The Focalizing Practitioner Program is a 12-week online certification training journey into the power of Focalizing. At it’s root, Focalizing is a unique method of developing a relationship with the body and befriending the innate intelligence that lives there. By working in partnership with the hundreds of thousands of years of evolutionary wisdom contained in the body, practitioners and clients alike have the opportunity to not only face barriers from a wholly different perspective, but to uncover new solutions that may have once felt beyond reach.
Are you someone who…
Wants to build practical skills that will allow you to more confidently work with the effects of trauma ?
Senses that incorporating body based approaches will allow you to be more effective in your practice?
Has read about trauma and has some awareness about somatic approaches but desires to go deeper?
Will appreciate both a neuroscientific and energetic perspective to the healing process?
Feels there is something missing from your practice?
Is striving to become a better leader, space holder, and model for healing?
These are just a few reasons participants join this training…
A versatile approach for coaches, therapists and wellness practitioners
From it’s beginnings in the 1980s, Focalizing has been taught to a truly diverse group of practitioners with a wide variety of personal and professional backgrounds.
Today, the Focalizing Institute’s practitioner community is made up of coaches, clinical therapists, addictions recovery counsellors, doulas and death doulas, yoga teachers, reiki practitioners, intuitive practitioners, teachers, nurses, activists and many more.
Throughout the program you will receive mentoring and guidance on how you, and people like you, have integrated Focalizing into a new or existing practices. By the end of this 60-hour training, you’ll have a strong grasp of how to create a safe container to work gently with the the body to help others heal from trauma, connect to one’s inner wisdom, and live with greater purpose.
Hear directly from some of our past students:
Not Just A Training, A Community of Practitioners
Certified Focalizing Practitioners are eligible to join our private Mighty Networks community. This is an active group that hosts three mentoring and community calls per month, houses a library of additional resources and demo sessions, and offers a space for practitioners to continue to be supported in both their technique and on the business side of having a practice.
Interested, And Want More Details?
“There is one way of breathing that is shameful and constricted. Then, there’s another way: a breath of love that takes you all the way to infinity.”
3 Unique Learning Tracks
What Does This Program Include?
A 60 hour certification course made up of:
30 hours of live training designed for zoom
3 hours of personal 1:1 coaching and mentorship
Over 27 hours of self study and practice time
Theory as well as practical tools, and a safe container to explore what you’re learning with fellow participants
A wealth of additional materials including guided meditations, PDFs and videos
A nurturing space where you can learn the nuance of working with the body and the effects of trauma
Entry into the practitioner directory (new for 2022)
Participation in a community of like-minded individuals
Program Overview
Dates & Time
Online Course via Zoom: Mondays from 12:30pm to 3:00pm UK | 1:30pm to 4:00pm CETDates: September 16, 23, 30 | October 14, 21, | November 4, 11, 18, 25 | December 2, 9, 16
Duration: Each class is 2.5 hours in duration and concludes at 3pm UK / 4pm CET
Note: No live classes on 7th and 28th October
Total Training Exchange
Course Tuition: Super Early Bird £1450 until 28th June 2024 | Regular tuition £18103 Individual Sessions (Required for Certification) £125 per session
Please Note: Certification requires attending the three private Focalizing sessions.
Payment plans are available upon request.
- *Limited scholarships are available for black, indigenous and LGBTQIA+ applicants.
If you are feeling called to join the program and integrate this tool into a new or existing practice, secure your place below:
A Safe and Empowered Space For Learning
The nature of this program is that it invites participants to explore Focalizing as a resource for their personal journey along with being a professional skillset. For this reason, The Focalizing Institute and it’s trainers are dedicated to ensuring the learning environment is safe, inclusive, and empowering for participants of all personal and professional backgrounds.
A few ways the container is held:
Participation is always personal choice, and you are always empowered to exercise your ‘no.’
The program is delivered in a step by step manner that is slow and gentle for students
Trainers are available for contact and can refer students for additional support if need be
Homework practice sessions are not recorded
Focalizing is taught with inclusivity in mind, acknowledging that holistic healing and the wellness industry at large has a long history of excluding people of color and those of indigenous descent. Program trainers are committed to inclusion and having necessary conversations should activation appear during this program.
The program trainers have worked with hundreds of people worldwide and embody the work they teach
One common piece of feedback we receive is how comfortable students feel in the learning environment, especially those that were initially hesitant about group participation at first.
Your Teachers
Jo Miller works with fellow big hearted helpers, creatives and visionaries to live an empowered life with compassionate boundaries and free from trauma and shame. Jo is a member of the Snr Leadership team of The Focalizing Institute as well as working internationally in her private practice.
