2026 Working with Couples- A Gestalt Therapy Approach

 

2026 Working with Couples

A Gestalt Therapy Approach

Online

This workshop is designed for counsellors, psychologists, Gestalt therapists, Art therapists, Play therapists, and Social workers who work with couples or wish to deepen their skills in relationship-focused practice.

Working with Couples – A Gestalt Therapy Approach- Online Workshop

Working with couples can be complex, challenging, and deeply meaningful.

This online workshop offers a Gestalt Therapy perspective on couple work, supporting practitioners to deepen their understanding of relationship dynamics, conflict, intimacy, and contact. We will explore the relationship as a living system, where two individuals meet, differ, and co-create meaning together.

The workshop is suitable for practitioners supporting couples across different life stages, cultures, family structures, and relational configurations. This includes couples with children, blended families, and diverse sexual and gender identities.

It is ideal for counsellors, therapists, psychologists, and mental health professionals who are already working with couples, as well as those beginning to integrate Gestalt principles into their clinical practice.

Join us for a reflective and experiential space to expand your confidence, awareness, and skills in working with couples.

If you cannot attend live, you can register to receive the recording.

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

Your Association - CPD Hours

AASW CPD hours

ACA OPD hours

PACFA CPD hours

Day: April 18th

Time: 4 pm to 6 pm (Brisbane- Australian time)  AEST- Australian Eastern Standard Time. UTC/GMT +10 hours

Time Zones

Objectives of the workshop:

• Develop a clear Gestalt Therapy framework for understanding couple relationships as dynamic systems rather than individual problems

• Support practitioners to work with differences in couples, including gender, age, culture, life stage, parenting, blended families, and personal dreams, without pathologising diversity

• Strengthen the ability to recognise and work with conflict as a form of contact, using awareness rather than control or avoidance

• Introduce the two trains metaphor as a clinical and educational tool to support differentiation, autonomy, and connection in couple work

• Enhance practitioners’ capacity to identify where couples become blocked within the Cycle of Experience and to intervene with clarity and presence

• Build confidence in working with polarities, contact and withdrawal, and the paradoxical theory of change in couple dynamics

• Support ethical and grounded exploration of sexuality as a relational language of connection, difference, and vulnerability

• Equip participants with practical strategies to help couples develop self-support, take responsibility, and create healthier patterns of communication and repair

The Inner Couple/Partner Introyect

The Inner Couple refers to the internalised relational archetypes we all carry within us, shaped by early experiences with parents and caregivers, cultural norms, social expectations, religion, media, and romantic narratives from films and stories. These inner figures influence how we love, argue, desire, withdraw, and attach, often operating outside conscious awareness. Conflict arises when our inner partner does not match the stereotypes or expectations we have absorbed about how a partner should be, how love should look, or how relationships are meant to function. In such moments, tension is not only between two people, but between lived relational experience and inherited ideals.

From a Gestalt perspective, working with the Inner Couple invites awareness of these internalised images, allowing individuals and couples to differentiate what truly belongs to them from what was learned, projected, or idealised, opening space for more authentic contact and choice in relationship.

Cost:

Members of the Gestalt Art Therapy Center

Participation: $150Aud

Click here to pay by Credit card (Paypal)

General participants

Participation: $210Aud

Click here to pay by Credit card (Paypal) 

Workshop REGISTRATION HERE

► This workshop will be recorded, allowing participants who cannot attend due to time zone differences to access the content later. By participating in this workshop, you agree to these conditions.

If you need a Certificate of Participation for CPD purposes but cannot attend the live event, you are still eligible for the certificate. To qualify, you must watch the recording, complete the proposed activities, send us a picture of your creations, and complete a feedback form.

We are not registered for GST.

Zoom (After registration and payment, you will receive the Zoom link )

System:

System and Materials you will need for the workshop participation:

- Internet connection

- Having installed the Zoom program (Download here)

- PC, Laptop, Tablet with webcam & audio

- Paper to write

- Felt pens, or other colored pens that you like

Workshop only for adults.

More information:

Gestaltarttherapycentre@gmail.com

Online Workshops

• Please note that if we do not have the minimum number of participants on the day of the workshop, the live workshop will not proceed.

• Please note that PayPal payments and refunds will incur a 3% transaction fee, applied by PayPal.

• If the minimum number of live participants is not reached, the organisers reserve the right to postpone or cancel the event. In this case, all payments will be fully refunded. Please note that PayPal commissions are not refundable.

• A list of required materials for each workshop can be found on our website and will also be sent via email. These materials are essential, even if they are similar across workshops.

