The Gestalt Foundation is a modern organization with a core philosophy of providing help for our fellow man. For the people of the Gestalt Foundation volunteering is considered a duty.
The Gestalt Foundation encourages its trainees to participate in volunteering activities through their clinical practice, creating a network of collaboration with social, nonprofit organizations and bodies providing support services.
Organizations such as: Pentelis’ Children’s Infirmary in Athens, Konstantinoupoleos Hearth Nursing Home in P. Fokaia Attica, the Hellenic Association of Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders in Thessalonica, Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO as well as organizations in places like Larisa, Volos, and Xanthi.
This is a detailed list of the Gestalt Foundation volunteering activities:
- GON.IS.
- Counseling groups to support parents
- KARKINAKI
- Counseling groups to support nursing staff
- 19th Elementary School in Aigaleo
Counseling groups to support parents.
- Municipality of Petroupoli (Athens)
- Support and Counseling groups addressed to parents in collaboration with the EN.E.O.N. Association (Union of Greek Women for Family and Youth).
- Supervision of the volunteering psychologists (group coordinators) on a monthly basis.
- “YWCA” of Larissa (Program of social service)
- Groups for psychological support & counseling addressed to women.
- Individual sessions for psychological support & counseling to women.
- Organizing and training of the volunteers of the association.
- Supervision of the volunteers on a monthly basis.
- “YWCA” of Thessaloniki (Program of social service)
- Individual psychological support meetings for women of vulnerable social groups.
- Friends – Volunteers of Child Care Institution (Thessaloniki)
- Psychological support and workshops for creative expression of women detained in the prison of Diavata.
- Christodoulio Foundation For The Protection Of Children (Athens)
- Design and implementation of volunteer training program (one year program).
- Supervision of the volunteers on a fortnightly basis.
- Supervision of the program’s trainers.
- XEN Larissa (Social Services Programme)
- Group Psychological and counselling support for women
- Individual psychological and counselling support for women
- XEN Thessaloniki (Social Services Programme)
- Individual meetings to support women from vulnerable social groups
- Association of Cancer Patients of Larissa (Larissa)
- Training and supervision to the volunteers of the Association.
- Association of Cancer Patients of Macedonia – Thrace (Thessaloniki)
- Psychological support groups for patients.
- Support groups for the new members of the Association.
- Individual meetings for psychological support and counseling of patients.
- Thessalian Association of People with Multiple Sclerosis (Volos)
- Individual therapeutic sessions for the psychological support of patients & care-givers.
- Psychological support groups of patients & care-givers.
- 6th Elementary School in Aigaleo
- Counseling groups to support parents.
- "ELPIS" Nursing Home (Athens)
- Providing psychological support to the elderly.
- “PIXIDA” A.M.K.E., "PSYCHARGOS" PROGRAMME – BOARDING HOUSE "THARAPAFSI" (Athens)
- Providing psychological & creative support to the boarders.
- 9th High School in Nikaia
- Counseling groups to support teachers.
- 5th All day Primary School in Argos
- Counseling groups to support teachers.
- 9th Elementary School in Glyfada
- Counseling groups to support parents.
- Medecins Sans Frontieres (Athens)
- 14-hour educational workshop on "Main strategies in crisis intervention" to the staff of the Association.
- Palea Pendeli Infirmary (Athens)
- Creation of supporting group of the orphanage’s staff members.
- Creation of supporting group of the orphanage’s volunteers.
- Estia Konstantinoupoleos Nursing Home (P. Fokea of Attica)
- Individual psychological support for the elderly.
- Individual psychological support to elderly patients of the infirmary.
- Creation and coordination of groups of creative expression.
- Charity Nursing Home of the Societe Social Care of Moschato (Athens)
- Psychological support for the elderly.
- Creation and coordination of groups of creative expression.
- Greek Association of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (Thessaloniki)
- Group psychological support for dementia patients.
- Group psychological support for care-givers.
- Individual therapeutic intervention.
