SO31 8EQ, TreeView Office, The Old Bakery, Southampton, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Gestalt Practitioner in Organisations
Gestalt Practitioner in Organisations
I have been working as a Gestalt Psychotherapist/Gestalt Practitioner in Organisations for many years, delivering Consultancy, Supervision, Reflective Practice, Coaching and Well-being Coaching. Gestalt is widely recognised and used within the Organisational Consultancy and Executive Coaching world.
Home & Away Psychological Therapies Services (HAPTS):
Whole service approach to emotion-regulation
Since 2003 I have been delivering training and reflective practice to teams and organisations who work with very vulnerable children and adults, in particular individuals who have suffered interpersonal trauma. I developed a whole service approach to emotion-regulation, which is an attachment and trauma informed framework using Gestalt principles and I published these concepts, in particular the integration of gestalt therapy with attachment theory, in 2011.
Training:
The training involves working with teams at a small group and whole service level. This approach aims to develop teamwork through a relational approach and this is achieved through experiential learning around the subjects of attachment, trauma and the neurosciences through a Gestalt Therapy lens. There is particular emphasis on understanding the process of relationship and how people who have suffered interpersonal trauma may become hyper or hypo-vigilant in relation to professionals and carers, leading to risky behaviours, and how teams can become the regulator of the individuals attachment/nervous system.
Reflective Practice:
Reflective practice helps teams to put into practice what they have learnt from the training and to feel the process of emotion-regulation/self-regulation through their interactions with each other - from the sensory aspects through to the adaptive function.
This can help teams to be able to practice what they speak from a place of experience, as they understand, embody and know the theory from a much deeper level.
Whole Service:
This can help teams to create the conditions for attachment and separation to occur safely for individuals who struggle to regulate their nervous system in relation to others. It can positively impact the whole service and enables them, over time, to become an emotion-regulating collective/community, involving greater capacity for relationships and as a result well being, for both staff and the people they care for.
This has a profoundly positive impact on the vulnerable people they work with, lowering anxiety, developing greater capacity for relationships without fear or alarm and as a natural result reduction in risk taking behaviours.
Please see my publications for more information and references.
Tap on the above diagram for more info
Testimonials
Cathie delivered a therapeutic whole service approach and I am in no doubt that this way of working benefits all concerned. It relieves the feelings of anxiety felt by young people who may not have clear direction, boundaries and expectations. Once they understand that decisions and plans are made as a team and that everyone is “singing from the same hymn sheet” it has a profound impact on the young person’s ability to regulate anxiety. It also helps staff, parents/carers and professionals to reflect on the effects their actions and decisions have on the emotional and physical state of the young people in their care."Tom Strover Teacher (2011-2013)
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"Cathie is a very skilled practitioner and was very effective she played a vital part in helping young people remove barriers and move forward. Cathie also provided clinical supervision to teachers and residential staff, which was invaluable to their health and wellbeing and essential in such a demanding environment. This was met by staff with great enthusiasm as it allowed them to feel valued and supported. Cathie always showed a high degree of compassion, understanding and professional ethos and was held in high regard by the staff team. Cathie’s skills were a great addition to the senior management team and contributed greatly to the school delivering an outstanding service." Debbie Collins, Teacher (2011-2013).
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"Cathie provides bespoke support to foster carers. Feedback from foster carer’s has been positive with carers actively exploring their own style of work and in effect reducing egregious behaviours. In addition to this she has been providing group supervision at a social work practitioner level. I have no hesitation in recommending Cathie as a practitioner with experience and competence of a very high standard. My own experience is that of gaining fresh in sight and new perspectives on complex situations." Mesha Banerjee, Social Worker, Fusion Fostering (2012).