Taster Weekend Workshop
A two-day experiential workshop for those considering starting training in 2027, and for practitioners seeking professional development.
Taster Weekend details
GestaltTraining Institute West Australia
Train to practise as a Gestalt psychotherapist. A four-year, experiential training in Perth, for mental-health practitioners, counsellors and career-changers.
GTIWA delivers a leading four-year training programme and professional development for mental-health practitioners, counsellors and helping professionals.
WA
The state's dedicated Gestalt training institute
4 yrs
Longest continually offered Gestalt training in Australia
GATLA
Directors are international faculty, Los Angeles
2027
Next four-year intake, applications open
About Gestalt
What Is Gestalt Therapy?
Gestalt therapy is a holistic approach to human functioning that can be applied at any level, from personal growth to professional practice.
It emphasises awareness, authentic connection, and taking responsibility for our choices in the present moment.
Through the “healing through meeting” philosophy, Gestalt Therapy supports individuals to live more fully, creatively and meaningfully.
Learn More About Gestalt Therapy
The Programme
Our Four-Year Training Programme
A comprehensive, progressive training pathway designed to develop the personal, theoretical and practical skills of confident, ethical and effective Gestalt therapists.
Module One
100% experiential
An emphasis on personal awareness, self-support and the capacity for relationship.
Module Two
70% experiential / 30% supervision
Practical Gestalt skills, introduced and practised under supervision.
Module Three
50% experiential / 50% supervision
Supervised practice in groups and small triads with faculty, with theory evenings.
Module Four
50% experiential / 50% supervision
Continued supervised practice in ongoing groups and triads, with theory evenings.
Where it leads
What the Training Gives You
A comprehensive grounding for confident, ethical Gestalt practice, and further professional development for mental-health practitioners.
Expert Clinical Skills
Practical, supervised skills and sound theoretical knowledge for proficient Gestalt practice.
Personal Growth
Deep, personal and experiential development of awareness and the capacity for relationship.
Further Professional Training
High level further training for registered and training mental-health professionals.
Where Graduates Work
Graduates usually work in private practice, community health and organisations.
Investment
Fees & Investment
Transparent fees, charged one year at a time so your training can be planned with confidence.
Year 1 · 2027
$3,800 AUD · GST incl.
Deposit on acceptance$1,000
Balance, before commencement$2,800
Two-day Taster Weekend (optional)$450
Charged per year, so cost can be planned.
Personal therapy (a minimum of twenty sessions each year) is arranged separately. For practising professionals, training fees are typically tax-deductible.
See Full Fees & Structure
An international lineage
For Three Decades, Our Directors Have Carried Gestalt Between Continents, and Brought It Home to Perth.
EuropeUSAAustralia
Zish and Claudia are faculty trainers with Gestalt Associates Training Los Angeles (GATLA), teaching across Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Europe. You learn from practitioners still active on the world stage, without leaving Perth.
Workshops & Events
Upcoming Events
Four-Year Training Intake
Module One of the four-year programme begins. Applications for the 2027 cohort are open now.
2027 intake detailsEuropean Summer Residential
Zish and Claudia are guest training faculty at GATLA's annual European Gestalt therapy summer workshop.
European residential details
Our Team
Meet Our Faculty
Zish Rosenbach-Ziembinski
Clinical Psychologist & Psychotherapist
Co-Director since 1990. Certified Gestalt Therapist since 1983 and GATLA faculty across the USA, Australia, NZ and Europe.
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Claudia Rosenbach-Ziembinski
Clinical Psychologist & Psychotherapist
Co-Director since 1990. International trainer and GATLA faculty since 1998, in private practice.
View Profile
Ken Yeo
Occupational Therapist & Psychotherapist
A trainer with GTIWA since 2010, with a background in psychiatric rehabilitation and experiential group therapy.
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Danielle Zappavigna
Psychologist & Psychotherapist
A graduate of the Institute, in private practice and a Board-Approved Supervisor.
View Profile
How to join
How to Apply
Applications for the March 2027 intake are open now.
1
Attend a Taster Weekend
Optional, and how many trainees begin. Two experiential days on 5-6 December 2026.
2
Submit an Application
Request an application form and tell us a little about your background.
3
Meet Us for an Interview
At least one entry interview, a mutual conversation about readiness and fit.
4
Begin Module One in March
Join the incoming cohort and step into your first year of training.
Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Gestalt therapy is a holistic, relational approach to psychotherapy developed in the 1950s. It focuses on present-moment awareness, authentic contact and the client relationship, “healing through meeting”, and on personal responsibility, rather than only analysing the past. It's used to support anxiety, depression, trauma, relationships and personal growth.
Most trainees are mental-health or helping professionals, but there is no single mandatory prerequisite. Readiness is assessed through a personal interview, and thoughtful career-changers are welcome. Admission is non-discriminatory.
The programme runs a minimum of four years, March to November each year, with six weekend workshops per year. You also complete a minimum of twenty personal-therapy sessions each year. It's designed to run alongside working life.
Year One in 2027 is $3,800 AUD (GST included), charged one year at a time, a $1,000 deposit on acceptance and $2,800 before the year begins. Personal therapy is arranged separately. Fees are typically tax-deductible for practising professionals. See the fee breakdown.
This training program does not lead to formal registration but rather offers high level further practical/experiential training for registered/training mental health professionals who work or wish to work as Gestalt psychotherapists.
All training takes place in Perth, Western Australia. GTIWA is the state's dedicated Gestalt training institute, so there's no need to travel interstate. Our directors also teach internationally with GATLA in Los Angeles and Europe.
Where CBT focuses on changing thoughts and behaviours through structured techniques, Gestalt works experientially with what's happening in the present moment and in the relationship itself. It's less about fixing symptoms and more about expanding awareness, contact and choice, often a powerful complement for practitioners already trained in other modalities.
Acknowledgement of Country
The Gestalt Training Institute West Australia acknowledges the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation as the Traditional Custodians of Boorloo (Perth), the land on which we learn and practise, and pays our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.