Jo integrates many healing, movement and creative arts modalities into her practice and believes that Focalizing is a fundamental part that helps others tap into their own unique body wisdom on their terms. Jo’s work has been featured by The Guardian, The Embodiment Conference, Margate Radio, Arts and Health for South East UK and more.
Alex Bottomley is a Somatic Therapist, group facilitator, dancer and writer, specializing in supporting the brave hearts struggling with binge eating and body shame. Working with a body oriented approach and utilizing the practices of somatic awareness, neuroscience and nature’s gifts, she works to provide a space that allows a return to wholeness through finding safety within.
Alongside her private practice, Alex has supported businesses and brands to offer events that bring awareness to the impact of stress on the nervous system and how we can create a more trauma informed and embodied approaches in business and beyond.
With Other Guest Speakers Including:
Nick Werber is an integrative coach, international retreat leader and writer specializing in individual, family and inherited trauma, mindfulness, applied neuroscience and energy work. In addition to his private coaching practice based in New York City, he is the founder of the Family Constellations and Somatic Healing Institute (FCSHI.org) and a board member of the Focalizing Institute (theinstitute.org).
Nick’s work has been a featured by the Embodiment Conference, My Wellbeing Therapy Network, Maha Rose Center for Healing, The Embody Podcast, Radio Free Brooklyn, and the City Wellness Collective Healer’s Network.
Jae Gibbs is an Embodiment Practitioner, Women’s Circle Facilitator and Yoga Teacher: She became active in my own healing and empowerment journey in 2002, before starting to teach Yoga in 2015. Her offerings are shaped by her lived experience and the practices she's trained in along the way; Ashtanga, Yin, Restorative, Non-dual Tantra, Focalizing and Sound Healing. Journys with Indigenous African Spirituality and Celtic earth-based practices are also infused.
The spaces she holds are person-centred, trauma-sensitive, ancestrally-anchored and nature-aligned explorations of our Aliveness. As a mixed-heritage Black woman she centres the healing of ethnic race-based and patriarchal trauma, seeking to unravel how these impressions manifest in our bodies and minds, to access our true nature, joy and magic.
A Comprehensive Program Since the 1990’s
Michael Picucci, PhD, MAC, SEP - The pioneering psychologist who co-created Focalizing starting in 1985
Dr. Picucci was a pioneer of trauma-informed embodiment tools in the western world.
It is the culmination of over 30 years in the field of psychotherapy, addictions research and trauma healing as well as his own life's journey. Though Dr. Picucci synthesized the approach, it owes much of its foundation to other pioneers and their work in the field of healing and psychotherapy.
Some of Dr. Picucci's colleagues and inspiration are Dr. Peter Levine and the pillars of Somatic Experiencing, Dr. Eugene Gendlin and Focusing, and Dr. Randolph Stone and his Polarity Massage.
In 2017, The Focalizing Institute redesigned this program for online learning and has since trained hundreds of students in the United States and internationally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this course teach me how to practice in a ‘trauma informed’ manner?
Yes. We offer the right amount of theory and practical experience to be able to use with your communities and clients. By the the course conclusion, you will be working in a trauma informed manner.
I am a psychotherapist. Can I use this with my current work or does it have to be stand alone?
Either. Focalizing can absolutely be practiced as a stand alone modality. Past students with existing clinical practices have also integrated pieces of the work to help support clients that were in need of alterative approaches. This program welcomes students to take what (really) works and leave the rest.
What is the entry criteria?
Once the enrollment form is received, all students will speak to one of the senior trainers to ensure the program is the right fit. There are no formal professional or academic prerequisites for this program.
I have never done any somatic work. How will I know it is right for me?
By its very nature, somatic work is for everybody (read: every-body). However, to find out if this is best for you please contact us and we’ll help you connect with a senior trainer for a consultation.
Are sessions recorded?
Yes. You get access to the recorded sessions both during and after the course for life.
The price is in pounds, can I pay in any other currency?
We allow for payment in most currencies.
What is your refund policy?
You can withdraw and receive a refund 2 weeks prior to the course start date. A cancellation fee of £240 will apply in this instance.
In the instance that you need to withdraw from the course for personal reasons program trainers can discuss the option of transferring to another cohort in the future.
If you have further questions please contact us to book a time to chat with one of our facilitators and we'd be happy to answer your questions.
Searching for the enrollment link? Click the button below and fill out the enrollment form to secure your spot in the training.
The Focalizing Institute 501(c)(3) acknowledges that while it features training programs on its directory, it does not assert ownership or control over said programs. Rather, the ownership and control lie with the individual Focalizing trainers conducting the programs. The Focalizing Institute does not derive any income from these programs.