Michael Ellis

(Managing Director; PG Cert.) has a background in youth and community work and in social work where he specialised in therapeutic groupwork with young people and adults.

He is director of the Counselling courses, which he established.

He presently divides his time between training, supervision, psychotherapy practice and constancy work with staff teams.

Toni Gilligan

(M.A./PPD) is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist. She worked with the NHS psychiatric services for 13 years. She is now in private practice and co-director of the Centre.

She has worked in the voluntary sector and social services, and on the professional guidance committee of an innovatory therapeutic community.

She has extensive experience of people with substance misuse problems and other severe psychological disturbances.

Kay Lynn

(Director; Advanced Diploma in Professional Development) is a UKCP registered psychotherapist. She trained in Gestalt at the Pellin Centre, Italy and gained her MA in Gestalt Psychotherapy at The Gestalt Centre, London. She worked at Threshold, Brighton Women's Counselling Centre for ten years, running Gestalt groups and latterly as a therapist at a drop-in centre.

She also runs a small private practice. She is principal lecturer at the University of Brighton in the role of Academic programme Leader in the Visual and Performing Arts.

She comes from a background in Contemporary Dance. She has an MA (U.S.A.) and MPhil (Laban Centre, London) in Contemporary Dance. She is committed to creativity and movement expression in approaches to Gestalt therapy.

Carol Baylis
(Thursday MORNING tutor, Certificate in Humanistic Counselling). Carol is a UKCP & BACP registered psychotherapist as well as a BACP accredited trainer.

She completed her psychotherapy training at Metanoia.

Carol’s background is in education, and she has facilitated on counselling courses in FE/HE and privately since 1994, on a range of programmes.

She runs a private counselling, psychotherapy and supervision practice, working with individuals, couples and groups.

She has a particular interest in the personal development of trainee counsellors and facilitating supervisees to make good use of supervision.

Dr Elizabeth Cooksey
(Thursday EVENING tutor, Certificate in Humanistic Counselling)
Elizabeth Originally qualified and worked as a research scientist in higher education and the NHS, then in the 1980s changed career and trained as a Gestalt psychotherapist.

She has since worked in a variety of capacities in social work and primary care as well as being an in-house counsellor for staff in university and local government settings.

She currently practices as a psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer in Edinburgh, Salisbury and London.

Angelika Wienrich
(Saturday format tutor, Certificate in Humanistic Counselling) is a qualified Gestalt Counsellor, group facilitator and trainer with a background in Psychology, Research & Education in the field of Humanistic Therapy.

She has over 10 years experience of private practice, and has worked as an NHS staff counsellor.

She is currently training in Gestalt Object Relations and has a passionate interest in creativity and writing, especially in the use of the poetic voice as a therapeutic tool.

Gaie Houston
(MA Supervision) is a Gestalt practitioner, supervisor, trainer and management trainer to institutions in several countries.

Her books include 'All in the Mind' (BBC), 'The Red Books of: Gestalt; Groups; Supervision and Counselling', plus 'Being & Belonging'.

She is a faculty member and currently emeritus advisor to the Gestalt Centre.

External Training Staff

Visiting leaders are regularly invited to work in all years of the training.

This gives trainees a wide experience of the theoretical understanding and practice of Gestalt and related approaches.

John Leary-Joyce

(Non exec. Director) trained in the inaugural year of the Scottish Assoc. for Gestalt Education 1975-78 and has practised as a Psychotherapist since then.

From 1983-97 he was on the faculty and since 1985 a director. He currently focuses his work on business, coaching & management consultancy, has a Diploma from the Institute of Directors and studying for a Professional Doctorate in Business Strategy. He re-joined the faculty in 2001 as joint tutor for the Belfast-based MA Practitioner training.

Jacqueline Wearn

(Centre Manager) has an eclectic wealth of experience in business organisation and administration. She was a partner in a piano tuning and repair company for over fifteen years and Business Manager to a pianist/composer for the final ten years of that period.

She has experience of establishing an Alcohol Counselling Service, managing paid and voluntary staff and liaising with a wide range of statutory and non-statutory agencies.

This background has prepared her well for the diverse nature of life as Centre Manager at the Gestalt Centre. Jacqueline continues to introduce new protocols and procedures to enable the efficient running of the training programmes and our busy premises.

Jane Puddy

(Director; PPD) is a Gestalt practitioner with many years' experience teaching and supervising Gestalt practitioners in training.

With a background in Dramatherapy, Family Therapy and Group Analysis she has worked in a variety of social work and psychiatric settings, contributing to the development of counselling and psychotherapy courses in the UK, Australia and Greece.

At present she works in both the private and public sectors with an extensive individual practice. She is a co-director of the Gestalt Centre.training.

Carol Siederer

(Director; Post Grad. Dip.) was a Social Worker in the States before taking her MA in Humanistic Psychology in London.

She trained in Gestalt at the Pellin Centre and later became a tutor and supervisor there. As Associate Director of the MA at Regents College she was a lecturer and trainer in counselling and psychotherapy. She is interested in integrating Gestalt with Hellinger's Systemic Psychotherapy.

Paul Amundsen

(Diploma in Counselling 1st year tutor)
Paul Amundsen is a UKCP registered psychotherapist with a background in education and health service settings. After completing his initial person-centred counselling training in 1985 he worked as a counsellor and groupworker in an adolescent secure unit. He trained at the Gestalt Centre and qualified as a psychotherapist in 2002. He has a private practice working with individuals and couples as well as offering individual and group supervision. In his approach he integrates psychodynamic and person-centred understandings into the Gestalt model.

Sandra Paul

(Diploma in Counselling 2nd year tutor and overall course leader)
Sandra is a BACP Accredited counsellor and trained in Gestalt at the Pellin Centre.  She has a background in education and has worked for the past 10 years in the health service as a staff counsellor and also in Primary Care.  She has taught for many years on counselling training courses ranging from Introductory to MSc level.  She is also currently Course Leader for the Certificate in Humanistic and Psychodynamic Counselling at Goldsmiths College.