A gestalt approach to working with depression

Date | 22 & 23 September, 9.30 am–4.30 pm (Tue/Wed)

Duration | 2 days

Location | Elie, Gestalt Centre Training Campus, 27 Royal Parade Parkville, VIC 3052

Fee | $700 (includes GST)

Facilitator | Noel Haarburger, BBSc, BEd(Counselling), AdvDipGestaltTherapy, ClinMGANZ, MAPS

Depression is one of the most common yet misunderstood human experiences. In this two-day experiential workshop, Noel Haarburger will explore a Gestalt approach to understanding and working with depression — one that honours the relational, embodied, and contextual dimensions of this complex experience.

Through discussion, demonstration and practice, participants will:

• Examine the phenomenology of depression — how it presents and what it expresses in the field.
• Explore the somatic and psychological functions of depression and the different ways it manifests.
• Consider what depression communicates about imbalance, loss, and unmet relational needs.
• Identify habitual ways of managing or avoiding depressive states that may inadvertently reinforce them.
• Understand the relationship between depression, shame, core beliefs, and the inner critic.
• Integrate insights from polyvagal theory and neuroscience to support safe and effective therapeutic work.
• Learn 15 bio-psycho-social principles that promote recovery and re-engagement with vitality and connection.

This workshop offers an opportunity to deepen clinical understanding, expand therapeutic responsiveness, and reconnect with the human meaning of depression beyond diagnostic labels.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Apply a Gestalt framework to recognise and respond to depressive processes.
• Differentiate between adaptive and maladaptive functions of depressive states.
• Use relational and embodied interventions to support movement, regulation, and connection.
• Integrate relevant neuroscience and polyvagal-informed approaches into therapeutic practice.
• Facilitate greater awareness, compassion, and agency for clients experiencing depression.

This workshop is designed for psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologists, and allied health professionals, as well as students and interns in training who wish to expand their understanding and skills in working with depression from a relational Gestalt perspective.

BBSc, BEd(Counselling), AdvDipGestaltTherapy, ClinMGANZ, MAPS

Noel has been a faculty member at Gestalt Therapy Australia since 2001. He now works in private practice as a Psychologist and Psychotherapist, working with individuals and couples, as well as offering supervision to allied health professionals. He also practices and trains Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Nature Assisted eco-therapy at the equine psychotherapy institute in Daylesford.

Noel has worked extensively in a wide variety of counselling and psychological services since 1995, including family counselling, drug and alcohol, sexual assault, problematic gambling, and men’s behavioural change programs.

Noel has a special interest in trauma and body work, as well as integrating developmental and attachment perspectives, Buddhist psychology, and non-dual spiritual approaches into his work. He is a certified ‘Somatic Experiencing’ practitioner, which utilises highly effective and safe body awareness methods for negotiating and releasing trauma, developed by Peter Levine. He has also completed training in NA touch. Noel is also an ongoing student of the ‘Diamond Heart approach’, a Western psycho-spiritual school that integrates Western depth psychology, Sufism and Buddhist approaches to personal and spiritual development.

The Gestalt Centre is the heart of Melbourne’s Gestalt community. We offer a four-year psychotherapy training program through Gestalt Therapy Australia, staying true to the experiential roots of Gestalt while embracing cutting-edge developments in contemporary Gestalt thinking and practice worldwide.

We also operate ConnectGround, a community-based counselling and psychotherapy clinic. ConnectGround serves as both a training facility for psychotherapists and a provider of low-cost individual and group therapy for clients. The clinic emphasises the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist as a key support for building awareness and adaptability. Psychotherapy interns and volunteers gain valuable hands-on experience, enhancing their skills and professionalism through client work.

https://www.connectground.com.au/

https://www.gestaltcentre.com.au/

Refunds are available up to 7 days before the event.

In the unlikely event that this workshop is cancelled or postponed, registration fees will be fully refunded. Please note that the organisers are not responsible for any travel, accommodation, or other costs incurred by participants.

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Host or Publisher Gestalt Centre Management