MA in GESTALT PSYCHOTHERAPY

What Our Graduates Say?

Monika Deasy – Cork, graduated 2019

I completed my Gestalt training with GII in 2019. I am based in Cork where I run a successful private practice.

When I think about my four years with GII, I think of it as one of the most growthful experiences of my life.  I found my tribe, finally overcame old unhelpful patterns of behaviour gained clear direction for my future and fell in love with Gestalt and its intricacies. When I think about the team of trainers I think – respect, heart, wisdom, knowledge, skills, embodied presence, humanity, integrity, strength and kind holding.

The GII programme is delivered very uniquely via a spiral curriculum. In one sentence – it’s the school I always dreamed of but never had! You start at your own baseline (Yes! Your baseline) and keep on progressing, from year to year, simultaneously in the areas of Personal Development, Skills Development and Theoretical Understanding. That way I gained much more than academic knowledge and practical skills. I gained a total integration of all three areas – self immersed in Gestalt. I have two previous related third level qualifications but only after 4 years with GII did I feel fully equipped to take on the role of professional psychotherapist.

I consider myself lucky to have taken this journey and I would most definitely recommend it to anyone considering training in psychotherapy.

Bernie O Flaherty – Co. Galway, graduated 2019

I joined the GII training programme through the APEL route and completed Modules 1-3 in 2017.  I was then given encouragement and support to dream bigger and continue to the Dissertation (Module 4)

Before beginning the GII training I had no previous higher education experience. The experiential nature of the GII training is what drew me toward it and enabled me to become interested in and absorbed by academic studies. Receiving my Masters in Carlow IT was one of the proudest moments of my life.  I can honestly say that as a result of completing  my qualification with GII, I have found my place, not just in the Gestalt community but in the field of higher education and professional work.

 

Anne Rackard – Co. Wexford, graduated 2018

When I began my training with the Gestalt Institute of Ireland, I was 56 years old and had a busy practice as a Reflexologist and Facilitator.  Gestalt training was my gift to myself.  Because of the experiential aspect of the training, I felt the learning at a very deep level.  I experienced the ability to be able to sit with myself and to be comfortable with uncertainty and discomfort.  The ability to sit with myself has afforded me the opportunity to be able to sit with another in compassionate understanding and support.

I can highly recommend this Gestalt training. I am now a practicing psychotherapist and have recently applied for my accreditation.

Olive Fanning – Co. Carlow, graduated 2014

The teaching method used over the 4 years of the training is really supportive as you learn things both theoretically and practically and the learning develops and deepens as you progress.  The practical element of the programme gave me the vital skills and confidence to be with clients.  I cannot recommend the training enough.  The postgraduate group is a great post training resource training and supported me to get my accreditation with IAHIP.

Fiona Clothier – Co. Limerick, graduated 2013

I chose to train with IGC because of the rich diversity of the people who were on the training programme and the strong emphasis on the personal development of trainees.  I knew how important the latter was because I had previously completed a counselling course in which this was sadly lacking.  The consequences were that when I did secure work as a counsellor, on the strength of having done that course, I became ‘burnt out’ after a year.  My own unaddressed personal issues had come to the fore and I was ill equipped to deal with them.

Having completed my IGC training I find my work deeply rewarding.  My work with clients is rich and varied and my personal and family life has been enriched too.  I now work as an accredited therapist in private practice.

Harriet McGuigan – Co. Kerry, graduated 2013

It’s hard to put into a few lines what I achieved by doing the IGC training!  What stands out most for me in the four years I found my gorgeous beating heart.  My availability to myself and my heart is of great benefit to myself, my family and my clients.

There is huge emphasis on personal development and process on the programme whilst always linking the process with the academic theory.  I feel that I have gained a lot more confidence in my academic ability as a result of doing this programme.  A huge amount of this is due to how I was held, nurtured, encouraged, and supported throughout my years with the IGC.

I am now accredited and working in private practice and cannot recommend this programme enough.

Marian O’Donnell-Byrne – Co. Meath, graduated 2010

I can highly recommend the IGC training course.  I was already an accredited practicing counsellor when I decided to do the Gestalt training.  I was well rewarded for my decision.  Having completed the training I am able to work much more deeply and creatively with my clients.  Personally, I got significant insight into my processes.  I feel so much more confident both personally and professionally. Enrolling on that course was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Kate Murphy – Co. Donegal, graduated 2006

I still carry the benefits of the IGC training with me and it gave me a real sense of being part of a therapeutic community.  A great strength of this training is the fact that it is residential.

Living and learning together as a community was so supportive.  I could leave the demands of my life behind and have time for myself.

It is 11 years since I graduated, and I now work for The Irish Family Planning Association as a crisis pregnancy counsellor, and as a therapist for a couple of community based organisations.  I also have a private practice.

I am still involved with the IGC community, so being a part of it did not end when I graduated, which is very positive for me.

Emma Gannon – Dublin, graduated 2001

I graduated from the IGC in 2001.  For me the strengths of the programme were the ways in which I learned and grew as a therapist.  I am now able to be with my client without fear in a very present and aware manner.  This allows and transforms the therapeutic relationship by creating a meaningful and supportive space which enables the client to explore their deepest thoughts and feelings without any judgement.

I now work in a hospital setting as a Senior Medical Social Worker as part of a multi-disciplinary team in the area of Oncology.  Training as a Gestalt psychotherapist has given me increased skills and abilities in making meaningful interventions in a measured and holistic way.  It has given me an inner strength to be able to sit with the patient and family members in the many and varied aspects of their cancer journey.