EFA newsletter April 2022

EFA newsletter
April 2022

Dear European Focusing colleagues,

Here you find updates to our annual gathering in Italy October 13 to 16 2022

NEW:    GETTING READY FOR THE GATHERING
Communication Platform

This link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yPOLKH7vBfyZwK-y5KGsP7-2VTRqZ4y9QOn5OwndPYU/edit

leads you to a platform in which we can share ideas for our 2022 gathering. With that we can keep a nice overview over everybody’s ideas. Express what you would like to have happen and what you might like to offer. And let everybody know that you are coming.

Topics include:

• Ideas for the official EFA meeting, topics, activities…
• Who will join and what’s their contact info?
• Travel: sharing the ride
• Coming earlier/staying longer
• Covid-19 travel info
• Please feel free to add more topics

The steering group will take a look at new posts on this cloud-platform at least once per month to consider and to incorporate what’s being expressed.

You may also use the EFA-email discussion forum:
european-focusing-discussion-list-request@legacy.efa-focusing.eu
(Stay connected. Sign up if you have not done so yet.)

SOME DETAILS HAVE BEEN UPDATED BELOW
Keep this Newsletter and delete the Newsletter from last month please.

The same info is on the EFA website, here

We are delighted to announce that we have secured a booking
for this year’s EFA gathering (annual meeting)
at Bassano del Grappa – in northern Italy, for 13 – 16 October 2022.

Bassano del Grappa Old Town and Ponte degli Alpini bridge, Veneto province, Italy

The venue is lovely. You can see more information here

https://www.villangaransangiuseppe.it
The website is in Italian. How to activate Google Translate

THE VILLA ANGARAN SAN GIUSEPPE will be hosting us over the three days.

The Villa is located at
Via Ca’ Morosini, 41 36061 Bassano del Grappa (VI)
Tel. +39 331 418 72 84

For those who would like to stay on site, the rooms will be booked on a first come, first served basis as rooms on the premises are limited. Please read the entire email carefully for instructions on how to book yourself in as an EFA member.

MEALS:

Lunch and dinner are NOT included in the costs of the room and will need to be paid for separately on-site.

There is a good restaurant on the premises open to the public and to the other participants of the various social activities that take place there. This restaurant offers us the opportunity for shared meal times and caters to vegetarians and omnivores alike. Gluten and dairy free options can be arranged ahead of time. Breakfast is included already in the costing for the rooms. For 15 people and over we will have a set menu for the group, if we are less everybody can order from the menu.

Lunch: price range to be determined, probably around Euro 15 without drinks.
Dinner: Price range between Euro 18 and Euro 23 including drinks with a set menu and about Euro 30 a la carte.

There is also the option to eat out (together) in the old historical centre of Bassano.

ARRIVALS/DEPARTURES:

Check in from 4 pm to 8 pm on Thursday afternoon with a shared dinner on the premises.

Check out of bedrooms by 10 am on Sunday.

We will close our meeting at 1 pm and lunch will be available on the premises for anyone who wishes to stay on.

For anyone who wants to arrive earlier and/or stay on longer these arrangements to book in for extra nights can be arranged by yourselves at the time of booking, or potentially added on later if availability allows. Due to the Pandemic our hotel might only be open Thursday to Sunday.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Bassano del Grappa is reachable by train.

Use trenitalia.com to check train times from wherever you are coming. You can book online through this website or buy your ticket at the ticket office.

Another good site is Trainline.com. This platform searches through various European train- and bus-services.

For those planning to fly, the closest airport is Venice Marco Polo airport.

On: https://www.atvo.it/en-ticketonline.html select:
Departure from “Venice Airport (Marco Polo) to all destinations”
then select:
Da/From: Aero Porto Marco Polo (VCE)
and A/To: Mestre Stazione SS.FF.
Euro 8 one-way, Euro 15 both ways

Once in Mestre take the train to Bassano del Grappa trenitalia.com

ACCOMODATION:

In the THE VILLA ANGARAN SAN GIUSEPPE we have available to us

• 9 single rooms with private bathroom at a cost of €40 a night
• 6 double rooms with private bathroom – at a discounted rate of €45 a night for singles, full double rate €60 a night for couples or two people sharing with twin beds.
• 1 triple room €75,00
• + tourist tax – €2 per night for all above choices
• Breakfast included
• Our meeting room is at the villa

NEARBY HOSTEL: Ostello Bassano Del Grappa
at Via Lorenzo Chini 6

The hostel is some 15 minutes or so walk away from the villa and also has the option to use a shared kitchen for those who prefer to self-cater. For people who would prefer an even more cost friendly option there are also shared dormitories at the hostel.

• 2 of these singles come with a private bathroom at €30 a night
• And 5 other single rooms which come with the use of a shared bathroom for €25 a night.
• double rooms with a private bathroom €55
• double rooms with the use of a shared bathroom €48
• + tourist tax – €2 per night for above choices
• Breakfast included

https://www.ostellobassanodelgrappa.it

This website is in English, Italian and German so easy to browse through.

GETTING TO THE VENUE or HOSTEL:

To Ostello Bassano Del Grappa at Via Lorenzo Chini 6:

By foot: From Bassano train station / bus: 1.4 km, 17 minutes.

To VILLA ANGARAN SAN GIUSEPPE  at Via Ca’ Morosini, 41

By foot: 20 to 25 minutes from the train station/bus.

By Taxi: 0039 (0)424567774

The cost from the train station to both Bassano del Grappa to the Villa Angaran San and to the Hostel Ostello Bassano Del Grappa, Via Chini, 6 is between €7 and €9.

TO BOOK your accommodation:

We have a special price for members of our group 
that you won’t get if you book online.

Please include your name, that you are coming for the
European Focusing Association meeting 13 – 16 October 2022,
and your choice of room and exactly how many nights you will stay.

Please book either choice, hotel or hostel with: prenotazioni@villangaransangiuseppe.it

Either Paolo or one of her colleagues will respond by email.

IMPORTANT: Please make sure to CC efa@legacy.efa-focusing.eu

so that we know you are coming.

PAYMENT:

Accommodation:
To be paid on-site directly to the hotel by each participant.
 Meals:
To be paid on-site directly to the hotel by each participant.

For the Meeting Room:

We are imagining that we will be around 20 people. Based on this estimation there is a single cost of €35 euros per person for our meeting room to be paid in addition to the cost for the bedrooms. We will collect this money when we are there.
Thank you.

Looking forward to meeting with as many of you as can come.

Warmly,

on behalf of the Steering group

Fiona Parr, Sari Pekki, Amona Buechler,  Ruth Hirsch,
Dietmar Steinbach, Hejo Feuerstein, Cornelius Gehrig

European Focusing Association (EFA)

EFA newsletter April 2022

EFA newsletter
April 2022

Dear European Focusing colleagues,

Here you find updates to our annual gathering in Italy October 13 to 16 2022

NEW:    GETTING READY FOR THE GATHERING
Communication Platform

This link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yPOLKH7vBfyZwK-y5KGsP7-2VTRqZ4y9QOn5OwndPYU/edit

leads you to a platform in which we can share ideas for our 2022 gathering. With that we can keep a nice overview over everybody’s ideas. Express what you would like to have happen and what you might like to offer. And let everybody know that you are coming.

Topics include:

• Ideas for the official EFA meeting, topics, activities…
• Who will join and what’s their contact info?
• Travel: sharing the ride
• Coming earlier/staying longer
• Covid-19 travel info
• Please feel free to add more topics

The steering group will take a look at new posts on this cloud-platform at least once per month to consider and to incorporate what’s being expressed.

You may also use the EFA-email discussion forum:
european-focusing-discussion-list-request@legacy.efa-focusing.eu
(Stay connected. Sign up if you have not done so yet.)

SOME DETAILS HAVE BEEN UPDATED BELOW
Keep this Newsletter and delete the Newsletter from last month please.

The same info is on the EFA website, here

We are delighted to announce that we have secured a booking
for this year’s EFA gathering (annual meeting)
at Bassano del Grappa – in northern Italy, for 13 – 16 October 2022.

Bassano del Grappa Old Town and Ponte degli Alpini bridge, Veneto province, Italy

The venue is lovely. You can see more information here

https://www.villangaransangiuseppe.it
The website is in Italian. How to activate Google Translate

THE VILLA ANGARAN SAN GIUSEPPE will be hosting us over the three days.

The Villa is located at
Via Ca’ Morosini, 41 36061 Bassano del Grappa (VI)
Tel. +39 331 418 72 84

For those who would like to stay on site, the rooms will be booked on a first come, first served basis as rooms on the premises are limited. Please read the entire email carefully for instructions on how to book yourself in as an EFA member.

MEALS:

Lunch and dinner are NOT included in the costs of the room and will need to be paid for separately on-site.

There is a good restaurant on the premises open to the public and to the other participants of the various social activities that take place there. This restaurant offers us the opportunity for shared meal times and caters to vegetarians and omnivores alike. Gluten and dairy free options can be arranged ahead of time. Breakfast is included already in the costing for the rooms. For 15 people and over we will have a set menu for the group, if we are less everybody can order from the menu.

Lunch: price range to be determined, probably around Euro 15 without drinks.
Dinner: Price range between Euro 18 and Euro 23 including drinks with a set menu and about Euro 30 a la carte.

There is also the option to eat out (together) in the old historical centre of Bassano.

ARRIVALS/DEPARTURES:

Check in from 4 pm to 8 pm on Thursday afternoon with a shared dinner on the premises.

Check out of bedrooms by 10 am on Sunday.

We will close our meeting at 1 pm and lunch will be available on the premises for anyone who wishes to stay on.

For anyone who wants to arrive earlier and/or stay on longer these arrangements to book in for extra nights can be arranged by yourselves at the time of booking, or potentially added on later if availability allows. Due to the Pandemic our hotel might only be open Thursday to Sunday.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Bassano del Grappa is reachable by train.

Use trenitalia.com to check train times from wherever you are coming. You can book online through this website or buy your ticket at the ticket office.

Another good site is Trainline.com. This platform searches through various European train- and bus-services.

For those planning to fly, the closest airport is Venice Marco Polo airport.

On: https://www.atvo.it/en-ticketonline.html select:
Departure from “Venice Airport (Marco Polo) to all destinations”
then select:
Da/From: Aero Porto Marco Polo (VCE)
and A/To: Mestre Stazione SS.FF.
Euro 8 one-way, Euro 15 both ways

Once in Mestre take the train to Bassano del Grappa trenitalia.com

ACCOMODATION:

In the THE VILLA ANGARAN SAN GIUSEPPE we have available to us

• 9 single rooms with private bathroom at a cost of €40 a night
• 6 double rooms with private bathroom – at a discounted rate of €45 a night for singles, full double rate €60 a night for couples or two people sharing with twin beds.
• 1 triple room €75,00
• + tourist tax – €2 per night for all above choices
• Breakfast included
• Our meeting room is at the villa

NEARBY HOSTEL: Ostello Bassano Del Grappa
at Via Lorenzo Chini 6

The hostel is some 15 minutes or so walk away from the villa and also has the option to use a shared kitchen for those who prefer to self-cater. For people who would prefer an even more cost friendly option there are also shared dormitories at the hostel.

• 2 of these singles come with a private bathroom at €30 a night
• And 5 other single rooms which come with the use of a shared bathroom for €25 a night.
• double rooms with a private bathroom €55
• double rooms with the use of a shared bathroom €48
• + tourist tax – €2 per night for above choices
• Breakfast included

https://www.ostellobassanodelgrappa.it

This website is in English, Italian and German so easy to browse through.

GETTING TO THE VENUE or HOSTEL:

To Ostello Bassano Del Grappa at Via Lorenzo Chini 6:

By foot: From Bassano train station / bus: 1.4 km, 17 minutes.

To VILLA ANGARAN SAN GIUSEPPE  at Via Ca’ Morosini, 41

By foot: 20 to 25 minutes from the train station/bus.

By Taxi: 0039 (0)424567774

The cost from the train station to both Bassano del Grappa to the Villa Angaran San and to the Hostel Ostello Bassano Del Grappa, Via Chini, 6 is between €7 and €9.

TO BOOK your accommodation:

We have a special price for members of our group 
that you won’t get if you book online.

Please include your name, that you are coming for the
European Focusing Association meeting 13 – 16 October 2022,
and your choice of room and exactly how many nights you will stay.

Please book either choice, hotel or hostel with: prenotazioni@villangaransangiuseppe.it

Either Paolo or one of her colleagues will respond by email.

IMPORTANT: Please make sure to CC efa@legacy.efa-focusing.eu

so that we know you are coming.

PAYMENT:

Accommodation:
To be paid on-site directly to the hotel by each participant.
 Meals:
To be paid on-site directly to the hotel by each participant.

For the Meeting Room:

We are imagining that we will be around 20 people. Based on this estimation there is a single cost of €35 euros per person for our meeting room to be paid in addition to the cost for the bedrooms. We will collect this money when we are there.
Thank you.

Looking forward to meeting with as many of you as can come.

Warmly,

on behalf of the Steering group

Fiona Parr, Sari Pekki, Amona Buechler,  Ruth Hirsch,
Dietmar Steinbach, Hejo Feuerstein, Cornelius Gehrig

European Focusing Association (EFA)

EFA newsletter April 2022

EFA newsletter
April 2022

Dear European Focusing colleagues,

Here you find updates to our annual gathering in Italy October 13 to 16 2022

NEW:    GETTING READY FOR THE GATHERING
Communication Platform

This link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yPOLKH7vBfyZwK-y5KGsP7-2VTRqZ4y9QOn5OwndPYU/edit

leads you to a platform in which we can share ideas for our 2022 gathering. With that we can keep a nice overview over everybody’s ideas. Express what you would like to have happen and what you might like to offer. And let everybody know that you are coming.

Topics include:

• Ideas for the official EFA meeting, topics, activities…
• Who will join and what’s their contact info?
• Travel: sharing the ride
• Coming earlier/staying longer
• Covid-19 travel info
• Please feel free to add more topics

The steering group will take a look at new posts on this cloud-platform at least once per month to consider and to incorporate what’s being expressed.

You may also use the EFA-email discussion forum:
european-focusing-discussion-list-request@legacy.efa-focusing.eu
(Stay connected. Sign up if you have not done so yet.)

SOME DETAILS HAVE BEEN UPDATED BELOW
Keep this Newsletter and delete the Newsletter from last month please.

The same info is on the EFA website, here

We are delighted to announce that we have secured a booking
for this year’s EFA gathering (annual meeting)
at Bassano del Grappa – in northern Italy, for 13 – 16 October 2022.

Bassano del Grappa Old Town and Ponte degli Alpini bridge, Veneto province, Italy

The venue is lovely. You can see more information here

https://www.villangaransangiuseppe.it
The website is in Italian. How to activate Google Translate

THE VILLA ANGARAN SAN GIUSEPPE will be hosting us over the three days.

The Villa is located at
Via Ca’ Morosini, 41 36061 Bassano del Grappa (VI)
Tel. +39 331 418 72 84

For those who would like to stay on site, the rooms will be booked on a first come, first served basis as rooms on the premises are limited. Please read the entire email carefully for instructions on how to book yourself in as an EFA member.

MEALS:

Lunch and dinner are NOT included in the costs of the room and will need to be paid for separately on-site.

There is a good restaurant on the premises open to the public and to the other participants of the various social activities that take place there. This restaurant offers us the opportunity for shared meal times and caters to vegetarians and omnivores alike. Gluten and dairy free options can be arranged ahead of time. Breakfast is included already in the costing for the rooms. For 15 people and over we will have a set menu for the group, if we are less everybody can order from the menu.

Lunch: price range to be determined, probably around Euro 15 without drinks.
Dinner: Price range between Euro 18 and Euro 23 including drinks with a set menu and about Euro 30 a la carte.

There is also the option to eat out (together) in the old historical centre of Bassano.

ARRIVALS/DEPARTURES:

Check in from 4 pm to 8 pm on Thursday afternoon with a shared dinner on the premises.

Check out of bedrooms by 10 am on Sunday.

We will close our meeting at 1 pm and lunch will be available on the premises for anyone who wishes to stay on.

For anyone who wants to arrive earlier and/or stay on longer these arrangements to book in for extra nights can be arranged by yourselves at the time of booking, or potentially added on later if availability allows. Due to the Pandemic our hotel might only be open Thursday to Sunday.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Bassano del Grappa is reachable by train.

Use trenitalia.com to check train times from wherever you are coming. You can book online through this website or buy your ticket at the ticket office.

Another good site is Trainline.com. This platform searches through various European train- and bus-services.

For those planning to fly, the closest airport is Venice Marco Polo airport.

On: https://www.atvo.it/en-ticketonline.html select:
Departure from “Venice Airport (Marco Polo) to all destinations”
then select:
Da/From: Aero Porto Marco Polo (VCE)
and A/To: Mestre Stazione SS.FF.
Euro 8 one-way, Euro 15 both ways

Once in Mestre take the train to Bassano del Grappa trenitalia.com

ACCOMODATION:

In the THE VILLA ANGARAN SAN GIUSEPPE we have available to us

• 9 single rooms with private bathroom at a cost of €40 a night
• 6 double rooms with private bathroom – at a discounted rate of €45 a night for singles, full double rate €60 a night for couples or two people sharing with twin beds.
• 1 triple room €75,00
• + tourist tax – €2 per night for all above choices
• Breakfast included
• Our meeting room is at the villa

NEARBY HOSTEL: Ostello Bassano Del Grappa
at Via Lorenzo Chini 6

The hostel is some 15 minutes or so walk away from the villa and also has the option to use a shared kitchen for those who prefer to self-cater. For people who would prefer an even more cost friendly option there are also shared dormitories at the hostel.

• 2 of these singles come with a private bathroom at €30 a night
• And 5 other single rooms which come with the use of a shared bathroom for €25 a night.
• double rooms with a private bathroom €55
• double rooms with the use of a shared bathroom €48
• + tourist tax – €2 per night for above choices
• Breakfast included

https://www.ostellobassanodelgrappa.it

This website is in English, Italian and German so easy to browse through.

GETTING TO THE VENUE or HOSTEL:

To Ostello Bassano Del Grappa at Via Lorenzo Chini 6:

By foot: From Bassano train station / bus: 1.4 km, 17 minutes.

To VILLA ANGARAN SAN GIUSEPPE  at Via Ca’ Morosini, 41

By foot: 20 to 25 minutes from the train station/bus.

By Taxi: 0039 (0)424567774

The cost from the train station to both Bassano del Grappa to the Villa Angaran San and to the Hostel Ostello Bassano Del Grappa, Via Chini, 6 is between €7 and €9.

TO BOOK your accommodation:

We have a special price for members of our group 
that you won’t get if you book online.

Please include your name, that you are coming for the
European Focusing Association meeting 13 – 16 October 2022,
and your choice of room and exactly how many nights you will stay.

Please book either choice, hotel or hostel with: prenotazioni@villangaransangiuseppe.it

Either Paolo or one of her colleagues will respond by email.

IMPORTANT: Please make sure to CC efa@legacy.efa-focusing.eu

so that we know you are coming.

PAYMENT:

Accommodation:
To be paid on-site directly to the hotel by each participant.
 Meals:
To be paid on-site directly to the hotel by each participant.

For the Meeting Room:

We are imagining that we will be around 20 people. Based on this estimation there is a single cost of €35 euros per person for our meeting room to be paid in addition to the cost for the bedrooms. We will collect this money when we are there.
Thank you.

Looking forward to meeting with as many of you as can come.

Warmly,

on behalf of the Steering group

Fiona Parr, Sari Pekki, Amona Buechler,  Ruth Hirsch,
Dietmar Steinbach, Hejo Feuerstein, Cornelius Gehrig

European Focusing Association (EFA)

EFA newsletter March 2022

EFA newsletter
March 2022

Dear European Focusing colleagues,

We are delighted to announce that we have secured a booking
for this year’s EFA gathering (annual meeting)
at Bassano del Grappa – in northern Italy, for 13 – 16 October 2022.

Bassano del Grappa Old Town and Ponte degli Alpini bridge, Veneto province, Italy

The venue is lovely. You can see more information here

https://www.villangaransangiuseppe.it
The website is in Italian. How to activate Google Translate

THE VILLA ANGARAN SAN GIUSEPPE will be hosting us over the three days.

The Villa is located at
Via Ca’ Morosini, 41 36061 Bassano del Grappa (VI)
Tel. +39 331 418 72 84

For those who would like to stay on site, the rooms will be booked on a first come, first served basis as rooms on the premises are limited. Please read the entire email carefully for instructions on how to book yourself in as an EFA member.

MEALS:

Lunch and dinner are NOT included in the costs of the room and will need to be paid for separately at the time.

There is a good restaurant on the premises open to the public and to the other participants of the various social activities that take place there. This restaurant offers us the opportunity for shared meal times and caters to vegetarians and omnivores alike. Gluten and dairy free options can be arranged ahead of time. Breakfast is included already in the costing for the rooms. For 15-20 people and over we will have a set menu for the group, if we are less everybody can order from the menu.

Lunch: price range to be determined, probably around Euro 15+
Dinner: Price range between Euro 18 and Euro 30 including drinks depending on the menu.

There is also the option to eat out (together) in the old historical centre of Bassano.

ARRIVALS/DEPARTURES:

Check in from 2 pm on Thursday afternoon with a shared dinner on the premises.

Check out of bedrooms by 11 am on Sunday.

We will close our meeting at 1 pm and lunch will be available on the premises for anyone who wishes to stay on.

For anyone who wants to arrive earlier and/or stay on longer these arrangements to book in for extra nights can be arranged by yourselves at the time of booking, or potentially added on later if availability allows. Due to the Pandemic our hotel might only be open Thursday to Sunday.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Bassano del Grappa is reachable by train.

Use trenitalia.com to check train times from wherever you are coming. You can book online through this website or buy your ticket at the ticket office.

Another good site is Trainline.com. This platform searches through various European train- and bus-services.

For those planning to fly, the closest airport is Venice Marco Polo airport.

On: https://www.atvo.it/en-ticketonline.html select:
Departure from “Venice Airport (Marco Polo) to all destinations”
then select:
Da/From: Aero Porto Marco Polo (VCE)
and A/To: Mestre Stazione SS.FF.
Euro 8 one-way, Euro 15 both ways

Once in Mestre take the train to Bassano del Grappa trenitalia.com

ACCOMODATION:

In the THE VILLA ANGARAN SAN GIUSEPPE we have available to us

• 10 single rooms with private bathroom at a cost of €40 a night
• 14 double rooms with private bathroom – at a discounted rate of €45 a night for singles
• full double rate €60 a night for couples or two people sharing with twin beds.
• 1 triple room €80,00
• + tourist tax – €2 per night for all above choices
• Breakfast included
• Our meeting room is at the villa

NEARBY HOSTEL: Ostello Bassano Del Grappa
at Via Lorenzo Chini 6

The hostel is some 15 minutes or so walk away from the villa and also has the option to use a shared kitchen for those who prefer to self-cater. For people who would prefer an even more cost friendly option there are also shared dormitories at the hostel.

• 2 of these singles come with a private bathroom at €30 a night
• And 5 other single rooms which come with the use of a shared bathroom for €25 a night.
• double rooms with a private bathroom €55
• double rooms with the use of a shared bathroom €48
• + tourist tax – €2 per night for above choices
• Breakfast included

https://www.ostellobassanodelgrappa.it

This website is in English, Italian and German so easy to browse through.

GETTING TO THE VENUE or HOSTEL:

To Ostello Bassano Del Grappa at Via Lorenzo Chini 6:

By foot: From Bassano train station / bus: 1.4 km, 17 minutes.

To VILLA ANGARAN SAN GIUSEPPE  at Via Ca’ Morosini, 41

By foot: 20 to 25 minutes from the train station/bus.

By Taxi: 0039 (0)424567774

The cost from the train station to both Bassano del Grappa to the Villa Angaran San and to the Hostel Ostello Bassano Del Grappa, Via Chini, 6 is between €7 and €9.

TO BOOK your accommodation:

We have a special price for members of our group 
that you won’t get if you book online. 

Please include your name, that you are coming for the
European Focusing Association meeting 13 – 16 October 2022, 
and your choice of room and exactly how many nights you will stay.

Please book either choice, hotel or hostel with: prenotazioni@villangaransangiuseppe.it

Either Paolo or one of her colleagues will respond by email.

IMPORTANT: Please make sure to CC efa@legacy.efa-focusing.eu

so that we know you are coming.

PAYMENT:

Accommodation and Meals:
To be paid directly to the hotel by each participant.

For the Meeting Room:

We are imagining that we will be around 20 people. Based on this estimation there is a single cost of €35 euros per person for our meeting room to be paid in addition to the cost for the bedrooms. We will collect this money when we are there.
Thank you.

Looking forward to meeting with as many of you as can come.

Warmly,

on behalf of the Steering group

Fiona Parr, Sari Pekki, Amona Buechler,  Ruth Hirsch,
Dietmar Steinbach, Hejo Feuerstein, Cornelius Gehrig

European Focusing Association (EFA)

EFA newsletter January 2022

Senses of Focusing
Vol. I & II

Dear EFA Friends,

We are delighted to announce that the two volumes of Senses of Focusing that we have been working on for the past two years have now been published and are available for purchase through Amazon (see all the links here: amazon-links)

The idea for the volumes came after EFA’s First European Focusing Conference, ‘Facets of Focusing’, which took place in Loutraki, Greece, in 2018, and which many of you will have attended. The quality of the presentations there inspired the idea of a book, a project which soon grew and grew from one volume to two. We particularly wanted to give a voice to colleagues whose first language is not English and more than half the contributors across the two volumes are European, some of whom (e.g. Frans Depestele, Mia Leijssen, Claude Missaen, Campbell Purton, Donata Schoeller, Alan Tidmarsh, Jenny White, Pavlos Zarogiannis) presented at the Loutraki conference.

We have created a website for the book
at https://sensesoffocusing.com
where you can find much more detail about the books:

the list of contents, a summary of the chapters and details of the contributors.
You can even find links to videos of some of the original Loutraki presentations where they relate to specific chapters in the book.
We also include video interviews with contributors
(so far: Campbell Purton and Akira Ikemi)
and plan to add more interviews and organise events in relation to the volumes in the future.

We intend that the website should be ‘alive’, an interactive space, and would very much welcome your contributions, your response to the volumes and any ideas for the future. We also know that there are many excellent colleagues who couldn’t be included in these volumes but who may be ready to contribute to a third volume, if there should be one.

The volumes are very beautiful and have been produced to a high standard. It was a pleasure to work on them with so many wonderful colleagues from Loutraki onwards and we very much hope you will enjoy reading them.

Warm regards,

Judy Moore (UK)
Nikolaos Kypriotakis (Greece)

Co-editors Senses of Focusing

https://sensesoffocusing.com

European Focusing Association (EFA)

EFA newsletter January 2022

EFA newsletter
January 2022

Dear European Focusers and Friends

We have three good things to tell you about.

The next Members’ Meeting

Tuesday 1 February at 7pm – 8pm European time,
(6pm – 7pm UK time and 8pm – 9pm Greece and Israel time.)

This is open to everyone and is facilitated by EFA members. We will find a theme to explore, as a way to be together in a Focusing way. There is also an option for development of the interest groups if needed. We hope you can come.

It’s the same link each time.

Please let Fiona Parr know if you want to join the meeting
and do not have the link: fiona@fionaparr-focusing.co.uk

We meet on the first day of every month.
Meeting on the 1st of the month means it will be a different day of the week,
hopefully to include different people each time. So the next meeting will be Tuesday 1 March.

Planning our meeting in France

The European Focusing Association is our network for Focusing in Europe. It belongs to us. We exist to develop Focusing and the Experiential Approach through collaboration, openness and mutual support throughout our part of the world. You don’t have to be a member of any other Focusing organization to be a member of EFA. If you are a Focuser, Focusing Therapist or Professional, Focusing student or teacher, or Focusing Coordinator, then you belong.

The 29^th International Focusing Conference
is being planned for France on June 22-26, 2022.

focusing2022.com

As usual, we want to take that opportunity for European Focusers to gather together for a meeting in person (hopefully!). We would like you to join us in planning that in-person meeting for the conference.
Possible ideas for the meeting include socialising and getting to know one another, ideas for collaboration, and sharing successes and challenges.

We are sending this invitation out to all Focusing organisations that we know of in Europe, as well as European Focusing Coordinators, asking you to please spread the invitation among your Focusing colleagues, partners, and students in the hopes of having a couple representatives from each region of Europe engaged in planning our meeting in France.
Any Focuser living in Europe is welcome to help us plan.

It is not a big commitment.
We will hold only a few Zoom gatherings to discuss how to use our brief meeting time at the conference. Please join in the planning before we see each other at the Conference.

We welcome your active participation.

For more information, or to get the Zoom link, please email Ruth Hirsch
at ruthhirsch@icloud.com

October Gathering and General Assembly

We are planning to meet in person in October,
possibly at the venue in Bassano del Grappa if it is available.

We will let you know when we have a date.

EFA discussion list

Are you aware that we have an email discussion list available for our use.

Here is the email address again:
european-focusing-discussion-list@legacy.efa-focusing.eu.

Best wishes

Your Focusing Friends at EFA

European Focusing Association (EFA)

EFA newsletter October 2021

EFA newsletter
October 2021

Minutes

Here you can read the minutes from the recent EFA Annual General Assembly

Members’ Meeting

Tuesday 1 November at 7pm – 8.30pm European time,
(6pm – 7.30pm UK time and 8pm – 9.30pm Greece and Israel time.)

This is open to everyone and is facilitated by EFA members. We will find a theme to explore, as a way to be together in a Focusing way. There is also an option for development of the interest groups if needed. We hope you can come.
It’s the same link each time. Please let Fiona know if you want to join the meeting and do not yet have the link. fiona@fionaparr-focusing.co.uk.

We meet on the first day of every month. Meeting on the 1st of the month means it will be a different day of the week, hopefully to include different people each time. So the next meeting will be Monday 1 November. There is an option to meet at an earlier time, if that works better for people.

Senses of Focusing, Vol. I & II

Here you can watch a video about the new publication Senses of Focusing, Vol. I & II
by Eurasia Publications, Athens, Greece

We hope to see you on Monday 1 November.

Warmly

The new steering group

Fiona Parr, Hejo Feuerstein, Cornelius Gehrig,
Sari Pekki and Dietmar Steinbach

European Focusing Association (EFA)

EFA newsletter September 2021

Annual General Assembly
Sunday 10 October 2021

09.30am–12.00GMT/10.30am–1pmCET
11.30am-2pm Finland, Greece and Israel

Here is the link (same as the monthly members’ meetings)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82613360568?pwd=MU4rb281ZEtOVVU4YXVNLzFDbm5Qdz09

Meeting ID: 826 1336 0568
Passcode: 768087

The meeting is for us to carry forward our wonderful European Focusing Association and our being together.

We are collecting agenda items,
so please let a Steering Group member know.

Agenda so far.

• Celebration and acknowledgement of the publication of the two volumes of ‘Senses of Focusing’ which Judy Moore and Nikos Kypriotakis have devoted so much time and energy to. The publication date is 12 October! The books grew out of the EFA Conference in Loutraki and is a successful EFA project.
• Decide on what we want from an EFA meeting at the International Conference in June 2022 in France. A meeting in person will enable us to develop a new direction with fresh energy.
• Decide on an EFA meeting in Bassano del Grappa, Italy in October 2022.
• Web site update and decisions.
• Project with Hejo to develop an interest group to offer Focusing as a support for people who are impacted by Covid.
• Project with Michael Califronas to collect European Focusing resources.
• The steering group is open for new members to join. Patricia, Judy and Lucy are stepping down from the steering group. We want to reorganise, to continue to be inclusive and non-hierarchical.

As we are meeting on 10 October,
we are not meeting on the usual 1st of the month in October.

Warmly
The steering group

Fiona Parr, Patricia Foster, Hejo Feuerstein, Judy Moore,
Cornelius Gehrig, Lucy van Praag and Sari Pekki

European Focusing Association (EFA)

EFA newsletter August 2021

EFA gathering &

Annual General Assembly

7 – 10 October 2021

Due to the ongoing uncertainty of the Covid situation, and the difficulty of predicting travel restrictions in each country in October, the Steering Group has decided to cancel the group booking at Bassano del Grappa once again this year.

However, the venue is open for individual bookings, so if you want to go, you still can!

It is still possible for a self-organising group to meet together in person 7 – 10 October.

The venue is The Villa Angaran San Giuseppe.

https://www.villangaransangiuseppe.it.

Alternatively, booking an Airbnb might be good for a small group, to share a whole house together, because we would not have exclusive use of the hotel.

For people who decide not to travel to Italy this year, we can have online meetings over the same weekend.

Offerings of workshops and topics are welcome for both the in-person gathering and the online meeting.

#

EFA Members’ meeting 1 September

The Steering Group is facilitating the formation of a groups who want to meet online or in Italy at the next EFA monthly meeting on 1 September, 6pm – 7.30pm BST/7pm – 8.30pm CEST/8pm – 9.30pm Finland, Greece and Israel.

Here is the link.

#

We also have our group email list
for communication between members.

#

Annual General Assembly
Sunday 10 October 2021

We hope to be able to meet in person at the International Focusing Conference
in the Ardeshe region, South of France in June 2022.

https://focusing.org/event/focusing-29th-international-conference-france-2022

#

We might also think about meeting in Bassano del Grappa in October 2022.

Warmly

The steering group

Fiona Parr, Patricia Foster, Hejo Feuerstein, Judy Moore,
Cornelius Gehrig, Lucy van Praag and Sari Pekki

European Focusing Association (EFA)

EFA newsletter October 2020

EFA General Assembly 6 December 2020

Dear EFA Member
You are warmly invited to the 2020 EFA Annual General Assembly

Sunday 6 December
9.30 am – 12 noon GMT
10.30 am – 1 pm CET
11.30 am – 2 pm Finland, Greece and Israel

Please note the date has changed!

Please let Patricia know you are planning to come, and she will send you a Zoom link
for this meeting and any future meetings.
Patricia’s email is patricf1956@gmail.com.

We will have a break during the meeting, which is 2 ½ hours long.

We are inviting proposals for the agenda.

Please send your proposals to the steering group.
You can also post them on the EFA email discussion list for pre-assembly discussions.
Here is the link.

https://ml-cgn06.ispgateway.de/mailman/listinfo/european-focusing-discussion-list_legacy.efa-focusing.eu.

Please remember to bring your coloured spectrum cards for decision-making, or you can make a set if you don’t have them.
(Discussion cards – Pink: I have a proposal; Yellow: I need more information; Blue: I need someone to listen to me; White: let’s take a pause.)
(Decision cards – Green: I agree; Orange: I propose an amendment; Red, I don’t agree to the proposal in its present form.

Here are the agenda items we have so far:

1. Agree last year’s minutes from Aegina May 2019. See them here: European Focusing Association Annual Meeting May 2019 Also, here: https://legacy.efa-focusing.eu/community/groups/efa-annual-meeting/forum/topic/notes-from-efa-meeting-2019-aegina-greece/
2. In the account of last year’s meeting from Judy Moore, there is also mention of all the interest groups that were formed and it’s a good reminder of what was proposed. See the attached document in (1) (above).
3. Decide on next year’s meeting. Our place has been held at The Villa Anagram San Giuseppe, Bassano del Grappa in Northern Italy for 8 – 10 October 2021. We need to agree if we want to go, if conditions allow.
4. Hejo Feuerstein and Aukja Strandstra discussed and approved in 2017 in Abbano the EFA minimal standards which they developed for Focusing-Oriented Coaching (FoC). Now they want to accredit a FoC Training program by the Ger DFG/German Focusing Association, submitted by Heidrun Essler, Dietmar Steinbach and Hejo Feuerstein. Participants should get the certificate „European Focusing-oriented Coach“ (EFA/DFG). The translated Program submitted for approval is attached. The approval should be checked by the concordance with the EFA  standards 2017. Read the translated Program here: FoCoaching TrainingProgram_EN en
5. Web site. Sari has offered to work with Nikos to keep the web site updated. She is looking for some EFA people to create an interest group to brainstorm ideas for the web site, in collaboration with Nikos. Also Nikos is willing to relinquish his role as webmaster, if someone can take over the web site who knows well the backend of WordPress. If you have IT and marketing skills, you would be especially welcome to join this group.
6. Steering group update. We have been meeting throughout the year. We undertook to find a venue for our 2020 gathering, which has now been postponed. We have initiated an email discussion list, sent out several newsletters, and initiated a monthly EFA members meeting which is open to all.
7. Proposal to create European supervision groups within EFA. Hejo is willing to take this forward.

The steering group will accept further proposals and items for the agenda.
Please let us know.
You can also discuss any ideas via the email discussion list.

A reminder that you can join or post to the list here.

https://ml-cgn06.ispgateway.de/mailman/listinfo/european-focusing-discussion-list_legacy.efa-focusing.eu.

Best wishes
The steering group

Fiona Parr, Patricia Foster, Hejo Feuerstein, Judy Moore,
Cornelius Gehrig, Lucy van Praag and Sari Pekki

European Focusing Association (EFA)

EFA newsletter September 2020

We are delighted to report that the recent EFA members gathering was a great success, and appreciated by those who attended. It was facilitated by Patricia Foster and Fiona Parr, and we had small groups and sharing in the whole group around the topic ‘What is EFA for you?’ Those who attended said they would like to meet regularly, and we have decided to meet on the first day of each month. Meeting on the 1st of the month means it will be a different day of the week, hopefully to include different people each time.

The next date is Thursday 1 October at 7pm – 8.30pm European time,
(6pm – 7.30pm UK time and 8pm – 9.30pm Greece and Israel time.)

Everyone is welcome, and you can suggest a theme that interests you.
It’s the same link.

Please let Patricia know you are planning to come,
and she will send you a Zoom link for this meeting and any future meetings.
Patricia’s email is patricf1956@gmail.com.

The steering group is proposing that Tuesday 1 December be the date for our general assembly meeting, where we make decisions about how we want EFA to go forward.
We are accepting items for the agenda, so please send us your requests.

You can also discuss any ideas via the email discussion list.
A reminder that you can join or post to the list here.

https://ml-cgn06.ispgateway.de/mailman/listinfo/european-focusing-discussion-list_legacy.efa-focusing.eu .

Please join up, and create our community!
If you don’t see any emails once you have signed up, check your spam folder, especially if you have a hotmail account.

News from the Focusing Teachers group,
which has been meeting monthly for the last three years,
since we started it in Abano Terme in 2017.
Here is a brief update from some of our members.

From Ria van Haag

‘The teachers group is for me a playground where we can connect, interact and deepen our European Focusing friendship and profession.’

From Fiona Parr

‘I value this group hugely, because it gives me a sense of active participation on a European level. I work on my own and here is a way to feel connected and supported in my work as a Focusing teacher.’

From Freda Blob

‘Reflecting on three years of active commitment to the EFA teacher’s group, I want to highlight the benefits of this collegial intervision group that started with the EFA meeting Abano/Italy in 2017. Most of all, I feel that the continuity of our mutual exchange uplifts my work and stabilises my sense of international interconnection. And I wonder what I would have missed if not having checked in to our meetings regularly, when rare but wonderful inspiring words of Gendlin’s had been discussed and put into fresh meaning. This group is kept up by a nurturing spirit depending on each of the individuals coming together, when we tune in from the body before anything else is a topic, and accompany each other in our particular teaching journeys. Thanks to you all who keep it up!’

More about Freda Blob on https://www.focusing-tuebingen.de/english/
and https://legacy.efa-focusing.eu/community/participants/freda/

The teachers group is open for new members
and anyone who teaches Focusing is welcome to join.

We meet on the first Monday of the month, at 7pm – 8pm European time,
(6pm – 7pm UK time and 8pm – 9pm Greece, Finland and Israel time.)

Warmly

The steering group
Fiona Parr, Patricia Foster, Hejo Feuerstein, Judy Moore,
Cornelius Gehrig, Lucy van Praag and Sari Pekki

European Focusing Association (EFA)

Dear EFA Member

We in the EFA steering group are bringing you news of how we can connect as a community in these uncertain times, and we invite your input and participation.

Hejo has sourced a translation facility for the newsletter, and for articles and information for the web site, so you can now read this in your own language. It’s deepl.com.

We are setting up a ‘many to many’ email discussion list, to facilitate communication between all EFA members. This is a big step forward, enabling anyone to post ideas, issues, requests, and to build a genuine European Focusing connection in Europe. You will be able to locate and connect with people who share your special interest, and your passion for Focusing. We hope it will be generative and create new possibilities for networking and collaboration.
Sari has kindly offered to moderate the list.

You can join or post to the list here:

https://ml-cgn06.ispgateway.de/mailman/listinfo/european-focusing-discussion-list_legacy.efa-focusing.eu.

Please join up, and create our community!

If you don’t see any emails once you have signed up, you may have to check your spam folder, especially if you have a hotmail account.

