Welcome to our 6th International Gestalt Research Conference the premier event for cutting-edge research, experiential learning and professional networking in the Gestalt community. With 16.5 hours CPD on offer whether you are a practitioner, researcher or both, this conference offers something for everyone. Explore more about our keynote speakers below.
Otto Glanzer, Dr. phil., is a psychological psychotherapist in Augsburg. He worked in a child and adolescent psychiatry from 1980 and founded a specialized institution in 1983. Since 1998, he has been a lecturer, teaching therapist, and supervisor focusing on Gestalt therapy, international research, and is active in German professional policy.
Talk Title: “Single case time series study" (SCTS) using Germany, Austria, and China as examples. A challenge!
Talk Overview: “I will begin my presentation by describing the state of Gestalt therapy research in German-speaking countries, followed by the results of our international survey on the acceptance of Gestalt therapy by the state. The main part of the presentation will consist of an animated film describing the SCTS project as it is being carried out in Austria.”
Margherita Spagnuolo Lobb, Psy.D., Gestalt Institute Italy ( www.gestaltitaly.com ), International Programs on Development, Psychopathology, and Supervision. Margherita develops the phenomenological and aesthetic soul of Gestalt therapy in a fi eld perspective. Following a hermeneutic line from PHG and Isadore From’s teaching, to the Polster’s approach, and to the New York Institute for Gestalt Therapy, she integrates recent studies on neurosciences and infant research in a situational method that considers the mutual regulation of rhythms and perceptions of therapist/client dyad (a dance). Authored many articles, chapters, and books. The now for next in psychotherapy. Gestalt therapy recounted in postmodern society has been published in 11 languages. Psychopathology of the Situation (co-edited). Chair of Gestalt Therapy Book Series (Routledge), and Quaderni di Gestalt - Gestalt Therapy Journal (since 1985). She cooperates worldwide with various groups for psychotherapy research. EAGT past president and honorary member. In 2018 she received the LAA from the IAAGT.
Talk Title: “Outcome research on Gestalt therapy long-term clinical interventions, aesthetic relational knowledge of the therapist and qualitative aspects of the therapeutic alliance and process of change”
Talk Overview: For an overview of the talk click here.
Michele Settanni, Ph.D., Professor of Psychometrics, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy.
Talk Title: "Mapping Perceived Core Competencies in Gestalt Therapy: Developmental Trajectories Across Training and Practice"
Talk Overview: This study investigated self-perceived core competencies among Gestalt therapy trainees and therapists in Europe, conducted by past and present members of the EAGT's Professional Competencies & Quality Standards (PC&QS) Committee, with the support of EAGT.
Christine Stevens PhD is Editor of The British Gestalt Journal. She is a Gestalt therapist, supervisor, international trainer and writer. She is a member of the EAGT Research Committee, and former Research Liaison officer for the IAAGT. She worked for 16 years on the faculty of the Doctorate in Psychotherapy programmes at Metanoia Institute, London. She is Co-ordinator for the EAGT for the International Practitioner Case Study Project. As Director of Clay Studio, Nottingham, she is involved in arts-based social engagement work. She regards her practice as trans-disciplinary, informed by social sciences, and engaged in artistic enquiry and psychotherapy practitioner research.
Talk Title: The International Gestalt Practitioner Case Study Project
Talk Overview: “As co-ordinator of the International Gestalt Practitioner Case Study Project, I am looking forward to meeting many of the people involved in the project at the conference in Birmingham. The Case Study Project will be presented alongside other Gestalt research projects on Saturday morning, and there will be a table in the Market Place for people to find out more. The Case Study Group which I am part of will be presenting our experience so far in one of the conference workshops.”
Biljana van Rijn is a current President of the UK Chapter of the Society for Psychotherapy Research, an Associate Director of Education at Metanoia Institute in London, psychotherapist, supervisor and a psychotherapy researcher.
She leads the research centre at Metanoia Institute and has established a research clinic. Her focus is practice-based research with a particular interest in theory - building case study research and the process of change in psychotherapy. Biljana has authored numerous research publications using the qualitative, mixed method and quantitative methodologies as well as books on clinical assessment and formulation and working with sexual attraction in counselling and psychotherapy.
Talk Title: From Insight to Impact: Navigating the Research Evidence Landscape
Talk Overview: “As humanistic psychotherapists, we possess a unique skill set that empowers us to contribute to the research evidence supporting our therapeutic approaches. Our focus on relational experiences, depth, and subjective experience might sometimes seem at odds with the more traditional language of evidence-based research. In this keynote I will address some of the context, and suggest possible methodologies that can harness our skills and reflexivity psychotherapists to engage in research”
Dr. Felicitas Rost works as a Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Psychotherapy at the Open University UK, supervises clinical doctorate students at the Tavistock Clinic, and works as a psychodynamic psychotherapist in the charity sector. She is also the General Vice President of the Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPR).
Previously, she was the Research Lead at the Tavistock Clinic, where she was involved with the Tavistock Adult Depression Study (TADS) and set up an enhanced ROM for individuals who present with sexually problematic and violent behaviours at the Portman Clinic. Most recently, she spearheaded a five year stakeholder campaign that demanded and achieved crucial methodological revisions of the latest NICE treatment guideline for depression.
She is the PI of the HEARD study – a health economic evaluation of individuals with complex mental health needs. As part of the Talking Therapies Task Force (TTTF), the aim is to promote the development of a national program of psychological therapies for these individuals.
Her current interests are shaped by two beliefs: the need to build bridges between research and clinical practice, and the breaking down of arbitrary hierarchies of types of research evidence.
Talk Title: Psychotherapy in the Era of Evidence-Based Practice – Whose Voices Do We Need to Hear?
Talk Overview: For an overview of the talk click here
Ladislav Timulak, PhD is Professor in Counselling Psychology at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. He is Course Director of the Doctorate in Counselling Psychology. Ladislav (“Laco”—read “Latso”) is involved in various psychotherapy trainings in Ireland and internationally. His main research interest is psychotherapy research, particularly the development of emotion-focused therapy (EFT). He currently is adapting this form of therapy as a transdiagnostic treatment for depression, anxiety, and related disorders. He is also researching the use of mental health interventions delivered online. He has written or co-written ten books, more than 100 peer reviewed papers and chapters in both his native language, Slovak, and in English. His most recent books include Transforming Emotional Pain in Psychotherapy: An Emotion-Focused Approach (2015), Transforming Generalized Anxiety: An Emotion-Focused Approach (with James McElvaney; 2018); Essentials of Descriptive-Interpretive Qualitative Research: A Generic Approach (with co-author Robert Elliott); Transdiagnostic Emotion-Focused Therapy (with co-author Daragh Keogh); Essentials of Qualitative Meta-Analysis (with Mary Creaner) and Transforming Emotional Pain: An Emotion-Focused Workbook. with several co-authors. He maintains a part-time private practice.
Talk Title: What Can Psychotherapists Learn from Psychotherapy Research? A Personal Experience.
Talk Overview: “This presentation will showcase examples of the research I have been involved in and how it has shaped my work as a psychotherapist. I will specifically cover areas such as interviewing clients about their experiences of therapy and its outcomes; lessons learned from conducting randomized clinical trials, large-scale outcome studies, and online mental health interventions; as well as insights gained from intensive qualitative, observer-based studies on individual and couple emotion-focused therapy. I hope this presentation will spark discussion about what psychotherapy research can offer to clinical practice. I also hope it will inspire greater interest in psychotherapy research among practitioners, encouraging them to engage not only as consumers of research but also as active collaborators in the research process.”
Further information and general queries
contact Silvia on conference@ukagp.org.uk
