On Sunday, June 1, 2025, at 10:00, A one day Conference was held at the Royal Theater of Thessaloniki, dedicated to the celebration of the 26th anniversary of our Gestalt Foundation center. The event was held with the support of the NTNG.

The welcome opening speech to the Conference were delivered by Yianna Yiamarelou and Katia Hatzilakou, founding members of the center.

Welcome address and a brief reference to the history and activities of the Association of Gestalt Therapists (HAGT) were delivered by the president and vice-president of the association, Christos Karapiperis and Irini Kiletsi respectively, and Despina Balliou, the third founding member of the center, at her speech informed the audience about the role of the National Association of Psychotherapy in Greece (NOPG), the developments for the institutionalization of Psychotherapy in Greece.

Interesting and highly informative speeches followed, while in the second part of the conference, short presentations of the diploma theses of the graduates who participated in the graduation ceremony that followed!!!

The Conference concluded at 19:30 with the graduation ceremony filling those present with feelings of emotion, gratitude, joy, satisfaction and relief for the successful completion of this journey that began 5-7 years ago!!!

On Sunday, May 22, 2025, the established 4-day Gestalt Psychotherapy Workshop of our center was successfully completed, the 27th in a row, which was hosted as always at the Valis Resort & Spa, in Agria, Volos from Thursday, May 19, 2025!

The 4-day workshop, under the general theme "Common...void...new...", included presentations from all years of the training program during its 4 days, the theory of which was analyzed and further explored within the educational groups! Thus, through these theoretical presentations, the participants were given the opportunity to explore the common nature of therapist - patient, the "void" space of the meeting and the new of the therapeutic process.

On Friday evening, the participants enjoyed the exhibits, interactive proposals and theatrical events of the 3rd Live Installation that were projected in a live collective installation entitled “Fertile Void”!!!

Also, at the established Gala on Saturday evening, the symbolic Helping Hands ceremony took place and was followed by the celebration of the four-day event that takes place every year with fun, a rich buffet, music and dancing!

Let's wish good luck to the 4-day event next year that will follow!!!

In December 2024, the new issue of the magazine Εποχή / Epoché - Phenomenological Psychotherapies was released, the 19th in the series, aspiring as always to be the means to put the discourse of psychotherapy in active conversation with the other discourses of society and to meet philosophy, art, politics, popular sentiment, science, etc.

This new issue hosts scientific articles on phenomenological and existential approaches such as: "From characteristic symptoms to psychopathological fields" by G. Francesetti translated by G. Dipla, "The ineffableness of memory" by E. Kyriakou, "Existential Sexuality" by S. Papadopoulou, “The Experience of an Existential-Poetic Psychotherapy” by M. Agrimaki, “Working Existentially in the School of a Prison” by E. Bonis, An Interview on Phenomenology and Psychotherapy by K. Gemenetzis et al.

It also hosts contributions from the mountain speeches: “LIFE”, Vyzitsa, Pelion, 2024, by N. Kypriotakis, P. Zarogiannis and A. Karalis, and articles on encounters with the philosophy and literature of M. Heidegger, G. Avramidis and D. Vardavas.

Finally, it also hosts material related to the poetry of K. Laurent, Ch. Georgopoulou, I. Serafim and D. Vardavas as well as book presentations and announcements. 

The Gestalt Foundation, Psychotherapy and Τraining Center - recognizing the benefits and importance of voluntary contribution to society as a whole- announces the continuation of the Voluntary Program for Free Provision of Psychological Support and Counseling, via the Internet: «e-therapy» for the period 2024-2025, for the 6th year!

• History

The “e-therapy” program was organized and activated in March 2020 (during the 2019-2020 academic year), where the first restrictive measures imposed by the state to face the coronavirus health crisis, with the aim of providing relief and care to people who were facing intense difficulties in their daily lives.

Since then, the “e-therapy” program has offered hundreds of hours of counseling intervention in the crisis, via the internet, activating a large network of volunteer collaborators, trained psychotherapists and counselors, as well as mental health specialists, framing the entire effort with supervisory teams, as well as with all the necessary organizational diligence of the project.

Since the launch of the “e-therapy” Program (March 2020) until today, more than 1350 of our fellow human beings have found the support and care they needed to cope with any difficulties they were forced to experience due to the socio-economic-psychological impacts of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a series of stressful events that strongly affected Greek society (fires, floods, disasters, accidents, energy & financial crisis, etc.). In this context, the beneficiaries of the program followed a series of online sessions with their own “personal” mental health specialist.

Finally, it is important to highlight the voluntary contribution of a large number of mental health specialists (more than 230 supervisors, psychotherapists and trainee psychotherapists of the Gestalt Psychotherapy network in Greece) who were activated, offered and continue to offer their services within the framework of this action.

