Arnold R. Beisser, M.D.
Scholarship Application
The Arnold R. Beisser, M.D. Scholarship is a philanthropic program offered by GTILA to support trainees who have enrolled for gestalt therapy training at one of our two affiliated training organizations, Gestalt Associates Training Los Angeles (GATLA) and Pacific Gestalt Institute (PGI), and can demonstrate financial need. The purpose of this program is to make gestalt training more accessible to those who are interested but would otherwise not be able to afford the training in gestalt therapy.
GTILA is able to offer a limited amount of scholarship money to those who can demonstrate a need for financial assistance. We prioritize applicants who are current students or recent graduates, as well as international applicants from countries experiencing economic difficulties. We want to assist those who would not otherwise be able to afford the cost of training.
Applications for the Arnold R. Beisser, M.D. Scholarship for the Weekend Training Programs will be considered only upon confirmation that the Scholarship Applicant has enrolled in the training program. Applications for the Arnold R. Beisser, M.D. Scholarship for the Residentials will be considered only upon confirmation that the Scholarship Applicant has communicated intention to enroll in the training program to the relevant training institute. GTILA has no role and does not participate in the process of admission to the affiliated training programs.
Founding Member, Trainer, Mentor and Friend
Dr. Arnold Beisser
Dr. Arnold Beisser was a founding member and trainer with GTILA and the author of The Paradoxical Theory of Change. He was a graduate of Stanford University and its medical school and a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Beisser was instrumental in the formation of the Westside Center for Living, a training center in community mental health, and wrote Mental Health Consultation and Education. Dr. Beisser also wrote The Madness in Sports and was a consultant to the Baseball Commission. He was a Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a recipient of its Gold Achievement Award.
During the last few years of his life, Dr. Beisser wrote a trilogy of books: Flying Without Wings, A Graceful Passage – Notes on the Freedom to Live or Die, and The Only Gift – Thoughts on the Meaning of Friends and Friendship. He was survived by his wife, Rita, who went to meet him again in 2017. Dr. Beisser was mentor and friend to many and a treasure to us all. He is well missed.
Partial scholarships are granted by the GTILA Board of Directors based on the availability of funds, the applicant’s financial need, and the confirmation that the applicant is enrolled in the training program (for the Weekend Training Programs) or has communicated intent to enroll to the relevant training program (for the Residentials). Funds will be disbursed directly to the approved gestalt therapy training institute.