Schedule Overview

• July 20th, 5:00pm : Registration & Dinner
• July 20th, 7:00pm : Start Program
• July 25th, 12:00pm : End

CEU's: 7 contact hours each day

This week will assume little to no experience in Gestalt therapy or Gestalt approaches with children and adolescents. This week will provide the foundations for understanding the theoretical underpinnings of the Gestalt approach and the basic processes of working with the modalities of play therapy.

This program will include:

• An examination of the theoretical underpinnings of the Oaklander approach which is based on the theory, philosophy, and practice of Gestalt Therapy, as well as pertinent child development theory from the Gestalt perspective and findings of the neurosciences. Discussion of the relational theory of self and its significance to therapeutic practice will be emphasized.
• Delving into the therapy process beginning with establishing the relationship and early assessment sessions. Then moving on to the issues of contact, strengthening the sense of self, promoting emotional maturity through expressive and impressive strategies, and supporting the process of integration and self development
• Practice in the therapeutic use of expressive and projective interventions with modalities such as drawings, clay, storytelling, sand tray, music, puppets, imagery and fantasy, sensory work, creative dramatics, and therapeutic metaphors.
• Issues related to assessment and treatment planning as well as approaches to working with parents, groups and adolescents will be discussed throughout the program.

The schedule for each day of the training is experiential including didactic discussion and practicum with feedback to strengthen the learning experience. Videos, powerpoint slides, and, if possible, work with child clients will be used to demonstrate the work discussed. The cost of the program will include training materials and a notebook of readings and other resources.

The topics for each day for this week are as follows...

• Day 1 Monday: Theoretical Foundations of Gestalt Play Therapy. The Relational Self. The Neuroscience of Gestalt Play Therapy




• Day 2 Tuesday: What Brings A Child Into Therapy? The Goals of Gestalt Play Therapy. The Therapeutic Relationship.




• Day 3 Wednesday: The Therapeutic Process. The Oaklander Model of the Gestalt Approach: Contact Functions, Contact, and Boundary Disturbances; Self Support; Emotional Expression.




• Day 4 Thursday: Working with Expressive-Projective Interventions: Drawings, Clay, Sand Tray, Board Games




• Day 5 Friday: The Process of Self-nurturing and Integration. What Is Integration and How is it Restored? Issues of Shame and Self-Acceptance. Gestalt Theory of Change.

Learning Objectives: After these workshops participants will be able to:

• Discuss the Oaklander Model of Gestalt Play Therapy with Children
• Integrate the dialogic relationship of I-Thou into their clinical work
• Understand the relational view of self development and the significance of this perspective in Gestalt clinical practice
• Understand the neurological principles of child development from the Gestalt perspective
• Utilize a phenomenological approach to working with expressive-projective interventions
• Select a variety of play modalities to work with clinical issues of children
• Structure a therapeutic approach to working with anger, shame, and trauma
• Identify and work toward integration of the child’s experience
• Work with family and other systems that affect the well-being of the child/adolescent
• Bring closure to therapeutic work