• Participation process

To participate in the psychological support and counseling "e-therapy" program, interested parties (who must meet specific conditions*) will be able to send their request, via message, to our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/gestalt.therapy.by.GF After the management and acceptance of each request, each participant in the program will be forwarded to the corresponding first available therapist, who will undertake the organization, implementation and completion of the online sessions with the interested party. It is clarified that each interested party will be monitored exclusively by a specific and stable mental health specialist (trained or trained in Gestalt psychotherapy) throughout the intervention. At the same time, all volunteer therapists of the program have joined supervisory groups, which will ensure the correctness of the practical implementation of the process that will be followed by those involved in the "e-therapy" program.

• Participation requirements

The free psychological support and counseling program, via the Internet, "e-therapy" is aimed at:

•  Adults (18 years and older)
•  Unemployed or fellow human beings who are facing financial difficulties and cannot financially support a conventional therapeutic or counseling relationship with an active psychotherapist or counselor
•  Single-parent families (Mother or Father)
•  Interested parties whose request for psychological support is related to the existing socio-economic situation (resulting from the health crisis (Covid-19), the prolonged economic crisis, the increase in violent social behaviors, as well as the natural disasters (fires, floods, etc.) that have affected various regions of the country in recent years.
•  Interested parties participating in the program for the first time

You can connect with us and at the same time Feel free to promote our volunteer program page via the link below:

https://www.facebook.com/gestalt.therapy.by.GF

Together... we can do it!

In the context of World Mental Health Day, NOPG (National Organization of Psychotherapy in Greece) organized an event on Sunday, October 20, 2024, at Panteion University (11.00 a.m.–2.00 p.m., Hall S. Karagiorga I) on the topic "The Contribution of Psychotherapy to Mental Health".

At this event, a round table with thematic section "Education of psychotherapists" was held, consisting of presenters of various approaches, in which Ms. Despina Balliou, psychologist, psychotherapist, founding member of the Gestalt Foundation and member of the Board of Directors of NOPG participated, who focused on important issues related to psychotherapy and its training. A discussion then ensued.

Active participation of the Gestalt Foundation in the 2nd Psychotherapy Conference organized by the Hellenic Psychiatric Association in collaboration with the Psychotherapy Branch.

The conference was held from October 4 to 6, 2024 at the AKISA building of the Athens Medical School, at the Attiko University General Hospital and aimed to be an important forum for dialogue on all issues that concern psychotherapy in our country such as its place in psychiatry therapeutic, the training in that of specialized and young psychiatrists, the dialogue between its various directions and between the various educational programs, the training in it, research and research methodology in psychotherapy, etc.

The Gestalt Foundation was represented by Ms Balliou D., psychologist, Gestalt psychotherapist founding member of the center, with her speech on Sunday 6 October 2024 in the oral presentations from 08.45-10.45 on the topic "Educating Psychotherapists in the Gestalt Approach: The Theory In the Relational context" as well as by Ms Bikou M., the psychiatrist & graduate of the Gestalt Foundation on the topic "The Phenomenological Perspective of Gestalt Psychotherapy in the understanding and treatment of mental disorders".

On Sunday, May 19, 2024, the established 4-day Gestalt Psychotherapy Workshop of our center, the 26th in a row, was successfully completed, hosted as always at Valis Resort & Spa, in Agria of Volos from Thursday, May 16, 2024!

The 4-day event, under the general title "...SOCIETY...", included, on the 4 days of its holding, presentations both by the distinguished trainers invited from abroad and by all students, the theory of which was further analyzed and explored within the educational groups!

On Friday evening the participants enjoyed the exhibits, interactive proposals and theatrics of the 2nd Live Installation which were shown in a live collective installation entitled "Limited Space"

Also, at the Gala, the festive dinner, on Saturday night, there was the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Center as well as the symbolic Helping Hands ceremony that takes place every year!

Let's wish success on the next year’s 4day workshop that will follow!!!

On Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. The online Annual General Meeting of the National Organization of Psychotherapy in Greece (NOPG) has started. Among the other issues discussed was the election of 3 new members of the Board of Directors in place of the 3 who resigned. Despina Balliou, psychologist, Gestalt psychotherapist, founding member of the Gestalt Foundation, Psychotherapy and Training Center, was recommended for candidacy which she accepted resulting in her election as a member of the new Board of Directors.

After conducting the online voting that was done for this purpose, the new Board of Directors emerged as follows:

President: P. Asimakis

First Vice-President: I. Korkotselos

Second vice-president: T. Bafiti

Treasurer: E. Basiuka

Secretary: A. Vallidis

Members: D. Balliou and E. Mikroutsikou

Let's wish them a good term!!!