Gestalt Training Program
Our flagship experiential training program fostering personal growth & professional development
Ready to Apply?
Applications due by
September 10, 2026
Want more information?
Next FREE Info Session is
December 5th, 2025
The Gestalt Training Program (GTP) is a foundational training program of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, which has generated positive, powerful change in individuals, groups, organizations, and communities for over five decades. Over the course of 18 months, GTP participants will study Gestalt theory and practice with the guidance and support of skilled, experienced faculty. In small and large group settings, learning occurs through interactive, didactic teaching and creative exploration of Gestalt principles and concepts.
GTP is designed to support participants in developing a deeper, more embodied awareness of themselves and how they navigate the various personal and professional contexts in their lives. By increasing awareness, we create the possibility for engaging in more satisfying and meaningful ways of being and connecting.
GTP teaches basic Gestalt principles and attends to six core areas of inquiry and experience: intellectual, emotional, spiritual, physical, relational, and creative. GTP is also an important first step for those interested in pursuing advanced training programs at GIC.
About The Program
The Gestalt Training Program (GTP) is open to adult learners who are interested in studying Gestalt theory and practice within a robust, immersive learning community.
Is GTP for Me?
Anyone working with individuals, couples, families, or groups in a broad range of professional and community settings will benefit from the program, including:
Mental Health professionals
Medical professionals
Coaches
Business leaders
Consultants
Lawyers
Educators
Administrators
Non-profit leaders
Religious clergy
Community organizers
Philanthropists
Artists
Graduate students
GTP is ideal for individuals seeking to expand their capacity to relate to others with greater authenticity and presence.
*Attending a Gestalt Experience Workshop is a prerequisite for applying to GTP.
View our introductory pre-requisite workshops
Program Details and Learning Focus
Awareness &
Presence
A framework for relating to others with our whole selves — present, curious, honest, authentic, and respectful
Skills to support a here-and-now, present-centered experience
The ability to move through the world with greater awareness, intention, and choice
An increased capacity to tend to emergent processes as they unfold in the moment
GTP offers participants:
Relational & Embodied Understanding
An immersive process deepening awareness of ourselves and others as holistic, embodied beings
An enhanced understanding of how we coexist and connect with ourselves and others
A complex understanding of how the contexts in which we exist impact how we move through the world
Integrative Skills
for Change
The ability to assess interactions, including individual experiences as well as co-created realities
Skills for engaging across differences, tending to a variety of wants and needs, and supporting multiple perspectives
A lens through which to support change and integrated well-being in ourselves and others
Growth & Creative Experimentation
Opportunities to experiment creatively with various ways of being and interacting
The capacity to recognize and tend to unfinished business that may have resulted in fixed ways of being which can impede connection and growth
Foundations of Gestalt Theory & Method
Explore the principles and power of Gestalt theory and methodology
Recognize similarities and differences between Gestalt theory and other models of human behavior
Explain how the Gestalt Cycle of Experience informs effective interventions
Apply the Gestalt Theory of Change and Resistances when working with individuals, families, groups, and larger systems
Learning Objectives
Relational & Embodied Awareness
Describe the concept of the Relational Field as used in Gestalt practice
Review the concept of body/mind/spirit (body/self) as it contributes to the Relational Field
Use dialogue and I–Thou interaction to explore differences within relationships
Integration
& Application
Experience the benefits of a supportive learning community across multiple system levels
Expand professional competence by integrating Gestalt principles into both personal life and professional practice
Faculty
Our GTP co-Chairs:
Additional faculty for the upcoming GTP program will be drawn from GIC faculty.
The faculty at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland are highly skilled, multidisciplinary professionals who are deeply experienced in Gestalt theory and practice, and bring a wide range of skills and lived experience to the GTP program.
Program Schedule
Ten in-person weekends held over two academic years (September 2026 – May 2028). Each module builds upon prior learning through experiential practice, group process, and faculty supervision*.
