The Focusing Teacher’s Manual

The Focusing Teacher’s Manual

The newly-revised (2020) extensive and comprehensive 3-part manual for teachers of Focusing

Complete Manual (PDF only): $197.00


Ann Weiser Cornell has been teaching Focusing to groups and taking people through Focusing sessions one-to-one since 1983. The Focusing Teacher’s Manual is written for her advanced trainees and is available to you as well. It contains detailed and in-depth guidance on creating a practice as a Focusing professional, offering one-to-one Focusing sessions, teaching Focusing to groups, and communicating about Focusing to people who are prospective students and clients.

Format

The Focusing Teacher’s Manual is available as digital download PDF files. The manual is divided into 3 sections:

Working with Focusing Clients One-to-One

  • How do you position yourself as a Focusing guide? How is that different from being a therapist or a coach who uses Focusing? What is your “contract” with your clients – what can they expect and what do you offer? How would you present this, even before someone comes in for a first session?
  • Time considerations, why you could continue to work with someone without doing therapy. How this is different from teaching Path to Lasting Change, Part One as a tutorial.
  • Pricing your sessions, offering “packages” of three or six sessions. Talking about money to clients. Your own issues about money.
  • What to say before someone’s first session to set up the best conditions for their having their best possible Focusing experience.
  • Boundary issues: How to recognize and respond to people who are trying to use Focusing sessions to meet other needs.
  • How to tell when someone has a process that isn’t appropriate for our type of work; how to refer to a therapist.
And more…

For the first time, within this manual, a complete manual on guiding Focusing, including:

  • Special considerations for guiding someone’s first session of Focusing. How we work differently when someone doesn’t know Focusing already.
  • Differences in: how to use reflection, emphasis on getting a felt sense, re-phrasing what they don’t understand, helping with blocks.
Materials:

139 pages of in-depth information specifically written for this manual

Course Design & Group Process

  • A walk-through of how I teach Levels One, Two, Three and Four, with themes, guided exercises, demonstrations, paired exercises, and reading assignments for each week – a total of 20 weeks of course material.
  • A walk-through of how I teach Your Path to Lasting Change Parts One & Two (the most recent version of my own Focusing training program) with themes, guided exercises, demonstrations, paired exercises, and reading assignments — a total of 18 weeks of course material.
  • How to adapt class exercises for different circumstances.
  • The Six Overall Principles of Focusing Teaching (and the Four No-No’s) – and why they make all the difference.[
  • How to use your felt sense of the group to create group safety and a sense of group support.
  • Tips for guiding the whole group, typical exercises, how to invent your own, and how to keep people from falling asleep (very important!)
  • How to teach listening using your own Focusing ability and how to teach so that people are already getting into partnerships after only one course.
  • How to adapt and change any other teacher’s methods – including mine – so that they fit your style and temperament.
  • How to use the Focusing Student’s and Companion’s Manual and still teach the course your own way.
  • Tips for working with larger groups – from 13 to 120 people.
  • Tips for working with smaller groups – 1 to 4 people.
  • Weekly classes vs. weekends vs. other formats.
  • Why I recommend calling it “Level One” even if it’s the only course you’re teaching.
  • A special way of scheduling classes when you’re just starting out.
  • How you can support the creation of ongoing Focusing community – Changes groups – and Focusing partnerships.
Materials:

125 pages of in-depth information specifically written for this manual.

Finding People to Teach

  • A way of seeing marketing, not as “sales,” but as communication, as empathy for your potential clients, and even as the first stage of your Focusing teaching mission.
  • The surprising reason why you do NOT want to start by telling people what Focusing is… and what to say instead.
  • Ways to get clear about who you want to reach out to and how your work will help them, and how to say that clearly and attractively – getting lots of feedback from the other participants.
  • Why you might NOT want to name your courses “Focusing” and what to name them instead.
  • How to write ads, brochures, and web pages that stimulate people to call you and sign up with you… and which one of the three is the best place for your marketing funds.
  • Giving talks to reach people, how to set them up, what to call them, what to say, and how to follow up afterwards.
  • Introductory days? Free phone seminars? How to make them effective for your goals.
  • How to use email as a low cost way to stay in touch with people who might want to work with you sometime.
Materials:

46 pages of in-depth information specifically written for this manual

Note: Teaching Focusing, one-to-one and to groups, requires certification as “Focusing Professional” from the Focusing Institute. If you purchase these manuals without being certified or being in training, please be aware that ownership of the manuals does not qualify you to teach Focusing either to individuals or to groups. More information on certification.

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