Field Theory · 场域理论
Everything is interconnected in the bigger picture. Past, present, future; family, culture, society — a way of doing therapy that is respectful to the way a client is embedded in their world.
Training· 专业培训
Professional Gestalt training.
A professional Gestalt training program is currently being launched in China, run by Gestalt Therapy International and accredited with CAGA. The training is a total of 108 days, conducted over a five-year period, and aligned to international standards of Gestalt therapy training.
Duration
108 days
Over
5 years
Sessions
6-day blocks
Standard
International
01/ The four pillars · 四大支柱
Gestalt, as it is practiced today.
Awareness · 觉察
Here-and-now awareness, of self and others. The radical acceptance of what is — leading to change without pushing, and to a fuller acceptance of ourselves.
Relationship · 关系
Self-support and interdependency. The personhood of the therapist contributes to the aliveness and realness of the therapeutic relationship.
Experiment · 实验
Authentic living. At the right point, action is called for — abstract ideas manifested in creative experiments, familiar ways expanded by trying something new.
02/ Course philosophy
Trust in the process.
Gestalt therapy supports people to live without recipes, to find their own creative way through life — the training echoes this approach. Rather than give students a set of instructions on “how to do therapy”, the learning is how to trust in the process.
The aim is to equip each person with a strong theoretical and philosophical grasp of Gestalt, and to assist them to a point of personal integration and readiness to work with others in a Gestalt framework. A climate of authenticity is fostered, and creative experimentation is encouraged.
“I always thought Gestalt was about talking to empty chairs. Through the training I discovered that it is actually an amazing practical philosophy — and I learnt ways to apply it in my daily life.”
03/ Program structure
Two segments, two qualifications.
Phase I · Years 1–2
Diploma of Gestalt Therapy
Foundation and intermediate Gestalt training. Trainees are introduced to the fundamental principles and theories of Gestalt — field theory, awareness, contact, responsibility, polarities, phenomenology, and the Gestalt experiment.
- • Foundation session + ten study units
- • Approximately 500 hours of face-to-face training
- • Concept maps, essays, study group
Phase II · Years 3–5
Advanced Diploma of Gestalt Therapy
Application of principles to clinical work — shame, groupwork, couples and family, psychopathology, sexuality, ethics, work with trauma, character systems, addictions, and the transpersonal. Trainees move into supervised practice.
- • Eight study units
- • 70 hours of supervised casework
- • Transcript analysis, interventions journal
Sessions are intensive and occur four times a year in 6-day blocks. Students are exposed to two international trainers of outstanding experience. Trainees are encouraged to take a self-directed learning approach, investing additional hours as they wish in order to derive more benefit from the training.
04/ Accreditation · CAGA and GTI
Aligned with international standards.
The training is run by Gestalt Therapy International, and accredited with the China Australia Gestalt Association (CAGA). In China it is delivered under the umbrella of the DRM (Derimu) School of Psychological Education.
It accords with core standards set by Gestalt accreditation authorities around the world — covering hours of face-to-face training, supervised casework, personal therapy, ethics, and a professional code of conduct.
Admissions
Applications are by invitation. Criteria include motivation, willingness to commit, capacity for self-awareness, ability to handle intense experience, and openness to feedback.
Fees
Once accepted, applicants sign a learning contract. All financial requirements are spelled out at the start of each year — there are no hidden costs.
The full program is in the brochure.
Curriculum, session-by-session breakdown, faculty, and course requirements — all set out in the 2027–2030 program brochure.