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.
GIY Gestalt Training Program
The duration of our basic training program is four years.
It includes 630 hours of theory and methodology, 200 hours of group process, and 100 hours of supervision.
Training takes place in a closed group, where participants journey together through personal and professional growth.
The program is built on three essential components:
theoretical knowledge, personal development, and the formation of professional skills and qualities.
Knowledge is developed through two complementary paths — the study of literature and experiential learning.
Learning through experience is one of the distinguishing features of the Gestalt approach.
These components are formed through three types of learning modules:
-
Theory and Methodology Blocks (5 days)
-
Group Process blocks(4 days)
-
Supervision Blocks (4 days )
Students also conduct 40 hours of intervision per year in small groups, totaling 160 hours throughout the program.
To complete the training, each student must fulfill the following requirements:
-
a minimum of 50 hours of individual therapy with a certified Gestalt therapist
-
a minimum of 50 hours of supervision with an accredited Gestalt supervisor
-
at least 400 hours of practical experience
-
50 elective hours, which may include participation in Gestalt seminars and conferences outside the Institute
The maximum number of participants per group is 20.
First Year
The goal of the first year is to:
A. Introduce students to the basic principles of Gestalt therapy.
B. Support students in experiencing their own awareness, responsibility, and contact patterns within the group process.
The first year includes:
-
4 blocks of Group Process – a total of 100 hours with group process therapists.
-
6 blocks of Theory and Methodology – a total of 180 hours with trainers.
The final block of the first year serves as a summary and evaluation of the student’s development.
Following this block, a decision is made regarding the student’s continuation into the next year of training.
Second Year
The goal of the second year is to focus on the personal qualities and characteristics of the future Gestalt therapist.
The second year includes:
-
4 blocks of Group Process – a total of 100 hours with group process therapists.
-
6 blocks of Theory and Methodology – a total of 150 hours with trainers.
The final block of the second year summarizes and evaluates the student’s development.
Following this block, a decision is made regarding the student’s continuation into the next year of training.
Third Year
The goal of the third year is to focus on the process of becoming a Gestalt therapist — the development of the therapist’s personality, professional skills, and competencies.
The third year includes:
-
5 blocks of Theory and Methodology – a total of 150 hours with trainers.
-
50 hours of Supervision with a certified supervisor.
Starting from the third year, the student is considered a Gestalt therapist in training and begins to work with clients using the Gestalt approach.
(For more details, here)
The final block of the third year summarizes and evaluates the student’s development.
Following this block, a decision is made regarding the student’s continuation into the next year of training.
Fourth Year
The goal of the fourth year is professional integration.
The fourth year includes:
-
5 blocks of Theory and Methodology – a total of 150 hours with trainers.
-
50 hours of Supervision with a certified supervisor.
Upon successful completion of the fourth year, the student becomes a certified Gestalt therapist.
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 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 uncertainity
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 hman foundation of our work.
6.Cocreation 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, group process 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.