The Gestalt Institute and Relationship Center of New Orleans

Offering Counseling, Workshops and Training Since 1975

The Gestalt Institute of New Orleans was founded in 1975 by Anne Teachworth, Certified Gestalt and Psychogenetic Coach and Fellow of the American Psychotherapy Association.

For the last 30 years we have offered Gestalt, The Psychogenetics System™ and NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) educational training and personal improvement workshops to the general public, as well as private counseling. Private sessions are available with our Director, Dr. Tina Thomas or Assistant Director, Jeff Teachworth. Our entire Relationship Center staff are masters of various specialties and present a variety of workshops throughout the year.

For those needing CEU's, we offer professional workshops and training programs in Gestalt, The Psychogenetic System™ and NLP to practicing counselors, students and anyone wanting to improve their personal and professional skills.

Our friendly office is called "The Relationship Center".

 A Message from Our Director, Dr. Tina Thomas

What is Gestalt?

Gestalt is a non-analytical, non-judgmental, existential psychotherapy. It deals with what IS happening, instead of what SHOULD be, COULD be, WILL be or WAS. We encourage you to become aware of HOW you prevent yourself from discovering positive new alternatives. HOW, not WHY, is the goal of Gestalt. Gestalt gives awareness rather than advice and choices in life rather than chances. Increasing self-awareness of old patterns which didn’t work well, leads to new behaviors which do. To quote an NLP saying, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.”

How does this help me?

Instead of dividing people into mind and body, past and present, right and wrong, Gestalt seeks human wholeness by increasing self-support and by synchronizing mind, body, feelings and behavior. It improves your communication with others in your life now by resolving your internal conflicts and unfinished business from your past. Gestalt focuses on becoming more healthy-alive instead of concentrating on a sickness-cure approach. We believe in the “here and now,” based on the teachings of Laura and Fritz Perls.

One of the primary beliefs in our work with our clients is exemplified by this poem by Frank Rubenfeld:

“The light’s within you, the dungeon, too.
I know what to do and what not o do.
I won’t open that rusty door,
I’ll show you how you locked it...
nothing more"