GJANZ

The Gestalt Journal of Australia and New Zealand (GJANZ) is owned and published by GANZ, twice-yearly, in May and November. It is published in two forms: as a PDF provided free to members of GANZ, and as a limited run of hard copies available for purchase. As an e-journal it is also available through EBSCO Host and Informit, for those with access.

The purpose of the journal is to present the written exploration of Gestalt concepts and applications within psychotherapy practice, education and supervision as well as in research, organisational development and dynamics, community development, social and political domains and everyday life. The contents typically include articles, interviews, student projects and literature reviews, book reviews and case studies.

Current edition:

I am pleased to announce that the December 2023 edition (Vol 17 No 2) of the Gestalt Journal of Australia and New Zealand is now available for download.

Alan Meara
Editor, GANZ Journal
Contact email: ozgjeditor@ganz.org.au

Most frequently downloaded GJANZ articles

About 1000 GJANZ articles a year are downloaded via the Infomit database internationally and in Australia and New Zealand. The top 10 list is interesting. There’s quite a variety, with some focus on clinical issues perhaps. The most frequently downloaded paper is Friedemann Schulz’s “roots and shoots of Gestalt therapy”. A more interesting statistic would be the number of citations of individual articles (but hard to get), and I think Stuart Stawman’s “Relational Gestalt: Four Waves” wins on that count from what I’ve seen in overseas Journals.

Alan Meara

Editor, GANZ Journal
Contact email: ozgjeditor@ganz.org.au

Previous editions

Previous editions can be ordered here.

December 2020 edition (Vol 17 No 1)

Dear members and those of you in the global community who choose to access GJANZ through INFORMIT or EBSCO.  After some public problems with Vol 16 No 2, Vol 17 No1 is now available in e-version format. Hard copies for libraries and authors will be distributed in the New Year, and files made available to data bases.

The theme of this issue is ‘Wicked Problems’ quite relevant for 2020, where linear approaches to evidence based health care and subsequent political decisions bump up against nonlinear social impacts. I would like to thank the contributors to this issue for the excellence of their academic writing. This is not always a requirement for publication of contributions and more informal offerings are welcome.

The most difficult aspects for editing relate to providing accurate citations and reference lists entries – the detail of commas, full stops, italics and what is required to be included. To date we are guided by APA 6 protocols, however the recent release of APA 7 will bring some welcome changes in 2021. The APA system is not the only system to guide writing and there are times when it easier to present overseas contributions in their original form, with acknowledgement.

The ongoing support of past and present GANZ councils is valued.

I hope you will be able to enjoy some form of festive season activities in troubling times, and have time to engage with contributions. The Editorial outlines the theme. 

Warm regards – and write!!

Alan Meara
Editor, GANZ Journal
Contact email: ozgjeditor@ganz.org.a

May 2019 edition (Vol 15 No 2)

I am pleased to announce that the May 2019 edition (Vol 15 No 2) of the Gestalt Journal of Australia and New Zealand is now available for download here (free to members) Print editions may be ordered here

The editorial seeks to recognise a pattern across the contributions of addressing both theory and implications for practice, depth, and across various fields, width.

Dominic Hosemans threads a relational psychoanalytic concept of companioning, shortcomings of dialogue, as applied in a case study of a traumatised child. Steffi Bednarek examines the role of psychotherapy in societal responses to climate change and raises issues on unconscious bias in our theory that limits recognising the more than human world. Barry Laing argues for Gestalt therapy to be an ally in providing more culturally appropriate support for indigenous health care than currently offered in the  Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) framework. Barbara Suess first explores ways to provide support for bereavement, across historical and contemporary cultural differences, followed by findings from a project that revealed more similarities than differences in bereavement experience.

Leanne O’Shea as GANZ president expresses gratitude to the facilitators and convener (and the support committee) for the experimental Gathering/Hui which had quite a positive response from participants.

Happy reading, reflecting on the themes expressed by the authors, and perhaps taking action.

Alan Meara
Editor, GANZ Journal
Contact email: ozgjeditor@ganz.org.au

Nov 2018 edition (Vol 15 No 1)

I am pleased to announce that the Nov 2018 edition (Vol 15 No 1) of the Gestalt Journal of Australia and New Zealand is now available.
Members please click here to download your free copy or purchase a print edition

The editorial expands the theme of the 2019 GANZ community Gathering/hui: ‘Catalysts for transformation’, with an update on progress and the intentions for pre gathering activities as well as situating these within a global perspective.

