History of EAGT

The European Association for Gestalt Therapy (EAGT) was founded in 1985, with the aim of gathering European individual Gestalt therapists, Training Institutes and National Associations, of promoting Gestalt therapy in Europe, combining and exchanging knowledge and resources, fostering a high professional standard for Gestalt therapy and encouraging research. Today over 300 members (institutional and individual) from more than 20 European Nations are already part of the association.

The EAGT functions through 3 main bodies, which are:

-     the Executive Committee made of 5 members: the President, the Vice-President & Chair Training Standards Committee, the Treasurer, the Secretary, the External Relations & NOGTs Officer they are supported by an office manager;

-     the General Board made of all the representatives of National Associations & Executive Commitee;

-     the Meeting of Members (which gathers at least once every year). Elections of all officers of the Board are held every 3 years.

The main documents which regulates the EAGT are:

-         the Statutes;

-         the Training Standards;

-         the Code of Ethics.

Special committees have been and are working in order to create and/or up-date these documents.

The activities of EAGT are now numerous. We can divide them into scientific activities, and bureaucratic or political activities.

The main and most traditional scientific activity is the European Conference of Gestalt Therapy, which takes place every three years and is organized every time by a different institute or nation.

In these last years other scientifically activities have been added. The European Writers Support Conference for instance, which gathers a small group of writers, with the aim of supporting and promoting writing in Europe, where often the multitude of languages are an obstacle to the circulation of developments in theory and practice. Other expert meetings on specific themes (like supervision, new pathologies, etc.) suggested by members are organized and supported by EAGT.

A collection of a Gestalt therapy bibliography from every country, as well as curricula of training programs of Institute members is gathered by the chair of the Extended Board. This work constitutes the archives of European literature and training Institutes in the field of Gestalt therapy.

And a Network of Gestalt Training Institutes Leaders is being formed, with the aim of creating an exchange of training programs and experiences, and building a common platform in Europe which helps the circulation of students and, eventually, of teachers.

At a political level, the EAGT is connected with the European Association for Psychotherapy (EAP). The EAGT is in fact the “European Wide Awarding Organization” (EWAO) and as such participates in the award of the European Certificate of Psychotherapist. The EAGT will continue to seek to support professional standards of its members all over Europe, where very different social conditions prevail, and will in the near future create a European Register of Gestalt Practitioners.