EXPANDING AWARENESS AND PROMOTING CONTACT ACROSS DIFFERENCES

What can we, as members of the Gestalt community in the US and globally, do to address the deep divisions that exist in places where we live, work, serve, worship and socialize? How do we effectively work with and relate to those with whom we vehemently disagree? How do we learn to support ourselves and others to live cohesively with ambiguity and uncertainty? In this seminar, innovative and viable concepts including radical respect, a relational model for managing the dynamics of differences, and developing a “Me to We Mindset”, all rooted in essential Gestalt concepts such as field theory, phenomenological inquiry and dialogue, will be presented. Together, we will explore and practice deep listening for bidirectional understanding of the beliefs, history, experiences, worldviews, perceptions, values, attitudes, and motivations of others. We will integrate this Me to We characteristic as an example of the intersection and blending of Gestalt therapy’s three fundamental philosophical foundations. The Salon will end by turning conversation into action as participants complete the statement, “Moving forward I will…”

GTILA members are eligible for free admission to all salons. Members may find their discount code by logging into their gtila.org account and checking the Discount Codes page under GTILA Salons. If you have trouble locating your code, please reach out to us at gtilaorg@gmail.com.

If you would like to make a donation to help GTILA continue its mission, please consider making a donation at our paypal at gtilaorg@gmail.com and type “Salon Donation”.

If you are interested in receiving member benefits including free admission to this event and other GTILA salons as well as access to additional member benefits, please see gtila.org/membership or sign up for our mailing list here.

GTILA is a non-profit membership organization based in Los Angeles.

Our mission is to be a gathering space for Gestalt therapists, trainees and the Gestalt curious from the Los Angeles area, the United States and internationally. By offering training scholarships, affordable/accessible educational and experimental salons, workshops, newsletters and a therapist directory, we exist to provide an inclusive home for Gestalt therapists while promoting the advancement of contemporary, relational Gestalt therapy. We embrace and respect differences recognizing that our theory and practice must be responsive to the rapidly changing social and demographic field conditions to remain vital, ethical, and relevant.

By registering for this event, you agree to receive marketing communications from Gestalt Institute of Los Angeles (GTILA).

By registering for this event, you acknowledge that events may be recorded for training purposes, and may be made available for educational purposes.

About the presenters: Deborah L. Plummer, PhD is Founder/Executive Director of Getting to We, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to helping people understand our shared, core identity as humans and relate to each other without fear. Through her non-profit, she creates DEIB EdutainmentTM, competency-building learning experiences, and research-backed resources that create a better society for everyone.

As a psychologist, university professor, author, and international leader in the field of diversity and inclusion, Debbie brings her deeply humanist and Gestalt-trained skills to audiences and readers to examine themselves as social beings in relation to our programmed fear of “otherness.” Her work and writings introduce a relational model for managing differences that support the development of the competencies necessary to live authentically out of one’s core identity as a human being and master the challenges of diversity dynamics.

As a Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Quantitative Health Sciences at UMass Chan Medical School, she taught cultural competence in healthcare and strategies for reducing health disparities. She remains on faculty as adjunct and continues her research and writing on cross-racial dynamics. Throughout her career, she has developed several widely-used assessment tools: Diversity Inclusion Belonging Survey (DIBS), Diversity Engagement Survey (DES), Racial Identity Status Self-Assessment (RISSA) and Antiracist Style Indicator (ASI).

Debbie has held past roles as tenured psychology professor and founding director of Cleveland State University’s graduate degree program in diversity management, served on the State of Ohio Board of Psychology, and was Cleveland Clinic’s first Chief Diversity Officer instituting the systems’ inaugural office. As principal consultant for D.L. Plummer & Associates (DLPA), she supported over 100 organizations in the U.S., Canada, U.K, and India.

Debbie’s research and consulting approaches are heavily influenced by Gestalt theory and practice. She received her doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology at Kent State University and was mentored by Dr. Ansel Woldt. She then completed the Three-Year Post Graduate Training Program in Gestalt Methods and became a “Gestalt Workshop Junkie” incorporating Gestalt principles in her clinical practice, teaching, and writings.

Her book, Some of My Friends Are...The Daunting Challenges and Untapped Benefits of Cross-Racial Friendships (Beacon Press) presents an insightful look at how cross-racial friendships work and fail within American society. Deborah is also the editor of the Handbook of Diversity Management (Rowman and Littlefield) and author of Racing Across the Lines: Changing Race Relations through Friendships (Pilgrim Press) which received the publisher’s Mayflower Award for best publication in the category of Church and Society. She has authored several book chapters and published numerous journal articles to the professional community on racial identity development and managing diverse work environments. She has written for Gestalt Review and was the guest co-editor along with Jon Frew for the 2016 Special issue on Diversity and Inclusion. She has also written for Diversity Executive and the Boston Globe Magazine. Other publications include Advancing Inclusion: A Guide for Effective Diversity Council and Employee Resource Group Membership (Half Dozen Publications) and her essay, “The Girl from the Ghetto” is published in the anthology All the Women in My Family Sing, Her play, To My White Friends Who Know Me, remains on national tour, debuted at the historic Karamu House Theater to sold out audiences and rave reviews. Her other plays on important DEIB issues include Beauty Shop, The God I Know, and All The Women in My Family Sing.

Debbie is most passionate about creating inclusive organizations and building peaceful communities and cherishes her work on several nonprofit boards aligned with this mission. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio with her husband, Michael. In her next life, she plans to come back as either a master chef (think Ina Garten) or a singer, dancer, and entertainer (think Beyonce).

Jon Frew PhD, ABPP is a psychologist and a Gestalt therapist and

trainer. He received his early training at the Gestalt Institute of

Cleveland completing the Post Graduate Training Program in 1981. He

is Emeritus Professor at Pacific University’s School of Graduate

Psychology where he taught, supervised and mentored doctoral and

Masters’ students from 1990 until 2017 and was the Director of the

Organizational Consulting Track. Currently he maintains a private

practice in Portland, Oregon and provides a range of services including

organizational consulting, supervision, clinical consultation and therapy.

Along with Steve Zahm and Eva Gold, Jon was a co-founder and senior

trainer for Gestalt Therapy Training Center NW. He has led Gestalt

training groups in the US and internationally since 1983. He has been an

Associate Editor of the Gestalt Review since its inception in 1997. Jon

has published widely on the topics of Gestalt groups and diversity. With

Debbie Plummer, he was the guest co-editor of the 2016 Special Issue

on Diversity and Inclusion. Notable publications are Contemporary

Psychotherapies for a Diverse World (2013), Diversity and Inclusion: A

Gestalt Perspective and Gestalt Therapy: Creatively Adapting in an

Increasingly Diverse World (2016), Key Concepts from Gestalt Therapy

for Non-Gestalt Therapists (2017) Gestalt Groups and Beyond: Alternate

Tunings Required (2019) and The Greying of Gestalt: Still Relevant?

(2024). Jon is featured in a podcast The Thoughtful Counselor, Beyond

the Empty Chair: Exploring the Complexity of Gestalt Therapy.

Jon has offered consultation and training services to groups and

organizations specializing in working with non- profits. His ABPP is in

Organizational and Business Consulting and currently serves on the

Boards of Getting to We and the Gestalt Therapy Institute of Los

Angeles.