GPTIM was founded on the 21st June 1996. The school acquired the licence from the Ministry of Education of Malta to deliver Diploma Courses in Gestalt Psychotherapy approach.

On the 12th May 1999, GPTIM was registered as a limited company, with the following objectives:

1. To teach the principles and applications of psychotherapy and to operate a school licence by the education authorities for this purpose.
   
2. To provide psychotherapy services as licensed by the medical authorities.
   
3. To set up an institute for the propagation and exercise of the principle of psychotherapy.
   
4. To publicise internationally the services which the company can offer in terms of the other objects hereof, and to attract foreign persons to make use of such services.
   
5. To organise training programmes, seminars and conferences in specialised areas connected with the company’s business.
   
6. The executive committee of GPTIM currently consists of the following members:

Directors: Lidija Pecotic Ph.D. and Bella Hili, B.A., L.P., LL.M. (IMLI)
Secretary: Leanne Sciberras
Auditor:  Michail Schembri 
Trainee Representative: Ivana Radonjic, B. Psy 

On the 5th June 2002, the Planning Authority of Malta issued permission to use the premises at Masaba Garden Flat, Triq A.Schembri 62, Kappara for a Psychotherapy Training Institute.

GPTIM offered the first formal Diploma Psychotherapy training course in Malta in 1996 as a postgraduate programme for professionals. GPTIM also offers certificate courses for individuals interested in personal and professional growth.

The first training group consisted of only four members and started as the training for people involved in the SEDQA agency for Drug and Alcohol abuse. At that time, GPTIM had a lot of support by the leading management of the agency and counsellors and psychologists in the field (Ms. Marianne Agius, Father Alfred Darmanin, Dr. Sandra Scicluna Calleja, Mr. Joe Gerada, Mr. Frank Mifsud) who we are very grateful to and who we will not forget.

From the beginning, GPTIM was trying to find support from other Gestalt Institutes in the world and we got valuable feedback from:

• Gestalt Studio Belgrade (Marija Stefanovic, Clinical Psychologist) - EAGT accredited;
• Gestalt Institute in Sicily (Dott.saa Margharita Spanguolo-Lobb);
• Gestalt Therapy Training Centre, Rhone Island USA (Ms. Helga Matzko M.A.);
• Scuola di Formazione della Societa Italiana Gestalt. (Dott.saa Maria Menditto and Dott. Filippo Rametta);
• GPTI London (Mr. Peter Philippson M.Sc)

As a consequence of our consultations, we established our training programme (at that time following the EAGT Training Standards – March 1995; later adjusted with EAGT Training Standards – November 2003) with our training and supervising team which consisted of:

1. Lidija Pecotic Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist, ATSM GPTI London ECP, EAGT
   
2. Bertram Muller, Clinical Psychologist,Gestalt psychotherapist
   
3. Joseph Zinker Ph.D, Clinical Psychologist
   
4. Prof. Dr. Dusan Stojnov, Clinical Psychologist, ECP
   
5. Velimir Popovic M.A., Clinical Psychologist,  ECP
   
6. Sandra Cardoso Zinker M.A.
   
7. Dione Mifsud B.Ed, Dip. GPTIM, MSc (Counselling Psychotherapy Supervision), ECP
   
8. Keneth R. Evans, M.A. Gestalt Psychotherapist, Scarborough,UK
   

Generally, the training programme of GPTIM was established for people in helping professions who wanted to continue their personal and professional growth and to obtain the professional qualification of a Gestalt Psychotherapist. The programme was organised as a part time post graduate programme.

Since 1996, the institute has had around 100 graduates and by November 2008 we had approximately 21 students in the Basic course and 31 students in the Advanced course.

Since 2003, the GPTIM programme has fulfilled the requirements for the European Certificate for Psychotherapy and at present we have 35 ECP holders.

Since 2005 GPTIM became EAP and EAGT accredited member.

On September 19th 2005, GPTIM became NOGT (National Organisation for Gestalt Psychotherapy) in Malta.

In May 2008 the ACEB within MQRIC recognises the Diploma in Gestalt Psychotherapy and considers it to fall within the level 7 descriptors in terms of the local schedule (Regulation II (2))- Qualification and Competence levels, L.N of 2005 .The ACEB informs that this qualification may be compared to Postgradute Diploma.It is not compared to a Masters.

GPTIM is a member of

1. FORGE (International Federation of Gestalt Training Organisations), Paris, since 1996;
   
2. EAP-accredited member (European Association for Psychotherapy), Vienna, since 1998 and accredited member since 2005;
   
3. MAP (Malta Association of Psychotherapy), Malta, since 1999;
   
4.  EAGT-accredited member since 2005
   
   

In March 2005, GPTIM was accredied by the EAP (European Association for Psychotherapy) and EAGT (European Association for Gestalt Therapy).

Since it was founded, GPTIM has been involved and co-operated with the following institutions and its employees in Malta and abroad:

• Kana - Catholic Institute - Malta
• SEDQA - Agency for Drug Addiction - Malta
• Caritas -  Agency for Drug and Alcohol Abuse - Malta
• S.A.T.U – Substance Abuse Therapeutic Unit - Malta
• Eden Foundation - Malta
• Merhba Bik – Shelter for Battered Women - Malta
• Millennium Chapel – Malta
• University of Belgrade – Faculty of Philosophy – Department of Psychology
• Gestalt Studio Belgrade – Srbija I Crna Gora
•  Gestalt Training Institute Skopje, Macedonija
• Integrum – Gestalt Centar – Sarajevo – Bosnia I Hercegovina
• Psihika - Gestalt Centar – Zadar – Croatia