ADVANCED COUPLE/RELATIONSHIP THERAPY TRAINING  
- A Gestalt Approach - 
Trainer: Dr Vibeke Visnes


LONDON 2026 - Venue - Therapy Space East - Shoreditch


Price: £1800 (early bird discount £1650 before 1st June 2026)


Module 1 - Friday 11th September - Sunday 13th September 2026


Relational Process Model:
Couple therapy is the most complex and vulnerable of the therapeutic situations due  to the presence of the significant other.  In the first module we work with the therapeutic relationship:  What it demands in couple therapy and how it is different from individual therapy.  From the beginning the training is highly experiential and practice-near, combining theory with therapeutic explorations. Development Somatic Psychotherapy (DSP) by Ruella Frank is introduced and implemented throughout the training modules.


Module 2 - Friday 9th October- Sunday 11th October 2026


Gestalt Integrative Model of Phenomenological Domains:
Building on the first model this module  the Gestalt Integrative Model of Phenomenological Domains (GIMod). The GIMod is created to support therapists to find figures and grade interventions in the complexity of a couple therapy situation and is inspired by the developmental domains by Daniel Stern. Again, taking a practise-near approach and reflexive and reflective practise on theory in light of experiential practice in smaller groups.


Module 3 - Friday 13th November - Sunday 15th November 2026


Intimacy and Autonomy:
Our work as therapists is to bring the clients to the “id of the situation” (Robine, 2016), meaning in practice, direct spontaneous contact in the relational field of the clients. We explore the resources of the therapist and how to support the clients to new and more dynamic way of relating. We dive deeper into the potential in DSP, sexuality and therapeutic presence. 


Module 4 - Friday 4th December - Sunday 6th December 2026


Working with traumatised couples:
In the last two decades, relational (developmental) trauma has been increasingly acknowledged and implemented in trauma theory. Vibeke’s research project has been specifically created to include what she found missing in couple’s therapy - a humanistic, holistic and relational perspective to suffering in traumatised fields. We will practice couple therapy and implement the GIMod as support to sustain working in these complex situations. We will do practical session intervention training with space for reflection and sharing of theory and process.
Trainer - Dr  Vibeke Visnes - Gestalt Integrative Institute
www.visnes.no www.gestaltintegrativeinstitute.com

Vibeke developed this model of Gestalt Couple training through her PHD training at Metanoia Institute London. Vibeke does advanced training for psychotherapists from all modalities around Europe. In her doctoral research she created a relational process method (RPM) and a Gestalt Integrative Model of Domains to support therapists working in this complex field of therapy. You can read more about the research and publications here. Vibeke supervises therapists and teaches at the Norwegian Gestalt Institute training program for Gestalt therapy.  
 She presented her work at the EAGT conference in Madrid Sep 23, the IAAGT conference in Mexico in Sept 2024 and the Gestalt Research Conference in Birmingham 2025.  

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