We have offerings that explore neuroscientific aspects of cognitive and aesthetic processes in therapeutic process including the roles of the use of self, and of creativity and play in therapeutic engagement. A book review explores the contribution of the Cleveland based Cape Cod model grounded in the authors’ reflective processes around the application of change processes at various levels within social situations

Sadly, there is the honouring of the passing of two significant contributors to our craft: Bud Feder and Georges Wollants, As always, your voices in print in representing issues and ideas that are important to you are welcome, with the offer of support to refine your wok where necessary.

Happy reading, and best wishes for a restorative festive season Alan Meara Editor, GANZ Journal Contact email: ozgjeditor@ganz.org.au

GJANZ Journal Vol 14 No. 2 May 2018

The editorial picks up on the theme of the 2019 GANZ Community Gathering/Hui: Catalysts for transformation, with an update on progress and the intentions for an innovative process included. We have an interview with Miriam Taylor who will be visiting Australia and New Zealand next year that explores her interest in trauma therapy and other areas.

There is a contribution from Mark Fairfield focussed on leveraging diversity as a way of generating transformative community action.  Marie-Anne Chidiac, Sally Denham-Vaughan and Lynda Osborne present a relational matrix model for supervision, that includes clinical, coaching and organisational settings.

Anthony Jones’ exploration of ways to engage with clients around their patterns in relationship represents an example of practice based research that also includes reflection on the therapeutic relationship. Leanne O’Shea also addresses the value of reflection, in this case through the process of writing, and offers support for members and others who may be interested in participating in writing groups or workshops.

GJANZ Journal Vol 14 No. 1 Nov 2017

GANZ Journal Vol 13. No2 May 2017 – Table of Contents

Vol 13 No2 Editorial Extract: Excitement and Growth in Gestalt Therapy Research

This issue contains a the special section devoted to Research, co-ordinated by Madeleine Fogarty. … Our clinical practice is both phenomenological and systematic and we are constantly engaged with feedback and evaluation: “If we understand research as systematic curiosity, we can recognize ourselves as being very good at being curious about raising awareness and experimenting with new possibilities. What we need to develop further is the systematic part of research”. This is not a singular or pre-determined trajectory. …

There is not one right way to support research in GT. There are different perspectives and strategies that offer competing arguments. The dynamics between different approaches can foster dialogue and so the development itself. This is happening at Conferences around the world, in Paris at present and recently in Catania, Sicily, where 800 GT practitioners gathered for a conference on the relationships between the epistemology of clinical practice and research.

Amongst other more usual types of contributions, the “In dialogue” offering is a departure from the usual interview format, instead being an invited conversation between two well respected Gestalt ‘elders’ Zish Ziembinski and Brenda Levien, located at the most distant geographical ends of our territory. They share stories and their experiences of how they discovered Gestalt, their training, being part of the founding of GANZ and their interests in the future of GT in this region. I hope aspects of their conversation may resonate for many readers and underscore the need to support GANZ initiatives.

The journal is supported by several groups of people whose contributions are greatly valued.

Editor:

Alan Meara M. GT B.Com. (Hons), B.A, B Sc CELTA, FM GANZ

Editorial Advisory Board:

Linsey Howie
Brenda Levien NZRN, Dip G.Psych, MNZAC, MNZAP, FMGANZ, NZ Registered Psychotherapist
Leanne O’Shea
Richie Robertson PhD, Grad Dip Adol Ch Psych, Grad Dip Soc Sci (Gestalt), BA
Greer White Ed D

Peer Reviewers

A group of senior practitioners whose general and specific backgrounds allow them to comment on particular submissions received for publication. As this is an anonymous process, they are not named here.

Contributor Guidelines

The Editor welcomes submissions from GANZ members, students and trainers from Gestalt Institutes and Centres and from writers outside the association with an interest in the field of Gestalt practice and theory. The Editor is available to consider your ideas for submission and to answer questions about the submission process. GANZ is committed to supporting writing in this region, and encourages enquiries from all aspiring contributors.

See the Guidelines for Writers on the various types of submissions and the process for submission. Submissions should follow the Journal Style Guide. This document is a brief guide only to the APA 6th Edition requirements and authors should refer to more detailed resources available at many University websites. An example is provided here.

Enquiries and submissions may be sent by email to the editor: ozgjeditor@ganz.org.au