• By registering for and attending our events, you agree to these terms and conditions.

• Please note that this workshop will be recorded. By registering and attending, you agree to be recorded and waive any future claims regarding the use and distribution of the video. The recording will be made available to current and future registered participants.

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2026 Embroidering Emotions- Gestalt Art Therapy Face-to-Face Workshop

 

2026 Embroidering Emotions

 Gestalt Art Therapy 

Face-to-Face Workshop

From a Gestalt Art Therapy perspective, embroidery becomes a process of repair and integration. Each stitch symbolises resilience, helping transform trauma and unfinished business into a tangible form, where meaning, self-support, and emotional coherence can be restored through creative action.

*20% Off!

Series of Workshops for Wellbeing

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

Art Therapy Associations CPD hours

AASW CPD hours

ACA OPD hours

PACFA CPD hours

Series of Workshops for Wellbeing

Embroidering Emotions: A Gestalt Art Therapy Perspective

This workshop introduces embroidery as an accessible, experiential creative practice that supports emotional processing, resilience, and self-regulation. Participants will learn beginner-friendly embroidery techniques while engaging in a reflective, supportive environment that integrates body awareness, creativity, and emotional exploration.

Through guided embroidery experiences, participants will explore how working with thread, fabric, and simple tools can strengthen inner resources and assist in working with unresolved emotional experiences. The learning is practical and experiential, allowing participants to later adapt this approach within therapeutic, counselling, and community contexts. Participation in this workshop contributes to Professional Development (PD) hours.

►Art materials included!

Workshop Objectives: Embroidering Emotions (for beginners)

(For professionals and non-professionals)

• Learn basic embroidery stitches and tools suitable for beginners

• Explore embroidery as a method for emotional regulation and inner stability

• Use tactile creative processes to support presence and embodied awareness

• Express personal experiences and strengths through symbolic imagery

• Work with themes of repair, continuity, and resilience through stitching

• Experience embroidery as a container for complex or unresolved emotions

• Develop confidence in applying this creative approach in therapy and counselling sessions

• Explore ways to adapt embroidery-based activities for community projects and group work

• Understand how this experiential process can be safely introduced to clients

• Gain PD hours through participation in a structured, face-to-face professional learning experience

Materials included in the workshop cost

Please note that the designs available at the workshop may differ from those shown in the photo. By participating in this event, you acknowledge and accept these conditions.

Workshop information:

Day: March 28th, 2026

Where: Gestalt Art Therapy Centre.

2 Findlay St. Ashgrove. Brisbane. Qld.

Time: 5 pm to 7 pm (Brisbane- Australian time) 2-hour workshop

Cost:

Members of the Gestalt Art Therapy Center

Participation: $150Aud

Click here to pay by Credit card (Paypal)

*20% OFF!

$120 Aud

The 20% discount will be applied to payments made before March 15. After this date, the cost is $150.

Click here to pay by Credit card (Paypal)

General participants

Participation: $210Aud

Click here to pay by Credit card (Paypal) 

*20% OFF!

$168 Aud

The 20% discount will be applied to payments made before March 15. After this date, the cost is $210.

Click here to pay by Credit card (Paypal)

Workshop REGISTRATION HERE

Become a Member!!

Please note that for payments and refunds processed via PayPal, a 3% commission will be applied by PayPal to each transaction.

By participating in our events, you agree to these conditions.

Workshop only for adults

Please note:

Covid Requirements

Following the Australian Government Health Department's indications and to offer a safe space for all patients and Psychotherapists/ 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 participant must reschedule the session/ workshop participation. 

Important information from the Government:

Testing positive for COVID-19, close contact, and Flu symptoms

Any person who tests positive for COVID-19 or is a close contact, or has Flu symptoms, will not be admitted and will need to reschedule the session/workshop participation.

Payment Methods: Ask us for Bank details, please

More information:

Gestaltarttherapycentre@gmail.com

If the event does not meet the minimum number of participants and the organisers decide to postpone it, you will be offered the option to transfer your payment to a future event or discuss a refund. Cancellations made less than 24 hours before the event will not receive refunds or credits.

Please note that for payments and refunds processed via PayPal, a 3% commission will be applied by PayPal to each transaction.

By participating in our events, you agree to these conditions.

Cancellation policy. Read the information during registration.

2024 The Broken Self © A Gestalt Art Therapy approach - Face to Face Workshop- Brisbane

 

2024 The Broken Self © A Gestalt Art Therapy approach - 

Face to Face Workshop- Brisbane

Time & Location

30 Mar 2024, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm AEST

Ashgrove, 2 Findlay St, Ashgrove QLD 4060, Australia

About the event

THE BROKEN SELF©

Have you ever felt (or are you feeling) broken?

