David Forrest: Gestaltuk

Background, skills and experience

Dr Neil Harris qualified as a doctor in 1984, moving into the field of mental health and child psychiatry. He has practiced as a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist for 18 years. He has been a qualified psychotherapist for 16 years. 

As a doctor he knew that the quality of his relationship with patients and clients was key to being helpful to them.  Right from the start of his training as a psychiatrist he took opportunities to learn therapeutic skills from other, more experienced, professionals working under supervision, with individuals, with couples and with families. 

Gestalt Psychotherapy training

Neil's first formal training in psychotherapeutic approaches was in Family Therapy, in 1988. While gaining first hand experience of working on his own self-development in a group setting, he became interested in the Gestalt approach, finding the creativity, liveliness and immediacy of Gestalt something of a revelation after the comparatively dry and academic medical training that he had been through.  At the same time, he moved into further training in child and adolescent psychiatry, finding that the same qualities often applied to therapy and work with children and their families or carers. 

In 1992, he started formal training as a Gestalt psychotherapist