Gstalt-L, An email discussion group devoted to Gestalt therapy and the community of its practitioners (www.g-gej.org/gstalt-l).
Gstalt-J, An email discussion group devoted to research on Gestalt therapy, theory and practice (www.g-gej.org/gstalt-j). Supported by the Gestalt Research Consortium (GRC) (www.g-gej.org/grc).
Gestalt Bookmarks, a place to begin researching the field of contemporary Gestalt therapy on the world wide web (www.g-gej.org/gestaltbookmarks).

As Italian ,with an American background, and trainee in Gestalt Counselling in Rome in support to my volunteer work with the terminally ill, I joined the GATLA Summer Residential in the hope of testing my newly acquired knowledge and skills in a group where I could relate with Americans and participate in Gestalt as practiced in the U.S.. I was up for surprises:

1. I wasn't surrounded by all Americans -- I was the only Italian among 25 different nationalities
2. American Gestalt, which I feared might be an aggressive expression of Perls' dramatic imprint, had softened into a warm , mutuality- respectful, dialogical
   style.
   

As a result , on the basis of my uncertainty relating to my cultural and professional identity ,i.e., whether I am more American or Italian, and whether my Couseling Training should be just a support to my volunteer work or a possible new profession, I made two important personal discoveries.

1) Within the context of Gestalt ,which produces high level of intense feelings, it is my private self and specific family culture which determines my choices, while my social-academic culture determines my public self and pragmatic style. (My organismic self-regulation allows me to shift the figure and ground of my Italian and American nature at my convenience).

In my Basic Group, there were three Americans, one Canadian, one Chinese, one Australian,and one Finish-Australian. To my surprise, the most profound understanding and sharing was expressed in my working with the Chinese and the Finnish-Australian . Born of Northern Italian parents who were culturally conditioned and conditioning to be emotionally reserved, I experienced more trust in working as a client with a Chinese whose reserve and high context cultural background had greater affinity with my private self. As therapist with the Finnish-Australian client, our common deep-seated intense feelings tied to the emigrant-immigrant syndrome allowed me to experience Dialogue in its most fulfilling essence of presence, inclusion and commitment , empowering me with courage and enough self-esteem to take on the role of a pragmatic, (even too daring) therapist.

And this takes me to my second personal discovery:

2) Having experienced Buber-valued "I-Thou" dialogue of "pure relationship" over ten years of volunteer work with HIV-positive children and their families and with the terminally ill, I now find that, if I intend to work as Gestalt Counselor, I must make a strong effort to heal myself of the self-effacing ego and to strengthen my self-esteem ,in order to bring the "I-it" element into the relationship and hence empower the commitment to Dialogue and the trust in the Gestalt dialogic process.

During my Gestalt training, each time I had to take on the role of therapist I felt uncomfortable, manipulative , incapable of assuming "power" in the use of acquired techniques. On the other hand, as my training progressed, I felt restless in my volunteer work each time I spotted a situation where I could have intervened as Gestalt counselor but was stifled by the lack of specific request for help. The fact is, as "volunteer" I respond spontaneously to a generalized cry for help and I offer "the other" authentic presence and inclusion or possibly, if requested, advise. As Counselor, on the other hand, there must be an aware request and commitment to Dialogue on the part of "the other" as willing "client", and myself as prepared, disciplined "therapist" ,who, allowing "the Between" to control the process, yet owns awareness of the process ,tracking it moment to moment. In order to overcome the fine, subtle difference of the two roles, I have reached the conclusion that I must shift gear : as Counselor I should allow the ego (I-it) to surface before going beyond it into the I-Thou which establishes the Between. In addition, despite my appreciation of the soft dialogic attitude I encountered at the GATLA Residential this past summer, because of my deforming above-mentioned past experience in dialoguing as volunteer worker, in the role as therapist I personally feel the need for meetings to be pinned down by contracts with clients and as well as by their formulation of concrete aims.

In Gestalt terms, my desire to pursue Counseling can be summed up as: maintaining Life as my ground, my figure has shifted from the dying to the living and healthy.

BUON NATALE E BUON 2001!

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My experience of the GATLA summer residentials programs has been an enriching one. Over the last five years, I have learn't a lot about myself. This program in someway has been a catalyst. The environment created by the faculty and the participants allows me to experience myself and others in ways, to use a gestalt term, I feel like I am more aware.

As a video producer, with years of experience in the Mental Health educational environment, I felt my position within the group, intitally was as an "outsider." I am not a therapist, nor had I any aspirations to be one. I did, on the other hand, have aspirations to understand more about Gestalt Therapy. I found its approach sophisticated yet honest and genuine. At work and play the community really cares and looks after itself, and being party to it is a very special feeling.

The participants make it a truely unique cross cultural experience. Each year I see old friends and make new ones, the sharing experience is truely a valued gift. I live in Australia - a very long way from many participants. Our lives might be very different but what humbles me is we all have one thing in common, our humanity. This experience is rare for me, it dosen't happen on its own, I feel the faculty do an outstanding job of creating the atmosphere and I feel privilleged to be part of it.

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My name is Anna Tanalska-Duleba. I come from Poland and I live in Warsaw. I am 46 years old; I have husband and 10 years old daughter. Here in Poland I work as psychotherapist since 1980. Since 1986, after many efforts and unsuccessful trials I started my training with Gestalt Therapy Institute of Los Angeles.

First time I attended the Summer Residential in 1986. It was in (then) West Germany. The impression was enormous. I was really touched. It was something really different from the kind of training and professional relationship I could meet in Poland. Except of the strictly teaching value of the Program I was impressed be very partner like and respectful relationship between trainers and participants. In that time – because of political situation in the world and because of economical situation of my country – I thought, I was actually sure it was my first and last Summer Residential so I did my best to take every possible advantage of it. I went back to Poland deeply satisfied.

The fate brought more than I expected. Three years later I could again join GTILA during the Summer Residential, this time in France. And since then I started to attend this form of training in Europe every two, three years. In that time (eighties, nineties of XX century) professional training in Poland was available only in very eclectic form. We (means Polish therapists, maybe except psychoanalytics) learned from wherever and whomever possible, training ourselves mutually, reading and inviting these foreigners who were ready to come. Participating Summer Residentials was for me a unique opportunity to get more or less regular and homogenic training in one school of therapy. The lucky coincidence was that this school suited very well my personal and professional style so in 1991 I passed my exams and became certified Gestalt therapist. Certified by GTILA.

I still keep attending Summer Residentials, in similar every two, three years rhythm, recently as co called Trainer Assistant. During my acquaintance with the enterprise it went through many changes. In Germany in 1986 there were only two groups of the same level. Then, step by step, according to the needs and suggestions of participants, the staff provided new levels and new forms of training. That’s why I keep coming – I can still develop my professional and personal skills, since this training, being very experiential, impacted not only my therapeutic capacity but also supported me strongly in my personal development.

In Germany in 1986 I was the only person from Poland, actually – the only one from (then) Eastern Europe. I remember getting sick from answering the question “Is there any therapy in Poland? Is there Gestalt therapy in Poland?” Since then many Eastern and (now) Central Europeans started to come. I also bring with me and send my colleagues and trainees.

So abundant attendance of Central/Eastern Europeans as well as my personal attendance were possible only thanks to the considerable financial help and scholarships provided and found by the staff. Without this help I could never continue my training in this form. Thank you.

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