Belinda Harris: EAGT General Board and General Meeting of Members
Dear UKAGP Colleagues,
I recently attended the EAGT General Board and General Meeting of Members (GMM). Maintaining links with EAGT became particularly important after the Brexit referendum, and prompted the UKAGP Committee to negotiate a joint membership agreement with EAGT. This is a much easier route to membership than applying as an individual.
Since becoming a joint member myself, I have valued the opportunity to spend quality time with my European colleagues and to deepen my understanding of Gestalt as lived and practised in other countries. Below are a few headlines from the GMM meeting, including dates for your diary.
Berlin, 13-15 September, 2024
EAGT Human Rights and Social Responsibility Committee Conference
NOT LOOKING AWAY: FINDING HOPE TOGETHER
https://conference.eagt.org/wp/ Places are limited to 70 participants.
The conference is to be preceded by the General Board and Annual General Meeting of Members 11-12 September
EAGT Research Conference to be held at Birmingham University, July 2025
The Research Committee is keen to promote and support international Evidence Based Research studies with the aim of improving Gestalt’s visibility, credibility and status to the powers that be.
UKAGP is the National Organisation for Gestalt Therapy in the UK. A representative of each NOGT is invited to attend 2 General Board Meetings per year. The aim is to foster understanding of the wider field, including key issues of interest or concern in each country, and to identify common themes, both opportunities and challenges across Europe. The process involves building and sustaining meaningful contact and dialogue with the intention to address and counter the increasing polarisation and dehumanisation of Other, in a world where disharmony and hatred appear to be on the increase.
It is important that the NOGT is regularly and consistently represented at EAGT meetings by one of its members who is also a full member of EAGT. In addition to two face to face meetings per year there will now be a bi-monthly Zoom meeting for NOGT officers. The NOGTs are now one of EAGTs Chambers which means it has a stronger voice and more representation on the General Board. Ruth Nightingale, Chair of UKAGP currently represents the UK NOGT.
The Human Right and Social Responsibility Committee runs a Crisis Platform: supervisory and mentoring support for individual practitioners working in traumatic and traumatising field conditions. For example, crisis support has been offered to therapists working with asylum-seekers and refugees in Greece and also those working in Ukraine, Belarus and elsewhere.
Committee elections. Last year many people in positions of responsibility, such as committee chairs and members resigned from their EAGT positions due to concerns and tensions related to leadership style; Michal Lewandowski, a Gestalt Practitioner in Organisations was elected as acting president. Fortunately, an intense period of turmoil last year has slowly abated and strenuous efforts are being made to return to basics and to rebuild from the bottom up. It is a great time to become involved if you are interested in participating. At the GMM a new Conference Committee, Complaints Committee and Ethics Committee were created. They have substantial work to do. Our own UKAGP Chair, Ruth Nightingale was elected onto the Conference Committee and will work with Latvian colleagues preparing the next EAGT Conference in Riga., October 2026. Congratulations, Ruth.
Belinda Harris, PhD
Gestalt psychotherapist, coach, supervisor and trainer
Chair of UKAGP 2017-2022
Nottingham, UK
drbelindamharris@gmail.com