- “Together for Children” Association (Athens)
- Staffing with psychologists of the “Together for Children” free help-line that provides counseling and one-to-one appointments for children, young people and parents.
- Students’ Center for Psychological Counseling – Technological Educational Institute of Larissa
- Students’ psychological support.
- Students’ Center for Psychological Counseling – Faculty of Medicine/ School of Health Sciences University of Thessaly (Larissa)
- Students’ psychological support.
- Students’ Center for Psychological Counseling – Department of Post-Graduate Studies/ University of Thessaly (Volos)
- Students’ psychological support.
- Thessalian Association of People with Multiple Sclerosis (Larissa)
- Training seminars addressed to the volunteers of the Association, who provide patients with house visits.
- Supervision of volunteers on a monthly basis.
- Association of Friends of Children with Cancer STORGI (Thessaloniki)
- Individual and group counseling sessions to children suffering from cancer and their parents.
- Association of Women with Breast Cancer "Alma Zois" N. Thessaloniki
- Group counseling sessions to women with breast cancer and short -term thematic groups sessions.
- Association of Women with Breast Cancer "Alma Zois" N. Thessaloniki
- Group counseling session to women members of the Association through music, yoga, visual arts and theater practices
- At times, there has been voluntary collaboration with other frameworks and institutions, such as:
- The Volunteers – Friends – Doctors of Cancer Patients Association C.V.F.D. (Athens) (2004-2014)
- Design and implementation of volunteer training program (twoyear program).
- Supervision of the volunteers on a fortnightly basis.
- Supervision of the program’s trainers.
- Open support group for patients on a weekly basis.
- Individual sessions of psychological support for patients/ relatives.
- Meetings/ Workshops.
- Cancer Patients' Association “Friends of Arta” (Arta)
- Designing and implementing a volunteer training program.
- Support Organisation “KROUSMATON” - VOLUNTEER COUNSELING STATION FOR ADOLESCENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF THERMAIKOS (Thessaloniki)
- 6-8 individual counseling sessions with parents or the adolescents themselves
- Group meetings every 15 days
- Supplementary assistance for the youth percussion band
- Supervision of the volunteers
- Supervision and support for the psychotherapists who are involved in the organisation
- Safe zone in the area of Imathia (Thessaloniki)
- Psychological support and creative involvement with unaccompanied refugees.
- Association for Volunteer Support of Minors and Young People: “INSIDE&OUTSIDE” (Thessaloniki)
- Psychological support and creative involvement with individuals being held temporarily in custody.
- Association of Cancer Patients & Friends of Xanthi (Xanthi)
- Training seminars for the volunteers of the Association.
- Psychological support and counseling groups for patients.
- “Women’s Refugee”
- Individual therapeutic sessions
- Group support for women
- Couple’s counseling
- Organizing and training of the volunteers
- Supervision of volunteers
- Public information campaigns
- Association of Cancer Patients of Edessa
- Open lectures.
- Psychological support groups.
- Individual psychological support sessions for patients / relatives.
- Moschato Football Camp (summer camp)
- Implementation of a teaching program for an effective communication between children through creative ways of expression, association and cooperation.
- Relax Palace – Care Unit for the Elderly (Athens)
- Counselling support group for the relatives.
- Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO
- Design and implementation of a training program (experiential workshops) addressed to schools of primary and secondary education of Attica and Thessaloniki with main goal the sensitization of the educators in issues of human rights and of conflict resolution.
- “G.M.S.S.” Greek Multiple Sclerosis Society (Thessaloniki)
- Association of Cancer Patients of Giannitsa
- Panhellenic Association of Early-Years Teachers (Athens)
- Support group for early-year teachers.
- Parent Union with Diabetic Children & Adolescents of North Greece (Thessaloniki)
- Association of Cancer Patients of Ptolemaida
- 8th Kindergarten of Geraka (Athens)
- Counseling and support group for parents.
- 16th Maroussi Elementary School
- Counseling groups to support parents.
