Heritage

OUR FOUNDERS:

Since the 1960s, Sonia March Nevis and Edwin C. Nevis have been international leaders in developing powerful techniques to transform organization and family interactions based on Gestalt theory. After studying with the originators of Gestalt therapy, they helped to found two of the most successful Gestalt training organizations in the world. Sonia Nevis pioneered the expansion of Gestalt therapy application, first to couples and families, and then to small groups and teams. To teach this work she established the Cape Cod Training Program (formerly known as the Couple and Family Training Program), which for over twenty years has drawn participants from around the world. Edwin Nevis was a creator of the Gestalt approach to organizational consulting, consulting to Fortune 500 companies, and writing Organizational Consulting: A Gestalt Approach and co-authoring Intentional Revolutions: A Seven-Point Strategy for Transforming Organizations in addition to many other articles. He helped found the groundbreaking Gestalt OSD Program in Cleveland, and later the OSD International
Program. Edwin and Sonia continue to be frequent contributors to profesional journals.

Over the years their theoretical advances have expanded Gestalt theory. They have trained thousands of consultants, coaches, therapists and leaders worldwide, transforming their effectiveness. They continue to teach at GISC and publish and refine their approach, bridging personal and professional life so that each world can benefit from the strengths of the other. Their students have gone on to extend the development of new theory and practice, and now form the core of GISC’s experienced faculty. The intensely tangible qualities they model of generosity, integrity, and professional curiosity are the values that GISC is built upon.

OUR EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES:

In 2002, GISC completed construction of the beautiful Wellfleet Meeting House, creating a unique retreat-like training facility designed for small and large group meetings which has enabled a significantly expanded offering of programs. Now GISC offers a wide variety of programs that together form an extensive course of study for leaders and practitioners. In 2008, the expansion of our continuing education certifications led to the submission of five of our coaching programs for International Coaching Federation ongoing certification, and new opportunities of study and certification for consulting students are in process.

OUR PRESIDENT & CEO:

To support the long-term sustainability of GISC, a leadership succession plan was put into place by the Board of Directors in 2006, and in 2007 Nancy Scott Hardaway,EdM, was hired as President and CEO. Nancy’s education and career choices mirror the combination of psychology and business aspects of GISC training. She had been a member of the GISC Board of Directors for two years prior to her appointment as CEO, and a student of Gestalt programs. Nancy holds an undergraduate degree in behavioral psychology from Tufts University and a graduate degree in learning theory from Harvard University. Her business career includes corporate executive roles along with leadership of two of her own businesses in the construction and real estate fields as well as her own consulting practice. Her mission at GISC has been to balance supporting the intimate and organic connections among the community of founders, faculty and learners, with the strategic goals of expanding high quality program choices as well as long term sustainability.

“I have taken a lot of courses that have filled my head with a lot of wonderful ideas. Over time my recollection wanes and the course impact diminishes. Not so with the Center. The program I participated in at the Center has changed me. I am a different and better person. I am more effective at what I do and I have greater impact on the people around me. Because of the experiential nature, I cannot forget this program, it has become part of who I am.”

Managing Partner,
International Consulting Firm