How to become a Gestalt Therapist

Training in Gestalt therapy takes between 4 and 6 years. There are numerous training institutes. In some countries these are university degrees, but in Europe this is not the case.

Normally, to enroll in training, you must already have a degree in humanities, but the disciplines that are considered as humanities vary depending on the country. Then, before or during the training, it depends on the Institutes, you must have done or do a certain number of hours of individual therapy.

Apart from that, you have to submit writings, read a lot, do a case study or demonstrate how, as a student, you have integrated the theory and practice of Gestalt therapy into your field (many social workers, Human Resource managers, teachers, specialized educators, psychologists and coaches choose to be trained in Gestalt therapy).

At the end of the training, you are issued a certificate attesting that you can practice the profession of Gestalt therapist, but the improvement is far from over - a Gestalt therapist must continue to train, be supervised, write articles, attend seminars and conferences and adhere to the code of ethics of one of the national or European associations that proves his credibility and that, if necessary, the client can contact in case of a problem.

In that case, the ethical commission examines the situation on a case-to-case basis and penalizes the therapist by preventing him from continuing to practice, if judged not respecting the code.

If the Gestalt therapist is a member of one of the associations listed at the bottom of this page, he or she meets the ethical and professional requirements of the profession.

In Luxembourg, to work as a Gestalt therapist, you have these options:

Psychotherapist

If you hold a diploma or master’s degree in clinical psychology and/or have training in psychotherapy recognized by the country or, you can refer to the Ministry of Education and Research (MESR) for a recognition of your professional qualifications (if studied abroad) and in those cases, you can practice as a psychotherapist. This title is issued by the Ministry of Health and in this case, you appear on its site register.

Finally, for the non-Luxembourgish citizen, a B2 level in French or German language is mandatory.

Other Liberal professions

Since the work of Gestalt therapists varies according to people, their fields, their professional backgrounds and their limitations, and since contact is at the center of the concern of the Gestalt therapy, some Gestalt therapists may feel limited in contact with a client suffering from a disorder which causes him to lose contact with reality. Instead of identifying professionally with workers in the field of mental health, they will prefer to remain in the domain of supporting clients who are going through life crisis, or who are in need of personal development.

Some of them will orient towards organizational development. In this case, the Gestalt therapist may, depending on his professional field or his complementary technique, choose another title, in accordance with the Luxembourgish law, as an independent practicing a liberal profession. To do this, he is referred to the Ministry of Economy and should follow the procedure to obtain a business permit (l’autorisation d’établissement).

Incomplete list of some Gestalt therapy associations in Europe: