I am a Focusing Trainer who first learned Focusing from Ralph Bierman Ph.D. in a Graduate Counselling Program from which I obtained an MASc. in 1975. Ralph had worked with Gene Gendlin, Ph.D. the founder of Focusing, at the University of Chicago.

I have facilitated personal and organizational change for over thirty years. Through a number of life transitions, I have shifted from organizational change — quality of working life, training and coaching managers in leadership skills — to personal change such as Trager™ movement re-education, Therapeutic Touch, delivering workshops such as Avatar®, dysfunctional families, then painter and maker of assemblages. Since 2006 I complement my Focusing by working as a BodyTalk Practitioner, a type of energy work that facilitates communications within the bodymind complex. www.bodytalksystem.com

Throughout all these changes I have continued as the managing partner in Pianoscapes Inc. which explores the intersection of dialogue, leadership and music. My current writing includes articles on Focusing and family history.

I reconnected with Focusing in 2003 and was Certifed as a Focusing Trainer in 2005. I have learned mostly from Ann Weiser Cornell as well as from Barbara McGavin in Treasure Maps workshops. My learning from Ann began with her first telephone classes in the fall of 2003 and several in person classes/retreats in Chicago and California.

The common underlying thread in my life/work is my process orientation, inner work and practice of life long learning. I have kept a dream journal for over thirty years. In my daily focusing practice of solo and partnership work I integrate drawing, dreams and writing.

I teach Inner Relationship Focusing from my base north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I also work one-to-one with people on the phone or in person in Orillia. Locally I host a monthly Focusing Changes group which is supportive of partnerships and practice.

I approach Focusing as a creative process evoking integration of fresh perspectives, skills, and gifts. I continue to be amazed at the surprising shifts I experience in myself and others as I grow and teach Focusing.

Level One Focusing: Encountering the Inner Relationship
Focusing is a way to build a more nurturing inner relationship with yourself, a way of sensing what really matters to you, a way to make friends with your emotions, a way to be present to the depth and richness of your whole self, a way to honor your body and to listen to its wisdom. In this workshop we begin to build trust in this inner relationship, and to receive the gifts that come from listening within. We also learn partnership skills for exchanging the Focusing/listening process with a friend. The Focusing Student's & Companion's Manual - Part 1 is available from me and is used in both Levels 1 and 2.
A 1-1/4 hour guided Focusing session is a prerequisite for this workshop. Upon registration, students will receive information about how to arrange this session.

Level Two Focusing: Accompanying the Inner Relationship
Prerequisite: Level 1 Focusing.

Check workshops by Date and Location for latest schedule.