The Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy - an international community - is a professional organization created to operate according to the principles inherent in gestalt therapy theory. It's goal is to advance the field of gestalt therapy through the associating of gestalt therapists, theorists, organizational consultants, trainers, trainees, and writers.

According to Peter Philippson, President of the AAGT:
"The two important words implied by our name are 'Associating' and 'Advancing'. Our task is to provide a space where Gestaltists from many different countries and cultures can encounter each other and develop our understanding of Gestalt Therapy. We do this both by sharing our ideas about theory and practice, and also by the way we meet. While we do have some structures to sustain our work (an elected international Board and various committees to organise conferences etc.), our direction is encouraged to emerge from our contacting and community building. We try to move by consensus, taking a minority opinion as an important aspect of our meeting, to be engaged with.

In this way, we both link people and organisations (through our organisational membership) from established Gestalt communities and organisations, and support new and developing communities and Gestalt-influenced individuals where there is not yet a community. We do not accredit individuals or organisations. Our conferences are supported by a Scholarship programme and a Work Study scheme that together allow people to come who would not otherwise be able to afford it. We have an international network of Regional Conference Persons (RCPs) who can help to organise regional links, and have held or are holding regional conferences in Amsterdam, Yalta (Ukraine), SW USA and SE USA.

We are currently extending our capabilities through use of the internet. See our website (www.aagt.org) and web portal (www.aagt2.org). We sell DVDs of conference presentations (by Erv Polster, Anne Maclean, Richard Kitzler and others), and intend to branch out into podcasts."

---