Will I be a certified Focusing-Oriented Therapist on completion of this course?
All you have to do to be certified by TIFI is to complete this 2-year training. There is an option, which we strongly recommend, for you to attend an international weeklong training with other FOT-in-training, but it is not a requirement. You need to be a member of TIFI, which we encourage you to do from the beginning on. And there is a certification fee by TIFI.
Becoming part of TIFI as an FOT gives you access to a like-minded global community, a bi-annual conference, free or discounted online classes, and recognition that you have achieved a professional global standard in Focusing-oriented therapy.
What happens on a given session of training?
See description of training session.
See schedule of training sessions.
What is the level of work demanded by the course, particularly in terms of homework?
Before each training session, you need to watch the recorded presentation, which would take about an hour. There’s also some reading and a once-a-week Focusing partnership with a fellow student.
This is not the same kind of training that you have experienced in College and in a graduate program, where the focus is on academic work. Our approach is experiential. We do theory, quite a bit of it, but all of it within a context where the focus is how you integrate new perspectives with what else you know. How you apply it with clients. And, last but not least, how it changes you as a person.
The word “transformational” is often misused. But there is something to it in this case: the goal is to help you better understand who you are in relation to the work you do.
The ongoing homework is your personal process, much of it unconscious, and some of it conscious. For instance, as you work with your clients. Or, as you reflect on the work you do with your clients. This does not add a time commitment. We believe you will experience it as a satisfying framework for your existing work.
Why is there an emphasis on trauma?
All three of us have approaches that are informed by trauma. This is because trauma is so prevalent, in a way that is often not recognized unless sensitized to it. Plus, trauma-informed therapy is not just for trauma. We find it to be a very powerful foundation in much of our work.
Does this program have a big focus on addiction?
No. Each of the three of us brings a unique perspective to the training. Jan’s focus is on trauma and addiction. But, even for Jan, trauma and addiction are only a part of what she teaches. And Leslie and Serge don’t cover addiction.
Do I need to heal my trauma before embarking on this training?
You will find that exploring it in therapist training will at the same time give you new perspectives on your own situation, and help you apply your personal experience of trauma into the work you do with clients. Of course, this does not replace dealing with your trauma in individual therapy. It complements it.
Cost of the program & scholarship opportunities
See cost of the program.
Sorry, we do not have any scholarship or work-study program.
