Presenter:Â Simone LaVerne
Description:
This presentation examines the impact that Richard Kitzler (1927–2009), a founding member of the New York Institute for Gestalt Therapy, had on his NYIGT colleagues, students, and friends, and also draws a portrait of how the earlier days of the Institute impacted his own identity and work. It will discuss his relationships with some of those who were a critical part of the NYIGT at its founding (including Fritz and Lore Perls, and especially Paul Goodman). It will also sketch his relationships with contemporaries of his at the Institute, such as Patrick Kelley and Karen Humphrey, who went on to define the next generation at the NYIGT.
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Using source material largely drawn from firsthand interviews with Kitzler’s former colleagues, students, and friends, the presentation will be as much a tribute to who he was and how he impacted people as a study of how he bent the arc of the history and future of the Institute. The second half will draw from Kitzler’s focus on American pragmatist George Herbert Mead, and culminate in an experiment and discussion that explore how the social environment functions within our work as Gestalt therapy practitioners.
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Biography:
Simone LaVerne is a therapist located in New York City. She received an MA in psychology from The New School for Social Research in 2013. She then completed postgraduate training in Gestalt therapy at Gestalt Associates for Psychotherapy, graduating with a license in psychoanalysis in 2018 – the same year that she became a member at the NYIGT, where she continued her training. From there, Simone went into private practice. In 2021, she served as the Clinical Director at Identity House, an all-volunteer organization focused on peer counseling within the LGBTQ+ community in New York City, which has links that go way back to the NYIGT. Prior to this, she ran supervision groups for peer counselors there.
Simone is currently working on a book project about Richard Kitzler and his circle. She is also a practicing visual artist. She was born and raised in New York City, where she continues to reside with her partner and son.
