About· 关于协会

A bridge between two traditions.

The China Australia Gestalt Association (CAGA) exists to foster the development of Gestalt therapy in China, to continue the good foundations already built over the last two decades, and to link practitioners and students in Australia with those in China.

01/ A history of practice

From New York, to the world, to China.

Gestalt therapy was first developed by Fritz and Laura Perls in the 1940s. They brought the seed ideas to the United States in the 1950s, where it became widely influential in the 1960s.

Since then, Gestalt has continued to evolve and spread around the world, first arriving in China over twenty years ago. Today it sits at the leading edge of relational therapy — grounded in awareness, contact, and the wisdom of the body.

CAGA was established to honour and continue that work — to build durable bridges of practice, scholarship and friendship between Australian and Chinese practitioners.

A book of Chinese calligraphy beside eucalyptus leaves

02/ Our purpose · 我们的宗旨

What we are here to do.

Connection · 联系
To link practitioners, students and trainers in Australia with those in China — through dialogue, training and shared inquiry.
Development · 发展
To foster the ongoing development of Gestalt therapy in China, building on the good foundations laid over the last twenty years.
Accreditation · 认证
To recognise and accredit Gestalt training programs that meet international standards of practice, ethics and pedagogy.

03/ Faculty

The people who carry the work.

Founder · Director of Training

Steve Vinay Gunther

MSc (Mental Health)

Teaching in China: Since 2011
Memberships: Full clinical member, European Association of Gestalt Therapy. Founding member of GANZ (Gestalt Australia and New Zealand).

Vinay is founder and Director of Training. He brings a background in clowning, organisation development, small business, meditation, and community development to a fifty- year inquiry into psychotherapy and human change.

His professional training was with the Gestalt Institute of Brisbane; other studies have included Narrative Therapy, Family Constellation work, and Eastern approaches to psychotherapy. He is the author of Understanding The Woman In Your Life, a best seller published in English and Spanish.

He regularly tours the US, Mexico, China, Japan and Europe teaching workshops on Spirituality and Gestalt Therapy, and was previously director of the Masters of Spiritual Psychology program at Ryokan College, Los Angeles.

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