EAGT Principles — Respect, Safety, and Professional Integrity in Therapy

🏛️ The EAGT (European Association for Gestalt Therapy) sets international standards for quality, ethics, and professional responsibility in the practice of Gestalt therapy.

Its principles help therapists create a space where clients can feel safe, respected, and genuinely supported.

Following these principles is a sign of a mature, responsible, and ethical practice,

and for clients — a reassurance that their experiences will be met with empathy, care, and professionalism.

🌿 Core EAGT Principles

1. Confidentiality

Everything discussed in therapy remains private.

This creates the foundation of safety and trust, allowing clients to speak freely and openly.

2. Respect for the Client

The therapist accepts each person without judgment, respecting their pace, choices, and unique journey.

No pressure, no imposed solutions.

3. Competence and Continuous Growth

A professional therapist is committed to ongoing learning — through education, supervision, and personal therapy.

This ensures attentiveness, sensitivity, and effectiveness in the therapeutic process.

4. Awareness of Personal Boundaries

The therapist is mindful not to project personal emotions, biases, or experiences onto the client’s process.

This keeps the therapeutic relationship clear, professional, and trustworthy.

5. Responsibility and Honesty

The client’s well-being is always the therapist’s priority.

Ethical practice means transparency, integrity, and staying within one’s professional competence.

6. Safe Therapeutic Space

Therapy is a place where clients can explore themselves without fear, judgment, or pressure.

Safety is the foundation that allows real change and healing to happen.

💬 Why It Matters

These principles protect the client and make therapy truly effective.

Because psychotherapy is not only about techniques — it’s about the quality of human contact,

where respect, ethics, and safety come first.