Even though the difficult and painful situation has already passed, the sensation of feeling broken is still alive.

Have you heard of "heartbreak"?

There is medical research that shows that emotional pain is transferred to the parts of the body and the body suffers what you feel.

If we reflect on our lives, we can see how many times we have felt lost, or we have lost someone, we have felt unheard, and/or not loved. We have felt fear, sadness, and abandonment.

An interesting tool to work with PTSD.

All these emotions have somehow made us feel "split" into pieces - broken.

Kintsugi and Resilience theory are both concepts that center around the ideas of healing, growth, and transformation in the face of adversity. Let's explore each of these concepts and then discuss how creating a piece using Kintsugi can be therapeutic.

Kintsugi as a Philosophy:

Kintsugi is a Japanese art form in which broken pottery is repaired using lacquer mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. Instead of disguising the cracks, Kintsugi highlights them, turning the object's history of damage into a beautiful and valuable part of its story. This philosophy embodies the idea that imperfections and challenges are not to be hidden or discarded but embraced as an integral part of an object's, or a person's, history.

Resilience Theory:

Resilience theory focuses on individuals' ability to adapt and grow positively in the face of adversity, trauma, or significant stressors. It suggests that resilience is not just the ability to "bounce back" to a previous state, but also the capacity to develop new strengths and insights through the process of overcoming challenges.

Therapeutic Benefits of Creating a Kintsugi Piece:

Creating a piece using the Kintsugi technique can have therapeutic effects aligned with both Kintsugi philosophy and Resilience theory:

• Embracing Imperfection: The act of repairing broken pottery with precious metals symbolizes the acceptance of imperfection and the beauty that can emerge from it. Similarly, during the process of creating a Kintsugi piece, individuals can reflect on their own life experiences, accepting their flaws and learning to appreciate their unique journey. 
• Narrative Transformation: Kintsugi transforms brokenness into a story of transformation and value. This parallels the resilience process, where individuals can view their challenges as opportunities for growth. Engaging in the physical act of repairing broken pieces can serve as a metaphor for repairing and transforming their own life.
• Mindfulness and Focus: Creating a Kintsugi piece requires focus, attention, and precision. Engaging in this mindful process can help individuals temporarily detach from stressors and anxieties, promoting a sense of relaxation and calm.
• Symbolic Representation: The visual outcome of a Kintsugi piece, with its intricate gold lines highlighting the mended cracks, serves as a tangible reminder of one's ability to overcome difficulties. This can boost self-esteem and self-efficacy, key components of resilience.
• Cathartic Expression: The act of repairing and beautifying broken pottery can provide a cathartic way to express emotions related to pain, loss, or trauma. The physicality of the process can help release pent-up feelings and promote emotional healing.

In summary, creating a piece using Kintsugi techniques aligns with both the Kintsugi philosophy and Resilience theory, offering therapeutic benefits by promoting acceptance, growth, mindfulness, and emotional expression. It's a tangible way for individuals to engage in a transformative process that reflects their own journey of resilience and healing.

In this workshop from the Gestalt approach and from the beautiful metaphor of the ceramic technique you will know:

• To identify which these broken parts of your life
• To find the nutritious part of each experience that has happened to you
•  To integrate the pieces of your life in a powerful and transformative way.

We do not seek to "forget" or erase these painful experiences, we seek to accept and integrate them, and from this act, we will be closer to healing and transformation.

During this workshop, we will explore the main teaching from the Kintsugi as a philosophy and the Resilience theory.

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"

Materials included in the workshop cost

Workshop information:

Day: March 30th, 2024

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

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

AASW CPD hours

ACA OPD hours

PACFA CPD hours

Workshop REGISTRATION HERE

Please note:

Covid Requirements

Following the Australian Government Health Department's indications and to offer 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.

2024 DREAM WORK- a Gestalt Art Therapy approach - ZOOM

 

2024 DREAM WORK- a Gestalt Art Therapy approach - ZOOM

Time & Location

23 Mar 2024, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm AEST

Virtual Event

About the event

DREAMWORK

a Gestalt Art Therapy approach

Dreams can be a source of personal insight.

As there is experimental support for the hypothesis that sleep facilitates cognitive insight and creative thinking (Maquet and Ruby, 2004; Stickgold and Walker, 2004; Wagner et al., 2004; Darsaud et al., 2011), it is plausible that sleep could allow personal/affective insight, and that this might be reflected in dream content, given the interaction between characters, and emotional content, in most dreams (Nielsen and Lara-Carrasco, 2007).

