On Sunday, February 1, 2026, an unusual three-day workshop entitled “A Doll in My Hand” was completed at the Gestalt Foundation in Athens, coordinated by Marialena Tsiamoura, Mental Health Counselor, MSc Psychology, Kindergarten Teacher at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Puppeteer, trained in Gestalt Psychotherapy and Doll Therapy.

According to Marialena, dolls are material and objects. However, we see them take on breath and soul. And not only do they come to life, but they know very well how to keep young children company, to frolic on stage, while in recent years they have also been sneaking into therapists’ offices. They seem to know everything and carry the magic of the whole world. They can say about us that we cannot express, and live for us the experiences that we did not have the opportunity to live. We, for our part, are called to construct them, to make decisions about their character and world, to support their existence, to accompany them. Together, we have been there - always, since both we and they existed - to connect and relate.

In this workshop, the point where Gestalt Psychotherapy meets the art of Puppet Theater was sought with the effort to teach participants to LISTEN to the dolls and their dynamics and to try to let themselves be in the relationship with them, and to find - as therapists - the framework to coexist within the therapeutic room.