Clinical Fellowship Program
Our 4-year Clinical Fellowship Program consists of a combination of lecture, demonstration, practicum work, and working with clients in our Low-Fee Clinic. Our experienced faculty is devoted to teaching the fundamentals of Gestalt Therapy and Theory with an emphasis on hands-on experiential learning.
Training candidates treat clients in our low-fee clinic and develop the beginning of a private practice while training with us and attending weekly supervision with a faculty member. In addition, our clinic is authorized by NYS to provide supervised experience hours to fulfill NYS license requirements for LCSW, LMSW, LMHC, LCAT, LMFT, PhD, & LP licenses. Upon graduation, trainees licensed to do so may take their clinic clients into private practice.
This 4-year Program is open to candidates who have an MD, PhD in psychology, or an MA in social work, mental health counseling, creative arts therapy, or marriage and family therapy.
We are offering a hybrid training option through 2027, for those who cannot attend classes in person. We will be conducting on-site Friday evening classes for all who are able to attend.
The “Core” Curriculum
The Core Curriculum is an integral part of each level of training. Experiential work — including practicum, faculty demonstrations, and personal therapy — forms the core of our training curriculum.
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Practicum
Practicum sessions offer trainees the opportunity to engage in the roles of both therapist and patient, with in vivo supervision provided by a faculty member. During these two-hour trainings, students are divided into small groups and paired in therapist-patient dyads. Faculty offer real-time guidance to support the clinician’s development, with a focus on embodying Gestalt theory, deepening the therapist’s use of self, expanding awareness of the here-and-now relational field, and co-creating experiments that illuminate process and foster integration.
The role of patient is not role play; trainees bring their own material and engage authentically in the here-and-now, offering meaningful clinical opportunities for both members of the dyad.
Each practicum is uniquely configured, giving trainees the chance to work with different supervisors and experience a wide range of clinical dynamics by alternating roles. This immersive training process builds a therapist’s capacity for presence, spontaneity, and attuned responsiveness within the therapeutic encounter.
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Demonstrations by Faculty
Faculty members will do a live therapy demonstration with a trainee, in front of a small group, providing the opportunity to observe and discuss the application of Gestalt theory to Gestalt therapy practice. Faculty member demonstrations vary, to allow exposure to as many Faculty as possible. Level I, demonstrations occur every meeting of the second semester. In Levels II-IV, demonstrations are every 4th practicum class.
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Clinical Experience
Beginning in Level II, trainees will work with clients in our on-site clinic, providing the opportunity for hands-on learning. Weekly group supervision is required (1-2 hours), in Levels II, III, & IV. A minimum of 330 direct-client contact hours are required for graduation. NYS requires that all clinical work must occur within NYS, even if sessions are conducted using zoom.
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Intensive Training Retreat
In this optional 4-day intensive workshop, trainees work in practicum/therapists dyads, in both small and large groups, under the observation of a supervisor. As trainees observe each other’s work, in a collegial and supportive atmosphere, the unique individual style of each training therapist is defined and supported.
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Individual and Group Therapy
Each trainee’s personal therapy experience provides a first-hand experience of Gestalt therapy and a forum for working through issues that may emerge as a part of an in-depth program that calls upon trainees to explore themselves on many levels.
Coursework
Level I Coursework
Level II Coursework
Level III Coursework
Level IV Coursework
Clinical Fellowship Program Admission
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Admission to all programs is based on review your application and personal interview. For further information, contact us.
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To assure early consideration, please complete our application form by 8/31. Once received, we will contact you to arrange a personal interview.
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Click on the “Apply Today” button to view the application. You’ll be asked to upload:
Official Copies of Academic Transcripts and Professional Credentials
Updated Resume
Two Letters of Reference, Including One from a Current or Recent Therapist, if Applicable.
After you submit your application, you’ll be redirected to pay the $50 application fee.
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Upon Receipt of your application and fee, you will be contacted for a personal interview by our Director of Training, and a member of our Faculty.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Our academic year runs from October through June. Classes take place on 20 Friday evenings from 6-9 p.m. and include a few additional seminars and workshops offered throughout the year.
In Levels II-IV, supervision and clinical work runs October through September, year-round.
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The clinically oriented, philosophically grounded training at GAP requires clinical work. Theory and practice are intricately woven together.
For those who are interested in studying the underlying theoretical approach to Gestalt Therapy, you may be interested in our one-year Introductory Program.
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LMSWs and LCSWs earn 20-30 NYS-Approved CE contact hours per academic year, for all courses in the Clinical Fellowship Program.
LMHCs, LCATs, and LMFTs earn 20-30 NYS-Approved contact hours per academic year, for Lifebridge and Weekend Workshops.
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Friday Night Courses & Practicum:
$3700 per year / no materials fee.Weekly Supervision:
$40 per group session or $80 per 1-hour individual session.Weekly Psychotherapy:
Trainees must be in therapy throughout training. The Clinical Fellowship Program requires at least 2 years of individual therapy, and at least 1 year of group therapy, plus one year of either group therapy or individual therapy. Fees for therapy are arranged privately with the individual or group therapist. -
During the current Academic year, we are offering a limited number of partial scholarships, with the goal of promoting diversity both in our training program, and in the larger profession of psychotherapy.
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Open to those licensed to practice psychotherapy: Social Workers, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Mental Health Counselors, Creative Arts Therapists, Marriage and Family Therapists, Psychoanalysts, Nurses’ and Physician’s Assistants.
Unlicensed applicants should look at our Introductory Program or our Psychoanalytic Program through which trainees can obtain their license.