All sessions will be held in person** at
the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland in Berea, Ohio.
Each weekend follows the same schedule:
Thursdays: 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM ET
Fridays & Saturdays: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM ET
Sundays: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
2026
Weekend 1: September 24–27
Weekend 2: November 12–15
2027
Weekend 3: January 28–31
Weekend 4: March 18–21
Weekend 5: May 13–16
Weekend 6: September 23–26
Weekend 7: November 4–7
2028
Weekend 8: January 20–23
Weekend 9: March 16–19
Weekend 10: May 18–21
* Participants must document at least 25 hours of individual therapy with an approved Gestalt-oriented psychotherapist in order to complete the program. Partial credit may be approved for previous work.
** A negative COVID test is required to attend each GTP session. Please bring proof of a negative test taken within 24 hours of the beginning of each weekend.
Registration Now Open!
Tuition:
$10,500
Continuing Education (CE): 227.50 contact hours
Tuition and fees do not include external therapy requirements.
Payment plans available upon request
Limited tuition assistance may be available based upon financial need.
Application process:
Click “Apply Now” button to complete and submit application form
Pay non-refundable application fee on next screen *
Await invite for Zoom interview
* A non-refundable application fee of $150 is due prior to interview.
Are you a faculty member at a Gestalt institute or Gestalt-oriented academic program? You may qualify for a 20% discount!
Contact us at registrar@gestaltcleveland.org to learn more.
For questions about tuition or payment please contact: registrar@gestaltcleveland.org or 216-421-0468.
ACCREDITATION
The Gestalt Institute of Cleveland is approved by the Ohio Psychological Association to offer continuing education to psychologists. It is the responsibility of the provider to abide by the OPA-MCE guidelines. (Provider Number: 346597238)
Continuing Education approved by OPA is accepted by The Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & Marriage and Family Therapist Board under OAC Rule 4757-9-05.
Gestalt Institute of Cleveland is approved by NBCC™ (National Board for Certified Counselors), as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7576. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC™ credit are clearly identified. Gestalt Institute of Cleveland is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
The Gestalt Institute of Cleveland [2249], is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: through 10-7-2026.
Continuing Education (CE): 227.50 contact hours
Diversity & Inclusion
GIC works to foster an inclusive environment that recognizes the contributions and supports the advancement of all, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, religion, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or ability. We believe an inclusive environment supports a richer and livelier learning community, enhancing the health and well-being of individual participants and the group as a whole.
For more, see GIC’s Statement on Diversity and Inclusion.
F.A.Q.
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GTP is open to adult learners who are interested in studying Gestalt theory and practice in a robust, immersive learning community. Anyone working with individuals, couples, families, or groups in a broad range of professional and community settings will benefit from the program, including: mental health professionals, medical professionals, coaches, business leaders, consultants, lawyers, educators, administrators, non-profit leaders, religious clergy, community organizers, philanthropists, artists, and graduate students. GTP is ideal for individuals seeking to expand their capacity to relate to others with greater authenticity and presence.
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Attending a Gestalt Experience Workshop (GEW) is a prerequisite for applying to GTP.
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Click “Apply Now” button to complete and submit application form
Pay non-refundable $150 application fee on next screen *
Await invite for Zoom interview
Are you a faculty member at a Gestalt institute or Gestalt-oriented academic program? You may qualify for a 20% discount! Contact us at registrar@gestaltcleveland.org to learn more.
-
Continuing Education (CE):
227.50 contact hours -
In person at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland in Berea, OH. Participants travel from around the U.S.; see our Visit page for lodging recommendations.
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Application Fee: $150.00 (non-refundable)
The cost of GTP is $10,500
If paid in full by July 1, 2026 the cost is $9,800
(Payment plans available upon request)Tuition and fees do not include external therapy requirements.
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GIC is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive learning environment. Participants are invited to share access needs in advance so faculty can provide accommodations.
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For questions or to reach the program co-chairs, please email registrar@gestaltcleveland.org.