Our values
At the Gestalt Institute of Yerevan education is grounded in the belief, that the formation of the therapist is not only about knowledge but also about human presence, values, respect and responsibility.
1. Presence and awareness
We aim to develop the therapist’s ability to be present and to be able to modulate their presence according to the need of the situation.
2. Curiosity instead of judgement
We encourage curiosity toward the other and toward new situations, while rising awareness of one’s own judgements and learning not to act impulsively.
3. The capacity to stay with uncertainty
We support the students’ as future therapists’ awareness to wait, to stay open to welcome emerging phenomena with curiosity and sensitivity
4. Embodied knowing
We believe that the true knowing arises from the integration of body, emotions and thoughts.
Embodied presence allows the students and the therapists to sense and understand what is happening in the field not only through mind but through their whole being.
5. Respect and human dignity
Respect for each person’s uniqueness, difference, history and boundaries forms the ethical and human foundation of our work.
6. Co-creation and responsibility
We believe that the interaction between students, trainers and the group process therapists create a living field, a ground where learning and transformation take place.
7. Integration and authenticity
We value each student’s ability to develop their own therapeutic style, integrating professional competences with personal qualities and authenticity.
8.Comunity and belonging
Recognizing that psychotherapy is, in some way, a solitary profession, we value the creation of supportive professional community and a sense of belonging to the international Gestalt community.
9. Living our values
We believe in transmitting our values to students through our own example: through the way we teach, relate and cocreate the field of the Institute.
Why Choose the Gestalt Institute of Yerevan (GIY)
1. Complete education based on the standards of the European Association for Gestalt Therapy (EAGT)
We strictly follow the requirements for both the training program and its organization.
The advantage of a full therapeutic education lies in the fact that the formation of a psychotherapist takes place within one coherent psychotherapeutic approach.
2. International Team
Our professional team is composed of experienced trainers, therapists, and supervisors from different countries, which enriches students’ learning experience.
Students have the opportunity to experience various trainers’ styles, which helps them later to develop their own authentic therapeutic style.
Although our trainers have different personal approaches, they all work in a coordinated way, in relational and field-oriented paradigm, keeping the development of the student as a Gestalt therapist at the center of attention.
3. EAGT-Accredited Professionals
All our trainers and supervisors are Gestalt therapists accredited by the European Association for Gestalt Therapy (EAGT) and have many years of professional experience.
4. Ethical Commitment
We follow the EAGT Code of Ethics, while also viewing ethics primarily as a matter of awareness and responsibility.
5. Relational Approach and Field Paradigm
Our training is based on the relational approach and field paradigm of contemporary Gestalt therapy.
6. Cultural awareness and respect for cultural context
In our training, we carefully adopt and integrate the Gestalt approach within Armenian cultural context.
7. Learning Through Experience
We emphasize learning through personal experience and value knowledge that is truly assimilated and embodied by the student.
8. Personal and Professional Growth
Our training is built on three essential components: theoretical knowledge, professional skills, and personal development — the integration of which is fundamental to becoming a Gestalt therapist.
Gestalt therapy is a therapeutic approach where professional growth is inseparable from personal growth.
EAGT Code of Ethics
While the National association of Gestalt therapists in Armenia is still in the process of formation and has not yet established its own ethical code, the Gestalt Institute of Yerevan is guided by the Ethical code of the European Assosiation for Gestalt therapy (EAGT).
The Institute has also translated the EAGT Ethical Code into Armenian ensuring accessibility for all students and professionals.
About
How the Institute was founded
The Gestalt Institute of Yerevan (GIY) was founded in 2023 by Marina Serobyan, with the generous support of Frans Meulmeester.
In fact, the idea had been slowly growing for years. A group of Armenian psychologists, who regularly participated in Gestalt therapy seminars and workshops, repeatedly expressed their wish to establish a Gestalt therapy Institute in Armenia.
The demand was also driven by the lack of psychotherapeutic Institutes in the country.
The final decision was made after the 2020 war, when the need for psychotherapists with a complete, humanistic value based education, being profoundly present became especially evident.
The contribution of Frans Meulmeester to the creation of the Institute has been truly precious.
It is also important to acknowledge the significant involvement of Ines Poghosyan, whose participation played a vital role in turning this vision into reality.
Our Vision
We believe, that awareness and meaningful, alive relationships become the ground for change, wellbeing and reconnection, helping individuals restore the connection with their own bodies and the sense of belonging to the world.
In times when sensitivity and connections often fade, the Gestalt Institute of Yerevan is dedicated to restore the human sense of belonging by supporting the development of gestalt therapists, who through their presence and curiosity seek to create a common and supportive ground from which the client can rediscover their spontaneity.
Our purpose
The purpose of the Gestalt Institute of Yerevan is to contribute to the development of Gestalt therapy in Armenia by offering a whole and value based education that is sensitive to our cultural and national context and responsive to the needs of our society and professional field and based on the EAGT standards.
We aim to educate gestalt therapists who can meet and stay with traumatic experiences with awareness, compassion and professional responsibility.
By carefully integrating the International gestalt approach with the Armenian cultural and existential experience, the Institute seeks to nurture a living professional comunity in Armenia, while supporting our therapists in feeling part of the wider international Gestalt community.