EAGT Training Standards

   Introduction

The creation of minimum Training Standards for Gestalt therapy must be seen against the background of the professionalisation of psychotherapy across Europe, specifically the recent dramatic increase in the number of local, national, and European organisations for psychotherapy concerned with establishing stan­dards of training and ethical practice.

The credibility of Gestalt therapy as a competent and ethical approach to the healing of human suffering and to personality development requires similar attention to be given to the establishment of high standards of training and ethical practice.

The EAGT after intensive research and consultation has consented to minimal criteria for training in Gestalt therapy in order to accommodate the wide diversity of social and cultural conditions in Europe in which Ge­stalt therapy is being developed.

All training institutes who are members of EAGT are granted up to five years to bring their trainings up to these requirements. All EAGT members must reapply for membership every five years.

Committee members:

Peter Schulthess (acting Chair)

Faye Page

Lidija Pecotic

Nurith Levy

Gianni Francesetti

   Training Standards

The purpose of the document “Training Standards” is to clarify how our Training Standards are functioning in the field and how we are dealing with this as an organization.

The starting point of these standards were that there were questions from the field of members about the status of the EAGT-Membership. And at the same time Institutes and National Organizations are asking for accreditation rights. All these points will be covered in this document.

To make a protocol for the accreditation of Training Institutes, it is important that the training standards they have to meet are clear. The European Training standards document for Gestalt Therapy contains some previous omissions so that Institutes know what is expected of them in order to get accreditation. These concrete formulations can be seen as boundaries and will help us in our contact making processes. The standards are in line with the existing rules of the European Association of Psychotherapy. So when Institutes are certified, their graduates will also be eligible for the European Certificate for Psychotherapy.

The problem with making clear-cut rules is that they tend to conflict with our anarchistic background. So we have to mediate between being too strict and too lenient. We have tried to keep the bureaucracy to a minimum as far as possible.

Right now the EAGT has given official certificates of membership of the EAGT for individual members. These certificates will have progressive numbers. The certificate acknowledges that the person has completed his or her training in accordance with the EAGT Training Standards. So to be able to give the certificate it is necessary to have a protocol that can give more certainty as to the value of this certificate.

The certificate is a political instrument demonstrating that we take ourselves more seriously, and that we guarantee a certain standard of training. To be able to do this we need to describe the training standards in a protocol that can be evaluated. Institutes have 4 years to meet these standards.

In accordance with EAP, Gestalt Training Institutes can choose if they want to be accredited by EAGT or if they want to be at the same time accredited by EAP. EAP-certification can be given only if EAGT gave its certification. To facilitate the procedure the application of an Institute, that wants to apply for both accreditations, will be processed by a Gestalt-expert of another modality, both members of the pool of experts of EAGT. If an Institute wants only certification by EAGT, two gestalt-experts will process the accreditation.

Accreditation by EAGT has to be renewed every 5 years for EAP every 7 years. It is a possibility that the EAGT will give accreditation only under conditions and asks for measures within certain time limits. When these are not met, accreditation can be withdrawn.

You can find and download our complete standards on our page Downloads.