Gestalt Synthesis Team
Please find below the short bios of our team
DIMITRIS TZACHANIS
Dimitris Tzachanis, founder of Gestalt Synthesis, is an accredited psychotherapist by the National Society for Psychotherapy of Greece (NOPG), holder of the European Certificate of Psychotherapy and member of the European Association for Psychotherapy. He trained in Gestalt Therapy by the Gestalt Institute of San Francisco, was the head of the institute in Greece and is a member of the European Association for Gestalt Therapy (EAGT). He is also an accredited body psychotherapist, graduate of the Center for Psychotherapy & Counseling "Wilhelm Reich” and member of the Greek and European Association of Body Psychotherapy.
He has studied Social Anthropology (BA) at Kent University and Psychoanalytic Studies (MA) at Brunel University in London. In addition, he has finished trainings in Trauma Therapy, the Diamond Approach, IFS, Healing the Inner Child and others. He is inspired by the Transpersonal therapeutic philosophy and in his approach he has integrated elements from various therapeutic modalities. He is working individually and with groups and designs and facilitates therapeutic and training seminars and is teaching Gestalt Therapy at Kethesy.
MICHAEL SOTH
Michael Soth is an integral-relational Body Psychotherapist, trainer, supervisor, mentor and group facilitator, who studied, lived and worked in the UK between 1982 and 2021. During those four decades, he taught on a variety of counselling and therapy training courses, alongside working as Training Director at the Chiron Centre for Body Psychotherapy.
He has written numerous articles and book chapters and is a frequent presenter at conferences. He is co-editor of the Handbook of Body Psychotherapy and Somatic Psychology, published in 2015. Extracts from his published writing as well as hand-outs, blogs and summaries of presentations are available through his website for INTEGRA CPD: www.integra-cpd.co.uk. www.integra-cpd.co.uk.
In Greece he is teaching the Online Integrative Supervision Group.
MORIT HEITZLER
Morit Heitzler is a psychotherapist, supervisor, and trainer with many years of experience, and a member of the EABP, UKCP, and EMDR UK. She has taught on various training programs in Europe and regularly facilitates seminars and groups. Through her collaboration with various organizations, she has gained experience in working with a wide range of PTSD symptoms and traumatized people, including refugees and asylum seekers. Over the course of 30 years, she has developed a integrative approach to trauma work, bringing together—within a comprehensive relational framework—body psychotherapy, attachment theory, EMDR, contemporary neuroscience, and family constellation.
In recent years, she has focused on providing intermediate and advanced Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and supervision for trauma therapists, particularly on the integration of different trauma therapy approaches. More information can be found on her website: www.heitzler.co.uk.
ALEX STERNICK
Alex Sternick, BSc. in Clinical Nutrition, is an expert and internationally recognised practitioner of the Art of Nonsense and Laughter Therapy. He is currently the Gibberish Professor of the Applied Positive Psychology MSc. program at New Bucks University in the UK.
Alex is a Humour Coach practicing and experimenting with Non-Linear Interventions & Approaches focusing mainly on building the capacity of self-acceptance within the individual. He evokes his protagonists and students to apply improvisational skills used on the stage to their real lives. His work is strongly inspired by the audacious teachings of Dr Viktor Frankl, Keith Johnstone and Frank Farrelly. Το 2004, ξεκίνησε τις πρώτες ομάδες γέλιου στην Ιερουσαλήμ και οργάνωσε σεμινάρια με διεθνούς φήμης δασκάλους, συμπεριλαμβανομένων των Dr Madan Kataria και Belachew Girma (World Laugher Master).
He is the man behind laughter yoga clubs in Israel. Alex began his laughter journey in India in 2003, where he worked with terminally ill patients. Then he practiced in Ethiopia as a laughter therapist in Mother’s Mission and a nutritionist with SaveTheChildren USA. These experiences inspired him to bring laughter yoga to Israel. In 2004, he started the first laughter club in Jerusalem and brought the leading experts to the country, including Dr. Madan Kataria and World Laughter Master Belachew Girma to run workshops.
In addition to his impact in his native country of Israel, Alex has traveled all over the world to run professional certified training workshops. He has trained professionals in his techniques in countries including UK, Greece, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, USA, Austria, Finland, Austria and Slovenia. He has also appeared in local media channels in those countries.
ELENI PANITSKA
Helene Panitskas is a certified advanced Rolfer, movement teacher specialised in Craniosacral therapy. She was born and raised in France. There she studied initially classical dance, choreography and analysis and notation of movement (Labanotation). Later she met Thérèse Bertherat through her personal therapy, who was the originator of a technique known as Antigymnastique. She trained with her in the beginning of the 90s. At the same time she encountered many other techniques (Feldenkrais, Mézières Therapy, Tomatis Method, physiotherapy, etc) and mainly she discovered Rolfing.
She trained in Rolfing in Germany, Italy and mainly in the USA with the most important teachers of its kind (Hubert Godart, Jim Asher, Pedro Prada, Tessy Brunghart and others). Today she lives and works in England and for shorter periods in Greece. She is the mother of two daughters.
NIKOLAOS ATHANASAKIS
Nick Athanasakis is a body-oriented psychotherapist whose main approach is Bioenergetic Analysis. He is a Certified Bioenergetic Therapist (CBT) and has training in Gestalt therapy, inner child therapy and other modalities of psychotherapy. He is a TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) provider, a somatic method which facilitates the release of traumatic stress through the body’s tremoring mechanism. Nick also has an M.A. in counseling from Azusa Pacific University in California.
In his own approach, Ensomatics, he combines elements from different methods with the aim of helping people expand their body awareness and reconnect with their body's innate resources in order to heal trauma. "En soma," literally meaning "in the body," is borrowed from the ancient Greek saying "a healthy mind in a healthy body." Together with his father, Apostolos Athanasakis, they have created the Orphic Center, combining elements of body psychotherapy with ancient Greek spirituality and ritual.