The Steering Group has decided to postpone the EFA Annual meeting due to the COVID-19 situation. The meeting will be held in Bassano del Grappa in Italy in October 2021. We will keep you informed about the details.

We are having a Zoom meeting, open to all EFA members. It is a chance to connect, and to carry forward our community, in many possible ways. We suggest that we have a Focusing and Listening process to get clarity about EFA and the work of Focusing in Europe.

You can also suggest a theme via the EFA discussion list, or direct to the steering group.

What would you like to see happen in an online meeting?

The date is Tuesday 1 September at 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm European time,
(6:00 pm – 7:30 pm UK time and 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm Greece and Israel time.)

Please let Patricia know you are planning to participate, and she will send you a Zoom link for this meeting and any future meetings.

We aim to set up an online meeting about 4 times a year.

Patricia’s email is patricf1956@gmail.com.

It will be nice to see you all.
It feels a long time since we met in Aegina, and in Loutraki.

Finally, great news!

The next International Focusing Conference will be in France in June 2022!

IFEF (Institut de Focusing d’Europe Francophone) has been organising summer schools each year in France for many years. Now they are ready to share their vibrant community with the world. All workshops will be in French and English. Something for us to look forward to!

Warmly

Fiona Parr, Patricia Foster, Hejo Feuerstein,
Judy Moore, Cornelius Gehrig, Lucy Van Praag and Sari Pekki

European Focusing Association (EFA)

Dear European Focusing colleagues,

We are delighted to announce that we have secured a booking for the next EFA gathering

at Bassano del Grappa – in northern Italy, for 8 – 11 October 2020. (Rescheduled for October 2021 due to COVID-19 situation)

Bassano del Grappa Old Town and Ponte degli Alpini bridge, Veneto province, Italy

The venue is lovely. You can see more information here

https://www.villangaransangiuseppe.it

THE VILLA ANGARAN SAN GIUSEPPE will be hosting us over the three days.

The Villa is located at

Via Ca’ Morosini, 41 36061 Bassano del Grappa (VI)

Tel. +39 331 418 72 84

For those who would like to stay on site, the rooms will be booked on a first come, first served basis as rooms on the premises are limited. Please read the entire email carefully for instructions on how to book yourself in as an EFA member.

(N.B. You might need to make use of Google translate as you browse through the website for the Villa Angaran San Giuseppe as they have recently upgraded their website and the option to translate in to English has not been reintroduced yet!)

MEALS:

Lunch and dinner are NOT included in the costs of the room and will need to be paid for separately at the time.

There is a good restaurant on the premises open to the public and to the other participants of the various social activities that take place there. This restaurant offers us the opportunity for shared meal times and caters to vegetarians and omnivores alike. Gluten and dairy free options can be arranged ahead of time. Breakfast is included already in the costing for the rooms.

There is also the option to eat out (together) in the old historical centre of Bassano.

Please email Lucy on lucy@wholebodycounselling.com if you are either vegetarian or gluten/dairy free so that we can notify the restaurant at the Villa Angaran San Giuseppe ahead of time.

ARRIVALS/DEPARTURES:

Check in from 2 pm on Thursday afternoon with a shared dinner on the premises.

Check out of bedrooms by 11 am on Sunday.

We will close our meeting at 1 pm and lunch will be available on the premises for anyone who wishes to stay on.

For anyone who wants to arrive earlier and/or stay on longer these arrangements to book in for extra nights can be arranged by yourselves at the time of booking, or potentially added on later if availability allows.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Bassano del Grappa is reachable by train.

NB trenitalia.com to check train times from wherever you are coming from. You can book online through this website or buy your ticket at the ticket office.

For those planning to fly, the closest airport is Venice Marco Polo airport.

To travel directly to the venue from Venice Marco Polo airport, you will need to travel to nearby MESTRE in order to change there for Bassano del Grappa. The easiest way to reach Mestre is to take the ATVO coach service which runs between the airport and the Mestre railway station. It’s a short and comfortable bus trip. Buses depart every hour. A total trip of 17 minutes and costs about EUR 8.00 Buy your ATVO ticket here >

ACCOMODATION:

In the Villa we have available to us

• 10 single rooms each with it’s own private bathroom at a cost of €36 a night
• 14 double rooms, each with its own private bathroom – at a discounted rate of €41 euros a night for singles
• or at the full double rate of €60 euros for couples or two people sharing with twin beds.

Extra rooms AT THEIR NEARBY HOSTEL (Ostello Don Cremona):

https://www.ostellobassanodelgrappa.it

The Hostel is located at

Number 6 Via Lorenzo Chini

This website is already in English and Italian and so easy to browse through.

We have seven more single rooms at the hostel at slightly lower prices. These rooms will be kept for us up until the end of May, after which, if not yet booked, we will lose them, so please do email Maria (see below) and make sure that you have your place paid for and reserved, either at the Villa or at the Hostel.

• 2 of these singles come with a private bathroom at €31 a night
• And 5 other single rooms which come with the use of a shared bathroom for €26 a night.

The listed costs of all of the different rooms covers bed and breakfast at both the Villa Angaran San Giuseppe and at the hostel (which is run by the same association as the Villa). The hostel is some 15 minutes or so walk away from the villa and also has the option to use a shared kitchen for those who prefer to self-cater. For people who would prefer an even more cost friendly option there are also shared dormitories at the hostel).

The Bassano del Grappa Hostel is located in Via Lorenzo Chini 6

By foot: From Bassano train station / bus: 1.4 km, 17 minutes.

The Villa is also reachable on foot – taking between 20 to 25 minutes from the train station. For those who would like to take a TAXI to the vIlla or the hostel this is the number to call:

Tel. 0039 (0)424567774):

The cost of a taxi from train station of Bassano del Grappa to the Villa Angaran San Giuseppe, Via Ca’ Morosini, 41

is between €7 and €10.

For those staying at the hostel:

The cost of a taxi from the train station of Bassano del Grappa to the Hostel Don Cremona, Via Chini, 6

is between €7 and €10.

To Book Your Accommodation

please DO NOT do it yourselves via the internet booking but via EMAIL to Maria Benedetta (who is lovely and speaks English) on

prenotazioni@villangaransangiuseppe.it

She or one of her colleagues will reply.

IMPORTANT: Please make sure to ‘CC Sari Pekki in to your email to Maria Benedetta on sari@spekki.fi

so that we know you are coming.

We have a special price for members of our group that you won’t get if you book online. Please include your name, that you are coming for the European Focusing Association meeting 8-11 October 2020, and your choice of room and exactly how many nights you will stay. Either Maria or one of her colleagues will respond by email.

PAYMENT:

We are imagining that we will be around 20 people:

Based on this estimation there is a single cost of €26 euros per person to be paid over and above the cost for the bedrooms. This cost covers the cost of the rental of the big room. Please add this amount to the cost of the three nights for whichever size room you are booking. Thank you.

Sending money abroad:

We are aware that banking charges can be costly when transferring funds across borders and Patricia suggests using a Borderless Account such as TRANSFERWISE. Patricia has found them to be very efficient and up to 8x cheaper than a bank. She suggests that you place into internet “transferwise”, to set up your account and follow the instructions which are very easy, alternatively, if you email her on patricf1956@gmail.com she will send you a direct invitation/link to set up an account.

