Gestalt Equine Psychotherapy
Australia

About The Facilitators

Meggin Kirby (BA(Psychology), MASW, DipGT)
Founder of Gestalt Equine Psychotherapy Australia - Equine Assisted Psychotherapist & Learning Facilitator
Gestalt Therapist & Psychotherapist
Mental Health Social Worker
EAGALA certified Practitioner
Victorian EAGALA Networking Coordinator
Equine Facilitated Coach - Level 1 Kathy Pike EFCL

I began my Mental Health Social Work over 15 years ago in Adult Community Psychiatry and then Child, Adolescent and Family Psychiatry, inpatient and outpatient serices. In between having my 2 daughters Rose and Jasmine, I began practice as a Psychotherapist, from a Gestalt Therapy approach over 13 years ago.

I work as a Psychotherapist, Coach and Facilitator with Individual, Couples, Families and Groups, people passionate about their personal growth, and those who are really struggling with serious mental health symptoms, supervising teams and facilitating corporate groups. I find my work enriching and a privledge. Currently I am enjoying working with small groups and large groups including counselling teams, personal development groups, corporate groups, and supervison groups.

After moving to the Daylesford area over 6 years ago, I have been able to really extend my other passion – horses. I care for and live with a herd of 11 horses, and have regular horsemanship lessons, building my approach of Í Thou Horsemanship. My senior stallion and my herd continue to teach me more than I could ever hope for.

Many years ago I started reading about Equine facilitated Psychotherapy and Learning, Equine assisted psychotherapy, and the diverse equine inspired learning programs and theories around the world. This was a natural progression for me because my horses had always been incredible personal growth teachers for me  - facilitating my awareness, and stretching me into my core issues and own unfinished business, so that I continued to face feelings and patterned ways of thinking and going. The constant non-judgemental challenge I face in being in relationship with my magnificent and loving horse-friends, provided the impetus for me to seek out training and books to stretch me along my journey. I went on to complete many EAGALA part 1 & 2 trainings, and ‘Tools for the Trail’ training, Gestalt Equine Psychotherapy training intensives with GEIR, and level 1 kathy Pike Training in Equine Facilitated Coaching. I have explored Linda Kohanov, Arianna Strozzi, the McCormicks, Barbara Rector, Kathy Pike and many more authors, and have loved every minute of it! I continued chewing over the trainings and readings received , and have come to a place that feels congruent with myself and my gestalt psychotherapy practice in ‘Gestalt Equine Psychotherapy’ . I working intensively with grounding, mindfulness, and integrating feeling and body awareness into an integrated intelligence, far beyond thinking and insight.

GEP has crystalised by both creating my own principles and practice, and, by the training and mentoring received and offered by Duey Freeman and Joan Rieger from the Gestalt Equine Institute of the Rockies (GEIR), America. I have deep gratitude to both Duey and Joanie for their preparedness to come on out to Australia, and offer some profoundly moving training in gestalt equine psychotherapy. I am continuing keenly on this journey which is very exciting, and now busy! I now am honoured to support,challenge and train new practitioners drawn to this work in becoming competent, grounded, aware and present, in the presence of horses - in our wonderful EAP/ GEP Practitioner Training program.

Noel Haarburger
(BBSC, BEd). Psychologist, Gestalt Therapist, and Trainer.

Noel is a facility member and trainer at GTA (Gestalt Therapy Australia), and works in private practice as a Psychologist and Psychotherapist, and now Equine Assisted Psychotherapist.

He has previously worked in a variety of counselling settings including, family counselling, drug and alcohol, sexual assault, problematic gambling, men’s behavioural change programs, psychiatric disability field, and youth justice.

Noel has a special interest in Trauma and Body Work, and integrating Spirituality, Buddhism and transpersonal approaches into his work. He is a student of the Diamond Heart approach.

Now excited about the horse-human connection in GEP, Noel co-facilitates with Meg, offering the Foundation and Advanced training in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, offering his experience and wisdom in training Psychotherapists and facilitators.