disturbances at Instituto di Gestalt, Italy. Moreover, I completed one-year training program in Body Psychotherapy with Gestalt framework in Berlin, Germany. I participated in numerous gestalt and body psychotherapy trainings and was involved in the workshop delivered by the Centre for Somatic Studies, New York, USA. My trainers were: Lidija Pecotic, Margherita Spagnuolo Lobb, Gianni Francesetti, Carmen Vasquez, Jean Marie Robine, Ruella Frank, Bertram Muller, Julianne Appel-Opper.
In addition to this, I was the Vice-President and External Relations Officer of the European Association for Gestalt Therapy (EAGT) and a Board member of the European Association for Psychotherapy (EAP). I am full member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Australian Psychological Society (APS). Also, I am a full member of the Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy (AAGT).
My research and writings are focused on attachment theory, resilience and therapeutic factors important in understanding the lives of prisoners and former prisoners and application of gestalt therapy with various clients. So far, I have authored and co-authored over 40 books, chapters, peer-reviewed papers, national and international conference presentations in the fields of resilience, attachment theory and psychotherapy. Moving forward, my research interest is to understand gestalt psychotherapy approach and its application within neuroscience.
Madeline Fogarty
Research
I feel honoured to be elected to the council in its new formation. In particular I am very excited about the research focus that is supported by a dedicated research role. GANZ is one of three Gestalt organisation world wide, and we are well positioned to contribute to the growth and development of Gestalt Therapy (GT) locally and globally. GT has gone through many changes in the past 70 years, and we are currently poised to flourish in the research space and I am very committed to this path for deepening our understanding of GT practice and application.
I have been fortunate to have an APA scholarship to support my PhD research into the development and validation of the Gestalt Therapy Fidelity Scale (GTFS). This scale will assist in conducting and publishing GT research within our GT enclave and beyond. I am well connected to the international GT research community and hope to forge greater links between GANZ and the EAGT and AAGT. I hope to assist practitioners and researchers orienting themselves to current or future involvement in research through various means including practice based research networks, scientist-practitioner models, and through further training and/or access to research materials.
I have had almost 20 years of clinical experience, including supervision, the running of groups and organisational experience. I hope to bring these skills to the council.
I am deeply committed to GT and to collaborative practice and communication. I love connecting with fellow GT practitioners! And research is about connection and collaboration. I am hopeful that this next phase of GANZ will bring renewed energy and life to GT as a lived experience and clinical practice. I look forward to making the most of this opportunity and thank the membership for your support.
Anthony Jones
Community and Membership
Anthony is a psychologist and Gestalt Therapist with many years’ experience in the health and welfare sector. He currently works in community health and private practice, and has a particular focus on trauma, dissociation and relational problems. Prior to working as a therapist, Anthony worked in an industrial sugar mill for 10 years.
Sophie Boord
Community and Membership
Leanne O’Shea
Professional Development and Training