«e-therapy» by Gestalt Foundation
Gestalt Foundation online social service and volunteering program. Rich experience of partnership and offering in the heart of a deeply "wounded" era!
On March 18, 2020, just a few days after the announcement of the first cases of COVID-19 in our country, the Gestalt Foundation Psychotherapy and Training Center, drawing inspiration from the principles of social contribution and volunteerism, which characterize its parallel activities, organizes and publicizes the establishment of a psychological support program, with the symbolic title: "Remote... CONTACT".
The goal of the program is to "gather the forces" of Gestalt therapists and, in a completely voluntary context, to contribute through their work to fellow human beings who need psychological support but do not have the means to ensure it for themselves.
A framework is immediately created that foresees specific categories of people most affected by the pandemic and special conditions for inclusion in the program, in order to help every person in need to face the uncertainty and unprecedented pressure of the pandemic and the psychological impact of the quarantine on their daily life, during the restrictive measures imposed by the state for the health treatment of the coronavirus.
The program quickly gained momentum and requests arrived at a blistering pace. The waiting list is growing and with it the need to include more and more therapists in the volunteer program. At an initial stage, 4 supervision groups are activated, coordinated by a Gestalt supervisor for each, with 30 volunteer therapists equally included in them. Through this program, in the first phase of the pandemic, more than 150 people found the support and care they needed to deal with whatever difficulties they were forced to experience, following a series of a certain number of sessions, via the Internet, with "their personal" mental health counselor/psychotherapist, final student or graduate of the Gestalt Foundation.
Since requests for participation in the program were increasing even during the summer months and bearing in mind that the pandemic is still active, it was decided to intensify the volunteer program, developing it into an important social contribution and volunteer program for Gestalt therapist graduates, but, at the same time, it is being upgraded to an internship structure for Gestalt Foundation graduate therapists, with the main goal of increasing the potential of collaborating mental health specialist volunteers in the program.
Thus, in September 2020, the Gestalt Foundation announces the organization and operation of the new volunteer program "e-therapy" by Gestalt Foundation to provide free psychological support and counseling, in times of crisis, via the Internet. The renewed voluntary program follows the successful operating model of the previous one, but it is upgraded and developed on several levels. Those interested (who must meet certain conditions) will be able to send their request, through a simple message, to participate in the program on the page created for this purpose on Facebook: https://www.facebook .com/gestalt.therapy.by.GF
The conditions for accepting a request for participation in the program were to be
- Adults (18 years and over)
- Workers who belong to the professions affected by the current health crisis (unemployed or part-time workers)
- Single parent families (Mother or Father)
- Concerned that their initial request for psychological support or counseling is related to the current socio-economic situation created by the health crisis.
After the management and acceptance of each request, each participant in the program is forwarded to the respective first available therapist, who undertakes the organization, implementation and completion of the online sessions with the interested party. Each participant is exclusively monitored by a specific and stable mental health consultant (therapist, trained in Gestalt psychotherapy) while throughout the intervention the therapists, in turn, join small supervision groups, which operate on a stable basis with the care and the supervision of Gestalt Foundation trainers.
By March 2021, more than 86 therapists (graduates and final students of the Gestalt Foundation) have collaborated in the program, and more than 420 of our fellow human beings have found the support and care they needed to face whatever difficulties they had to experience due to the pandemic.
Requests for participation in the program did not stop for a moment arriving on our page. The "e-therapy" program continues with the deep belief of the entire community of Gestalt therapists that together we will be able to overcome this difficulty and contribute to the community with all our strength!
In the academic year 2022-2023, which is the 4th period of the volunteer program "e-therapy", an additional 55 new volunteer therapists or final year trainee Gestalt therapists joined, while 5 new supervisory teams were activated to strengthen and ensure the effectiveness of the program.
Since the announcement of this year's resumption of the program (in October 2022) and within the first month of operation, more than 85 people who meet the conditions for participation in said action have already requested help and received the support they needed.
The coordinator and manager of requests for the entire program is Nikolas Raptis, Mental Health Counselor and graduate of the Gestalt Foundation.