Whether it is in a traditional or modern context, dreams have a special place in both psychology and psychotherapy studies. For example, ‘The Traditional Interpretive Dream Approach’ model, which we came across its first remains in Mesopotamia and is also the inspiration for psychoanalysis, is based on the interpretation of the symbols in the dream with the principle of reaching the hidden meaning. However, what is done with this interpretation is to move away from the phenomenal subjective reality of the client.

Dreams are also a way of experiencing just like the waking experiences and a phenomenal self has its place in the center of these experiences as it has in the waking ones.

Dreams have hidden meanings beyond words, and these meanings are covered by symbols. The symbols in the dream must be interpreted to achieve the implicit meaning of the dream. (Hayrettin Kara)

" The dreams are the symbolic narration of an unconscious reality"

Dreams are studied through Psychology and neuroscience, memory processes during REM sleep. The existing neuroscientific evidence suggests that we are almost certainly capable of learning during dreams and that learning may therefore be one of dreams’ primary adaptive functions. (Isaac Roberts)

· During this online workshop participants will understand how to work with their dreams, in a Gestalt Art Therapy approach.

· Using creativity, expressive creations, and imagination, participants will connect with their dream projections.

· Dreamwork in a Gestalt focus will help participants to understand not the “why” but the “for what” and “how” during the translation of their dream

“Here and now” will give a precious awareness during this amazing process of working with dreams.

· This workshop is “hands-on” - this means that the importance is the practice, the moment, and the experience. We will present theories but the objective is practical.

No previous experience in dream work, Gestalt Therapy, or Psychology, Therapy or Art is necessary.

►If you do not remember any of your dreams, do not worry, you are also welcome to participate, we will give you some ideas on how to work with this.

Objectives of the workshop:

· Discover the hidden messages of your dreams.

· Learn the steps to work with Dreams.

· Working with Dreams in a Gestalt Art therapy approach

· Integrate awareness during the dreamwork in your everyday life.

· Create your own dream in a conscientious manner

· Gain tools to be used with your clients in therapy sessions

· Becoming a “Dream catcher”

Participants will receive a certificate of 2 hours completed from Gestalt Art Therapy Centre Australia of “Dreamwork- Gestalt art therapy approach”

This Online workshop is designed for people interested in knowing about how to work with dreams in their practice and for all individuals with an interest in discovering and learning how to work with their own dreams.

Workshop information:

Day: March 23rd, 2024

Time: 5 pm to 7 pm

Online

Cost:

Gestalt Art Therapy Club members

Participation: $95Aud

Click here to pay by Credit card (Paypal)

General participants

Click here to pay by Credit card (Paypal) Participation: $110Aud

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

AASW CPD hours

ACA OPD hours

PACFA CPD hours

Any questions please contact us.

gestaltarttherapy@gmail.com

Workshop REGISTRATION HERE

We are not registered for GST

System: Zoom (After registration and payment you will receive the link for your participation)

System and Materials you will need for the workshop participation:

System: Zoom (After your registration you will receive the link so you can access the day of the event)

Connection system and materials that you will need to have available on the day of the workshop:

- Internet connection, a computer, tablet, or phone, with access to a webcam and microphone.

- Have the Zoom program or APP installed and be registered@

- One A4 Paper to write and/or draw

- A pen, colored markers, or crayons.

- Camera or cell phone to take a picture of your creation to be shared with the participants.

Read Policy cancelation and Participation conditions in the "Event Policy"

This workshop will be “hands-on” and will not be recorded.

More information:

Gestaltarttherapycentre@gmail.com

Payment Methods: Ask us for Bank details, please see here for information related to Refunds and cancellation policy. In the situation that there is not a minimum number of participants and the organizers decide to cancel the event, they will offer to transfer the payment to another future event or the refund of the payment made by each participant will be offered. In payments and refunds via PayPal, commissions will be applied by Paypal of 3%, also the commission will be discounted from the payment received, in each refund.

Online workshops:

If you cancel your participation less than 24 hours before the day of the workshop, there is no refund or credit forfeiting the payment you would have made to participate in the workshop. If you do not have the necessary materials to participate in the workshop, unfortunately, you will not be able to participate. In each event you will be able to read the list of materials required for each workshop on the website and also in the emails we send you, these materials may be similar, although it is necessary to have them. If you cancel your participation in the workshop due to not having the necessary materials, the payment you would have made to participate will not be refunded. Participating in our events means that you accept all these conditions.

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Read information about our COVID-19 Guidelines