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Gestalt therapy for therapists: books, training, videos and associations

Gestalt therapy is a psychotherapy of the humanistic tradition that focuses on how a person makes and withdraws from contact with the environment, and on awareness of that process. Work happens in the here-and-now and the therapeutic relationship is a dialogue.

The method in short

Founders
Fritz Perls (1893-1970) and Laura Perls (1905-1990), with Paul Goodman
Founding text
Gestalt Therapy: Excitement and Growth in the Human Personality, 1951
Focus
Making and withdrawing from contact, awareness, the here-and-now and a dialogic relationship
Sources
Psychoanalysis, Gestalt psychology, and humanistic, phenomenological and existential thought

Primary sources: EAGT: what is Gestalt therapy, IAAGT: our history

We give you information and answer for how we select it. Check terms, prices and dates with the organiser.

Gestalt books

Whole shelf, 9 books
Gestalt Therapy
Gestalt TherapyFrederick Perls, Ralph F. Hefferline, Paul Goodman
Gestalt Therapy Verbatim
Gestalt Therapy VerbatimFrederick S. Perls
Creative Process in Gestalt Therapy
Creative Process in Gestalt TherapyJoseph Zinker
Gestalt Therapy Integrated
Gestalt Therapy IntegratedErving Polster, Miriam Polster
Awareness, Dialogue and Process
Awareness, Dialogue and ProcessGary M. Yontef

Gestalt training

We do not run courses. Each programme has a link to the organiser and a check date.

GATLA, Los Angeles

Gestalt Therapy Training Program: A Contemporary Process Approach

A multi-year postgraduate training in Gestalt therapy as a process-based phenomenological approach. Groups meet six weekends per academic year, trainees work as therapists under live supervision, and GATLA runs its own certification with written, oral and clinical parts.

Format
Weekend groups, online or in person
Language
English
For
Applicants in a graduate mental health programme or holding a graduate degree in the field (or international equivalent); related fields considered case by case
Organiser’s siteChecked: November 1, 2026

Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, USA

Gestalt Training Program (GTP)

The institute’s foundational experiential programme: ten in-person weekends over two academic years, learning in small and large groups, and at least 25 hours of individual therapy with an approved Gestalt-oriented psychotherapist to complete it. It is also the first step towards the institute’s advanced training.

Format
In person, weekends
Language
English
For
Adult learners from many professions; attending a Gestalt Experience Workshop is a prerequisite
Organiser’s siteChecked: November 1, 2026

Pacific Gestalt Institute, USA

Online and In-Person Weekend Training Program: Relational Gestalt Therapy

A multiyear programme enrolled one year at a time, with five weekend intensives a year of lecture, discussion and hands-on clinical practice under live supervision. Advanced trainees may be eligible for the institute’s certification, which asks for at least 220 hours of training, 50 hours of individual Gestalt therapy and 75 hours of supervision.

Format
Online and in-person weekend groups
Language
English
For
Licensed and pre-licensed psychotherapists only
Organiser’s siteChecked: November 1, 2026

How to choose a programme

  • Recognition. A professional association registry or an accredited provider list.
  • Practice. Hours under supervision and live discussion of your own cases.
  • Teachers. Experience in this particular method.
  • Outcome. A certificate, a path to certification or only knowledge.
  • Entry. Whether you need a base qualification and proof of practice.

Gestalt videos

All videos on methods

Introductory Conversation: Gestalt Concepts and Terms

Channel: Gestalt Institute of Cleveland · Checked: November 1, 2026

A conversation that introduces Gestalt concepts and terms, published on the institute’s channel in 2018. The video has no description.

Open on YouTube ↗

How Transformation Happens: The Cycle of Experience

Channel: Gestalt Institute of Cleveland · Checked: November 1, 2026

A short talk titled after the cycle of experience, a concept the institute’s training programme teaches. Published in 2018; the video has no description.

Open on YouTube ↗

Dropping into Gestalt Virtually and in Real Time

Channel: Gestalt Institute of Cleveland · Checked: November 1, 2026

A 37-minute session published in 2021, titled as dropping into Gestalt virtually and in real time. The video has no description.

Open on YouTube ↗

Gestalt associations and institutes

Practitioner registries, training standards, conferences. The links go to official sites; the descriptions are ours.

International

IAAGT

International Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy, founded in 1989 as AAGT. It holds international Gestalt therapy conferences and runs scholarship, research and regional development funds for members.

Official siteChecked: November 1, 2026

Europe

EAGT

European Association for Gestalt Therapy. It publishes minimum standards for therapy training, supervision training and the accreditation of training institutes, says they meet the requirements of the European Certificate of Psychotherapy, and runs conferences and a lecture series for members.

Official siteChecked: November 1, 2026

USA

Gestalt Institute of Cleveland

A training institute that says Gestalt organizations around the world trace their roots to it. It offers programs and workshops in the Gestalt approach for therapists, coaches and organizational practitioners.

Official siteChecked: November 1, 2026

Gestalt questions

How do I choose a Gestalt therapy training?

Check the entry rules, how many hours of live supervision and your own therapy are required, and who certifies the end of the training. In Europe, EAGT publishes minimum training standards for institutes and says they meet the European Certificate of Psychotherapy requirements; in the US, institutes such as GATLA and the Pacific Gestalt Institute run their own certification examinations.

How is Gestalt therapy different from psychoanalysis?

Gestalt therapy took ideas from psychoanalysis but puts the process of contact and awareness at the centre: past difficulties are re-enacted and worked through in the here-and-now relationship. The European association also names Gestalt psychology, field theory, phenomenology and Zen among its sources.

Do I need to be a licensed clinician to train in Gestalt therapy?

It depends on the provider. The Pacific Gestalt Institute weekend programme is open to licensed and pre-licensed psychotherapists only, GATLA asks for a graduate mental health degree or study towards one (related fields case by case), and the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland training programme is open to adult learners from many professions. Read the entry rules of each programme.

How much personal therapy and supervision does certification involve?

Providers set their own numbers. The Pacific Gestalt Institute asks for at least 220 hours of training, 50 hours of individual Gestalt therapy and 75 hours of supervision before certification, and the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland asks for 25 hours of individual therapy to complete its training programme.

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