Part 1: the basics – working creatively with drawing, clay and sand
This in-person training, the first of 3 such short courses, will interest Gestalt counsellors and psychotherapists, senior trainees and also therapists from other disciplines.
It takes place over 3 consecutive days and offers a ’stand-alone’ introduction to Violet Oaklander’s projective arts-based Gestalt method.
Participants form a learning community and acquire knowledge and skills, working together in a small group setting.
Venue
Myrtle Road, London W3 6DX.
Good transport links (see location page for details).
The area is well served by cafes and restaurants.
When
Three days:
- Friday 20 to Sunday 22 February 2026
- 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm each day (with breaks)
Attendance on all 3 dates required.
Fee
£350 per person, payable by BACS – full details on application. A non-refundable deposit of £150 reserves your place.
Includes:
- recommended reading list
- worksheets
- use of materials
- refreshments
An attendance certificate is issued by Gazebo Training School on completion of the course.
Learning approach
This course, now in its 22nd iteration, offers part-practical, part-didactic and experiential learning. It caters particularly for qualified counsellors, psychotherapists, senior trainees and others working in a therapeutic capacity directly with young people (including young adults).
The course will also interest those wishing to develop their relationship with awareness, creativity and play.
During the weekend – working variously solo, in pairs and as a group – participants will experience the power of the arts to communicate deep feeling. We will consider the role of the therapist as empathic active witness, as ‘midwife’ to the unfolding relational process.
Course content
The schedule will be kept loose to allow plenty of time for questions, skills practice, demonstrations and discussion.
Day 1
We begin by exploring the media of drawing and painting, utilising a series of ‘icebreaker’ exercises designed to put the client at ease that help foster self expression while building a trusting, mutual dialogic relationship.
Day 2
Now we venture a little deeper, using the versatile medium of clay to explore creating and de-structuring. Focusing on right-brain process, we extend our imagination, expanding our ability to think laterally and respond in the moment. We may consider experiences of interpersonal stuckness or ‘unfinished business’ and experiment with ways of finding our flow.
Day 3
For our third day we explore the client’s ‘world view’ using the medium of sand tray, another medium that invites even deeper reflection. The group may also want to consider alternative ways of making their own sand tray kit. If weather permits we may opt to venture outdoors and experience conducting a therapeutic discourse in nature.
Applications
Please write a paragraph or two introducing yourself and your work context to me, Jon.
Describe any experience you have of using expressive arts in your life and say what you hope to gain from participating in this course. Send your application to me, Jon, at: jon.blend335@gmail.com.
Next you may be invited to a brief interview on Zoom. If accepted on the course you will be asked to pay the deposit to reserve your space.
Other info
Parts 2 and 3 will follow later next year. There will be a discounted rate for those booking additional modules.
Please note: Coco, our people-friendly, hypo-allergenic Cockapoo doggie lives on the premises. She may bark on your arrival though shouldn’t intrude on our work.
About Jon Blend (course facilitator)
Jon (MA Dip Child, Dip Psych) is an adult and child psychotherapist, writer and musician. He has delivered Oaklander-inspired trainings, conference keynotes and workshops to various therapy institutes in UK, Bulgaria, Canada, Hungary, Iran, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and USA. Jon first trained with mentor Violet Oaklander in 2000. He is an approved tutor of the Oaklander method working in association with the Violet Solomon Oaklander Foundation. He is also a faculty member of the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education (IATE, Wellbeing Diploma).
During the pandemic, drawing inspiration from earlier visits to the nursery/school at Esalen, California, Jon established Gazebo Training School in West London. Here he worked creatively ‘al fresco’ with clients in nature. He continues to facilitate arts based trainings, working ‘under cover’, online and outdoors.
biannual conference, Malibu.
My intention is always to satisfy hopes and aspirations of participants in my workshops. If you feel dissatisfied with any aspect of the course kindly raise your concern directly with me in the first instance to see if a solution can be found. Should this not bring resolution there is an independent appeal process available.