LA 2025-2026 Gestalt Therapy Training Program
This year there will be TWO programs, one online and one in person. Participants register for one program.
Gestalt Therapy: A Contemporary Process Approach
GATLA – Gestalt Associates Training Los Angeles – is offering a multi-year post graduate training program in Gestalt Therapy – a process-based phenomenological approach. Groups meet six weekends per academic year. This is a training program in which trainees work as therapists under live supervision and can actually observe the faculty working.
This will be a rare opportunity to observe, comment and question actual hands-on clinical work done by seasoned clinical faculty – to identify both integrative similarities and defining differences with other models. Instead of hearing what faculty or supervisors “would have done” or what you “might have/should have done,” you have a window into what faculty trainers and group leaders actually do. Similarly, the value of live on the spot supervision and consultation cannot be overestimated. This model allows and supports in vivo experimentation and self-correction. All clinical work will be related to the theory, hopefully making both more meaningful. Questions, comments, comparisons and discussions are highly encouraged.
GATLA is now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 academic year. Intro, intermediate, and advanced training levels are being offered.
Faculty: Liv Estrup, M.A., Paul Plakos, M.A., David Narang, Ph.D., Stephanie Goldsmith, Ph.D., and Nelly Nassar Trumbo, Ph.D., plus guest faculty.
Group Leaders: Karly Gilbert, LCSW, and Sheri Rose-McCashin, LMFT (other group leaders TBD)
Dates and Times
Saturdays and Sundays 9:00 am to 4:00 pm PST: with two 15 minute breaks and an hour break for lunch each day.
2025: Oct 4-5, Nov 15-16
2026: Jan 10-11, Feb 21-22, Mar 28-29, Apr 25-26
Saturday schedule:
| 9:00 am – 10:30 am | Check-in in your group |
| 10:30 am -10:45 am | BREAK |
| 10:45 am – 12:00 pm | Lecture and Discussion |
| 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm | LUNCH |
| 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm | Trios/Quartets |
| 2:30 pm – 2:45 pm | BREAK |
| 2:45 pm – 4:00 pm | Group |
Sunday schedule:
| 9:00 am – 10:45 am | Group |
| 10:45 am – 11:00 am | BREAK |
| 11:00 am – 12:30 pm | Trios /Quartets |
| 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm | LUNCH |
| 1:30 pm – 2:45 pm | Group |
| 2:45 pm – 3:00 pm | BREAK |
| 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm | Group |
Fees
The full fee is $2100, with the option to reserve your spot with an initial deposit of $800. Payment is for the series of 6 weekends and financial commitment is for the full amount, whether or not you attend.
Scholarship Availability
Some partial scholarships are available. A payment plan is available if needed. We encourage BIPOC and people from other marginalized populations to apply. Special scholarships are available for these populations.
A limited amount of scholarship money is available. Please complete the GATLA scholarship application. The deadline is Sep 1, 2025.
In addition to GATLA’s scholarship programs, we have several full scholarships and several partial scholarships available through the Jan Ruckert and Arnie Beisser Scholarship funds of GTILA (Gestalt Therapy Institute of Los Angeles). Jan and Arnie were both early trainers for GTILA. Visit the GTILA Scholarships page for more information or to select and apply for a scholarship. The deadline to apply is Aug 15, 2025.
The Gestalt Therapy Institute of Los Angles (GTILA) is providing four full scholarships to either Gestalt Associates Training Los Angeles (GATLA) or Pacific Gestalt Institute (PGI).
Location
Attendance options: In person TBD, or online (synchronous).
Registration
REGISTER ONLINE! Please note that registration closes Sep 12, 2025.
Questions: Contact Stephanie Goldsmith at Stephanie@gatla.org or Nelly Nassar at Nelly@gatla.org.
CE Information
CE’s Available: 72. No partial credit will be awarded for partial attendance per weekend.
Gestalt Associates Training Los Angeles (GATLA) is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. GATLA maintains responsibility for the programs and their content. GATLA’s training programs content builds upon doctoral-level training and draws upon generally-accepted psychological theory, research-based psychological concepts, and clinical-outcome studies.
GATLA provides CE credits for MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, and LCSWs, as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
Disclaimer: There are no known conflicts of interest.