Conscious Partnering

Rudolf Jarosewitsch
is a College member of GANZ, Gestalt Australia New Zealand, a member of NZAC, New Zealand Association of Counsellors, a counsellor for Family Court and registered with ACC (Accident Compensation Corporation).

He enjoys living near the sea, gardening, walking and the rewards and challenges of living in conscious partnership with Mirjam Busch.

Photopgraphs by Rudolf Jarosewitsch and Mirjam Busch

Encouraged by my father, I started my professional journey by pursuing a career in electrical engineering. Apprenticeship and studies led to an engineering degree in telecommunications in 1972, Ing(FH). As a student I had developed an interest in human relationships and psychology, and felt the strong wish to be a psychotherapist.

I followed my interest and studied Education and Psychology, which I completed 1978 with the equivalent of an M.Ed. from Freie Universität Berlin. One of my initial interests was the area of Group Dynamics (T-groups) which I explored in theory and practice. This was followed by training in Carl Rogers’ client-centred approach.

My training in counselling was enriched by studies in sociology, philosophy, and political science, as well as Marxism and Critical Psychology. My interest in Gestalt Therapy was awakened during a seminar on action methods in political education in 1977.

I then took the opportunity to study and experience Gestalt Therapy during my 6 month stay at ZIST, Centre of Individual and Social Therapy, Penzberg, Germany. I worked with Dr. Wolf Büntig, Bruce Reid, Dinesh and others.

My interest in Gestalt Therapy deepened as I explored the roots of this approach, e.g. Martin Buber’s I-Thou, and in particular Buddhism. I experienced awareness, present-centredness and much more by studying with many Tibetan lamas. Particularly significant was my time with Ven. Tai Situ Rinpoche and Ven. Thrangu Rinpoche at Samye Ling, Scotland, 1981 and in Malaysia 1982, Tai Situpa in New Zealand 1988, and Thrangu Rinpoche in France 1994.

Since my student years in Berlin I also have been connected to Anthroposophy, and have worked at Novalis House, an Anthroposphical Medical and Therapy Centre in Christchurch (my private practice 1995-2003).

More recently I furthered my training in Gestalt Therapy with Bob Resnick, Vernon Van De Riet, Gertrude Harrow, Jan Ruckert, Rita Resnick, Todd Burley, Lynne Jacobs and Gary Yontef during residential training programmes by GTILA (Gestalt Therapy Institute of Los Angeles) in 1991, 92, 94 and 96, now GATLA.

Already as a student I started working with groups. I offered group dynamic and self-awareness workshops at a community college (VHS Tempelhof Berlin) 1976-82, and worked as a counsellor for families for the Social Welfare Department.

When I immigrated to New Zealand in 1983, I spent some time working in my initial profession as engineering technician, to acquaint myself more with language and culture. Beside teaching German language classes at Christchurch Polytechnic (1984-91), the University of Canterbury (1986-87), and as a relief teacher at High Schools (1985), I volunteered with Marriage Guidance (1984-86), now Relationship Services. In 1987 I started my private practice as a counsellor.

My group work extended to offering introductory courses on Gestalt Therapy through Centres of Continuing Education at the Universities of Canterbury, Auckland and Waikato, as well as workshops throughout New Zealand and in Western Australia.

I worked as a trainer of counsellors at the College of Natural Medicine, Christchurch (1990-94), and established Gestalt Therapy training at the Integrative Gestalt Centre with Sue Murray and Herbert Wolpert (1991-96).

Currently, my main interest is in relationships. For the last 7 years I have been living in conscious partnership with Mirjam Busch. This gives me the confidence to know about relationship issues from living a constructive alternative. Since this learning didn’t come easy, I know about the struggles on the way and can empathize with people dealing with a spectrum of relationship issues. Writing on relationship topics and publishing this website is motivated by my wish to support others in finding and maintaining growthful relationships by pursuing conscious partnering.

The co-working with my beloved partner Mirjam has been a rich source of joy and satisfaction. We both have a commitment to live what we teach.

18 May 2004