Gestalt Art Therapy Centre: 2023 Kokedama Therapy© A Gestalt Art Therapy approach

5 Aug 2023

2023 Kokedama Therapy© A Gestalt Art Therapy approach - Face to Face Workshop

Kokedama Therapy© A Gestalt Art Therapy approach

Face-to-Face Workshop

Registrants from Australia can obtain their CPD /OPD hours (non-endorsed activities)

AASW CPD hours

ACA OPD hours

PACFA CPD hours

KOKEDAMA Therapy©

The world in a plant

Kokedama is a traditional Japanese form of botanical art where plants are wrapped in a ball of soil, covered with moss, and bound with string.

The word "Kokedama" can be broken down into "koke" (moss) and "dama" (ball), literally translating to "moss ball." This art form goes beyond mere aesthetics and carries philosophical, emotional, and therapeutic significance.

In this workshop from the Gestalt approach and from the beautiful metaphor of the Kokedama technique you will experiment:

Connection to Nature: Kokedama emphasizes a close connection with nature. By working with living plants and moss, practitioners are reminded of the beauty and life force present in the natural world. This connection can bring a sense of tranquility and grounding.
Mindfulness and Meditation: Creating Kokedama requires focused attention and mindfulness. The process of crafting the moss ball and planting the vegetation can be meditative, helping individuals to be present at the moment and relieve stress.
Nurturing and Responsibility: Taking care of living plants encourages a sense of responsibility and nurturing. Watching the plants grow and thrive can give a sense of accomplishment and purpose.
Emotional Expression: Kokedama work will be a form of self-expression, allowing participants to create unique and personalized pieces of art that reflect their emotions, personality, and artistic taste.

Engaging in Kokedama as a practice you can experiment with therapeutic benefits. Studies have shown that spending time with plants and engaging in gardening activities can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, promoting overall mental well-being.

Environmental Awareness: Kokedama art often utilizes sustainable materials and encourages recycling and repurposing. This can foster a deeper appreciation for environmental issues and sustainable practices.

Symbolism: Kokedama can hold symbolic meaning for individuals. The act of enveloping a plant's roots in a moss ball may be seen as a representation of protection, growth, and the cyclical nature of life.

Beauty in Imperfection: Kokedama embraces the concept of wabi-sabi, an essential aspect of Japanese aesthetics, which finds beauty in imperfection and transience. Each Kokedama is unique and imperfect in its way, and this appreciation for imperfection can extend to life's ups and downs.

Mind-Body Connection: Engaging in Kokedama art can help strengthen the mind-body connection. It involves using hands to create something tangible, promoting a sense of accomplishment and physical engagement.

Social Bonding: Kokedama practiced in groups, encouraging social interactions and fostering a sense of community among enthusiasts. Sharing the experience with others can lead to the exchange of knowledge and inspiration.

This will be a "hands-on" workshop, where the "process" will be the most interesting. The "how" will be more important than the "what" or "why".

The final result is not the objective, although you will be surprised at what you can create and, above all, integrate into your "here and now"

*Please wear closed shoes and if suffering from asthma, bring a mask.

Materials included in the workshop cost

Workshop information:

Day: August 26th, 2023

Where: Gestalt Art Therapy Centre.

2 Findlay St. Ashgrove. Brisbane. Qld.

Time: 10 am to 12 pm (Brisbane- Australian time)

Cost:

Members of the Gestalt Art Therapy Center Participation: $95Aud Click here to pay by Credit card (Paypal)

General participants

Click here to pay by Credit card (Paypal) Participation: $120Aud

Workshop REGISTRATION HERE

We are not registered for GST

Silver members: $40 per year

Gold Members: $60 per year

Membership is for one year, until December 31st, 2023.

Payments with PayPal have platform commissions applied.

Please note:

Covid Requirements

Following the Australian Government Health Department's indications and with the objective of offering a safe space for all patients and Counsellors:

Every participant before being admitted to each Face-to-face session/ workshop:

• Before each workshop/ session temperature measures will be taken. If the participant has symptoms like fever (37°C or more), coughing, sore throat, or shortness of breath, unfortunately, he/she will not be admitted to the event/ session, and the session will be rescheduled.

Important information from Government:

Testing positive for COVID-19

Any person who tests positive for COVID-19 will need to immediately isolate at home or other suitable accommodation for at least 4 full days from the date the person had their test. Follow the advice from Queensland Health, including the first steps to take if you have COVID-19.

Close Contact

If you are a close contact, on the day of the event/ session you should have a negative test and wear a mask.

If there is a positive test, please reschedule the session.

ART THERAPY - A GESTALT APPROACH

Hello! Welcome to our creative therapy centre!

Here you will find everything related to Art Therapy using the Gestalt approach.

What is Art ?:

Art is genarally known as what is done by a person whose purpose is to express a message through symbols.

These symbolic tools can be music, paintings, sculptures, theater and so on.

