Continuity and Change

Book excerpt: Continuity and Change: Gestalt Therapy Now describes what is quite possibly the most unique and significant gestalt therapy organization in the world. There are, of course, many other associations of gestalt therapists, but many of them are either much smaller or qualitatively different because they attend to certifying and regulating their members. The Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy (AAGT) does not certify nor regulate; its sole purpose is to advance the theory and practice of gestalt therapy through the associating of its members. This book both highlights the nature of contemporary gestalt therapy and makes known the existence and nature of the AAGT through the lens of its tenth biennial conference, which was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. In 2010 the AAGT returned to the Unites States for a venue in its biennial conference after having been in Amsterdam in the Netherlands; Vancouver, Canada; and Manchester, England. It’s regional growth had been sustained, and its international scope had become expansive. The 2010 conference, with its theme of continuity and change, was a look at contemporary gestalt therapy, and it also featured a significant and growing dialogue with recognized leaders in other clinical perspectives. The 2010 conference featured many long-time, recognized colleagues from the field of gestalt therapy, including many aging colleagues who trained personally with the founders of gestalt therapy. The conference proceedings were rich and varied. This book includes papers based on pre-conference workshops, and conference presentations and panels. Chapter contributors emerge from the structure of the conference itself, and they include many of the most compelling thinkers and practitioners in the world of contemporary gestalt therapy.