BFA Certificate In Focusing Skills

Course Description:

This course which will take place over 5 weekends in Long Stratton, Norfolk is designed to provide counsellors/ psychotherapists with an in-depth experiential knowledge of Focusing—an embodied person-centred process developed by Eugene Gendlin.

It is being offered specifically to qualified and trainee counsellors and psychotherapists who are registered with a professional body such as BACP or UKCP.

No previous experience of Focusing is required. This course aims to provide a safe and confidential space for participants to explore and discuss client cases in relation to Focusing.

Focusing grew out of the extensive research of Eugene Gendlin and Carl Rogers in the 1950s. Their five-year research project in Person-Centred Therapy found that it wasn’t what the counsellor did in a session that created a successful therapy outcome (providing they were able to offer the basic core conditions), but rather what the client did. These clients who had a successful therapy outcome did something in sessions that Gendlin later termed ‘Focusing’ (getting in touch with what Gendlin termed a ‘Felt Sense’). Following the end of their research project Rogers went on to work with groups, whereas Gendlin advanced their research findings, developing Focusing as a guided self-help process (which could be used outside of therapy), and Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy (which emphasised enabling clients to connect with the all-important Felt Sense in therapy sessions).

The course provides an in-depth experiential exploration of Focusing beginning with Gendlin’s original formulation of it as an embodied process to express the Felt Sense of a situation, and progresses on to contemporary creative approaches to Focusing such as art, movement, sand tray and body mapping.

Each weekend will provide the opportunity for participants to explore and connect deeply with their own Felt Sense and the parts of self that are often discovered within a Felt Sense (eg. inner critic, inner child, protector, and others) whilst developing the skills necessary to facilitate the unfolding of a Felt Sense and parts of self in others.

This structured experiential approach is designed to gradually build the knowledge and skills necessary for counsellors/ psychotherapists to begin to integrate Focusing into their therapeutic work with clients, with plenty of opportunities for experiential learning, discussion, and peer feedback.

Tutor:

Your tutor for this course will be Sara Bradly.

Sara graduated from Kings College London in 1998 with a degree in Religious Studies which sparked a lifelong interest in spirituality, mindfulness and meditation. In 2010 she embarked on her counselling career, later achieving her MA in Person-Centred Counselling from the University of East Anglia (UEA), where she first encountered Focusing. She became passionate about the positive effects of Focusing and decided to conduct her MA research study on Focusing with children in schools. Following her graduation she worked for the UEA on the PG Diploma in Counselling as a Personal Development Group Facilitator, and was given the opportunity to work collaboratively on the UEA's PG Certificate in Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy. Thirsty for further experience and learning in the field of Focusing Sara deepened her studies with Dr Greg Madison at the London Focusing Institute, and later pursued her passion for Creative Focusing in the Netherlands. Sara is a qualified Focusing Trainer, a Children’s Focusing Trainer, and a Coordinator in Training (CiT) with The International Focusing Institute, New York (TIFI) and is a recognised Focusing Teacher with the British Focusing Association. She is the director of Inner Focus Limited and provides Focusing-Oriented Therapy to adults and children as well as delivering trainings and workshops in Focusing. Sara has presented Focusing at the BACP CYP/F Conference in London 2020, and is the author of a chapter on Focusing with Children in 'Senses of Focusing', Volume 1, edited by Judy Moore and Nikolaos Kypriotakis (Eurasia Publications, Athens, 2021).

Assessment:

Full attendance on the course

Active participation in experiential exercises and triad work

Demonstration of integration of knowledge and the application of Focusing skills as the course progresses

Observed and assessed Focusing session on the final weekend

Certification:

Upon completion of the course participants will receive a Certificate in Focusing Skills from the British Focusing Association (BFA) and a certificate of completion from Inner Focus Limited. CPD hours: 60

Progression:

BFA’s Focusing Practioner Training

(https://www.focusing.org.uk/professional-training)

Course Details:

In-person

Max. 6 participants

Location: Inner Focus, Long Stratton, Norfolk, NR15 2XQ

Five weekends over six months

Accommodation and meals are NOT INCLUDED. There are hotel and Air B&B options nearby. Inner Focus is located on a high street where there are pubs, cafes and a Co-op which cater for most dietary requirements.

Dates / Times: 10am-4.30pm Saturday and Sunday

13-14 Sept 2025

11-12 Oct 2025

15-16 Nov 2025

10-11 Jan 2025

14-15 Feb 2025

A Unique experience

The big advantage of our course is that it is in-person and has a very small cohort. This means that participants have the opportunity to ask questions and deeply explore and experience Focusing in a safe and warm environment in a way that is not possible with on-line courses.