What is Gestalt Therapy ?:

Gestalt therapy is a methodology within psychology that grew out of the research and work of the psychiatrist Dr.Fritz Perls and his wife Dr.Laura Perls.

These two professionals were coming from the psychoanalytic perspective and felt that this method was not enough to work with clients. Today we are clearly aware that no one single method can resolve the issues that involve a range of human suffering and growth.

Gestalt is a German word roughly meaning "Shape" or "configuration".

This concept is understood, in gneral terms, that all individual experiences are shaped by a figure and a background. As time goes on, and our needs change, the figure can become the background and vice versa. So in the client's experience, the figure is changing at all times from becoming a background and as the needs arise, the figure emerges seeking completion.

When we block or prevent this process, we become unaware and suffer. That is a part of the theoretical foundations of Gestalt therapy.

Gestalt therapy, therefore, is a "philosophy", a way of being in the world in the "here and now" and taking "response-aibility" without pushing the river. Thus life is a flow ..

What is GESTALT Art Therapy?

It is the sum of the two previous concepts, Gestal therapy and the use of tools we learn to use in art therapy.

Using the artistic tools and adding the gestalt language between client and psychotherapist we work jointly to decode the messages hidden in the intrinsic symbols representing the client's situation. The Psychotherapist accompanies the client in the process of "discovering" what is helpful and not analysing or interpreting, but suggesting and asking the client what it is he or she knows are the answers and supports client's need to discover the ncessary solutions.

WE ARE SURE THAT YOU WILL BE ATTRACTED by this new way of working with emotions, whether or not you are a professional psychologist or therapist, since many of the exercises can be used personally for your own growth.

Our work is done in Australia & Spain and other countries. We have given workshops and participated in conferences throughout the world. We are located in our offices at the Gestalt Art Therapy Centre in Brisbane -Australia.

BE HAPPY HERE AND NOW..... AND BE CREATIVE !

Yaro Starak - Gestalt Psychoterapist
Gemma Garcia- Gestalt Therapist- Ericksonian Hypnosis

SEE LABELS ON THE RIGHT SIDE

1-TRAINING MODULES FOR SALE: Gestalt art therapy

1.1-FOR PSYCHOLOGY & THERAPY PROFESSIONALS:

Here you will find and carry out therapeutic work with tools that combine art and gestalt method.

You can learn new ways of providing therapeutic treatment depending on the particular situation and client needs.

1.2-ART AS PERSONAL GROWTH

These modules can be practical exercises for your "realize" how do you do in your life.

There are specific modules that you can play with your partner and / or family.

SKYPE - ON LINE THERAPY

We offer brief therapy sessions via Skype. You may request a no-obligation appointment with us, the first session is free.

This is a way of doing personal therapy we call "Emergency work" used in very special cases and situations. For us, the therapy session should be mainly for the benefit of the client needing immediate help.

BOOKS FOR SALE:

GESTALT THERAPY theory and practice - some books written by Yaro Starak

A GESTALT TEST: you can acquire to discover your potentials.

VIDEOS & DVD focussing on gestalt work and art therapy work.

ARTICLES: Written by varoius therapists from Australia, NZ and overseas.

Yaro Starak

He graduated in Psychology from the University of Manitoba and in Social Work from the University of British Columbia, Canada. He continued his doctoral studies at the University of Toronto, specializing in group psychotherapy and Adult Education. He trained in Gestalt Therapy with Jorge Rosner at the Gestalt Institute of Toronto and after graduation, he was a faculty member for four years. He worked as a professor at the University of Queensland, Australia and is the founder of the Gestalt Center in Brisbane and Terrigal near Sydney in this country. Yaro conducts gestalt training workshops in Spain, Mexico, Denmark, Germany, and Canada. He also gives workshops for groups of men using indigenous rituals. Yaro is Gestalt Art Therapist CAT®. Co-Director of the Gestalt ART Therapy center (Australia). Co-Director of the Arteterapia Gestalt (Gestalt Art Therapy training in the Spanish language)
Yaro has an interesting range of Books related to the Gestalt works, Couples & Groups work.

Gemma Garcia

Gestalt Art Therapist CAT® Gestalt Art Therapy. Gestalt Therapist Master diploma from the Gestalt Institute Valencia (Spain). Art Therapist using the Gestalt approach CAT. Master in Ericksonian Psychology at the University of Valencia (Spain). Communications Operator at the Provincial Emergency Coordination center and Fire Consortium (Castellon, Spain) Naval radiotelephone operator. Group work and individual psychological intervention in crisis and emotional impact on collective emergencies with firefighters, policemen, paramedics using Gestalt art therapy techniques. Aurasoma Therapist Level 2. Dip. of Visual Arts. Curator. Coordinator-Art Group exhibitions. Co-Director of the Gestalt ArtbTherapy center (Australia). Co-Director of the Arteterapia Gestalt (Gestalt Art Therapy training in the Spanish language)