Looking forward to meeting with as many of you as can come.

Happy New Year!

Warmly,

Lucy and Fiona

on behalf of the Steering group

N.B. Let’s all of us please make sure to comb through this email for answers to our questions such that we can minimise the number of questions to Maria Bennedetta. Thank you!

European Focusing Association (EFA)

Dear EFA members,

Here we are in the very last days of summer and we want to welcome you to the newsletter, with an invitation to look ahead with us in to the autumn and beyond.

A shift came with the meeting in Aegina – now there is a sense of a space opening up which feels good.

We would love to have you with us, in this next phase, so that we can all carry the EFA forward together. If you would like to take more of an active role within the EFA please know that your voice is welcome. We aim to publish an agenda on the EFA website in order to facilitate a larger participation from the EFA community. In this way people could see how they could get involved. All that is required in order to participate is to find something that you love and do it. Underpinning all of this is the richness of getting to know one another and the relationships and unforeseen possibilities that develop out of this reciprocity.

Below are some key areas of focus currently:

Making Focusing Findable

A Focusing Map of Europe

In Aegina, we focused on our aim to promote networking amongst European Focusing professionals; and also on how to make Focusing “findable” by those who’ve not yet discovered it.

With these goals in mind we hope to create a “map” of Focusing in Europe. Examples of some of the information that we are interested in includes:

• Local, Regional, and National Focusing Organisations in your country
• Leaders in the Focusing community: i.e. Focusing Trainers, Certifying Coordinators, and others
• Changes and other practice groups
• Training programmes
• Workshop offerings
• Summer schools
• Regional and national conferences
• Whatever else you might like to share!

This is a lot of information for any one individual to gather and so we are exploring efficient and fun ways to harvest this data and we will be in touch once we have chosen the method.

Questions about this project? Be in touch with Ruth Hirsch: ruth@ruthhirsch.com

EFA meeting and AGM 2020

The gathering and AGM meeting in Aegina was such a successful event, and we want to meet again next year in 2020. We need a venue and a date! Do you want to host a gathering in your country? We are looking for a low cost venue ideally, to be inclusive. The guideline for the cost of participation per day is 35 Euros per person, which includes the cost of the venue, meeting room and bed and breakfast, excluding lunch, dinner and drinks. If you and your group would like to host, please let the steering group know.

Steering group participation

Some of us still finding our way in to how we can contribute within the steering group.

The different EFA working groups can send representatives who can be present within the steering group when you have something to say. In this way we can open up and make a more flexible organisation of the steering group. New and older working groups are always welcome.

The main focus of the steering group is to have a forum where we can talk about what is happening.

The European Focusing archive

The European Focusing archive is a project that is being envisioned by Hejo Feuerstein and Michael Callifronas, for non English papers to be hosted in their original languages. We would also like to make available some papers that have never before been published. If you have a paper that you would like to share for the archive, please send it to Hejo and Michael at h.feuerstein@focusing.de and michael@callifronas.com

There are already a lot of wonderful things on the web site, such as free resources, and a discussion list for thinking at the edge with colleagues about anything and everything. It’s a free forum to promote what you’re offering, and to see what other people are offering.

Donata Schoeller – Video

Lecture:
‘Felt Sense – a beautiful yet misleading term’
​by Donata Schoeller

https://www.donataschoeller.com/

Just click on the image to follow the link to the video of Donata’s lecture from Loutraki,
which Nikos Kypriotakis (Greece) has transcribed,
with help from Christine Rehbok (from the Netherlands) and Joody Moore (UK).

1st EUROPEAN FOCUSING CONFERENCE
May 10-14, 2018, Loutraki, GREECE
European Focusing Association (EFA)
https://legacy.efa-focusing.eu/
https://efa2018.weebly.com/

To end, we are including here an excerpt from a poem by David Whyte as it speaks to our vision of the EFA as a place of belonging for Independent practitioners. We all belong to other organisations AND we are aware that there is something very special about the kind of belonging that can be found within a community of Focusers. This is the kind of belonging that we feel started to blossom in Aegina.

‘…This is the bright home
In which I live,
This is where
I ask
My friends
To come,
This is where I want
To love all the things
It has taken me so long to love.
…
There is no house
Like the house of belonging.’

(Excerpt from The house of Belonging, by David Whyte)

Warm greetings to all of you,

Fiona and Lucy on behalf of the steering group:

Hejo Feuerstein, Patricia Foster, Cornelius Gehrig
Sari Pekki, Judy Moore, Fiona Parr, Lucy Van Praag

European Focusing Association (EFA)

European Focusing Association (EFA)

European Focusing Association (EFA)

European Focusing Association (EFA)

Dear EFA member,

We are pleased to announce the next EFA Annual Meeting will take place in Aghia Marina, Aegina, Greece.
This meeting is a gathering where EFA members can come together to share their work and ideas
and the annual EFA General Assembly will also take place at some point.

The meeting will be held at the Magda Hotel from 24.5.2019 – 26.5.2019.
The link to the hotel’s website is www.magdahotelaegina.gr

As this is not a conference (i.e. there will be no pre-planned programme),
there will be no conference fee and the only costs are for accommodation.
You will need to book directly with the hotel.

If you want to stay at the Hotel Magda
before the meeting or extend your stay after the meeting
the same discounted rate will apply.

Aghia Marina, Aegina, Greece

Special discounted rates have been arranged by for the EFA meeting and all prices include breakfast.

The costs are as follows:
Single room € 36.50 B/B (all taxes included)
Double room € 42.50 B/B (all taxes included)
Triple room € 62.50 B/B (all taxes included)

Please note that there is only one triple room available.

Please note the hotel has 30 rooms only (including the one triple room)
but should  we require more rooms for participants, there is another hotel nearby (a 3 minute walk away),
that can accommodate other guests.

This second hotel will be slightly more expensive, so we recommend early booking.

Read more about bookings & payments
and travel arrangements at EFA Meetings

Looking forward to meeting you in Aegina
the Steering Group

Hejo Feuerstein (Germany), Patricia Foster (UK/Greece)
Cornelius Gehrig (Germany), Nikos Kypriotakis (Greece)
Judy Moore (UK), Fiona Parr (UK), Lucy Van Praag (Italy/UK)

European Focusing Association (EFA)

Dear EFA Member,

We are writing with an update on some issues that were discussed in our recent Steering Group Zoom meeting.

Venue for The Next ‘Small’ European Annual Gathering

As you know, it was decided at this year’s General Assembly that we would alternate larger ‘conferences’ (such as we had at Loutraki this year) with a smaller gathering that would operate more on the ‘Open Space’ principle where members come together in an unstructured way to network and work together on joint projects. It has been suggested that TAE would be useful in this process and that perhaps the gathering could take place over three days.

Patricia Foster has kindly offered to host the annual gathering on the Greek island of Aegina and has considerable experience of organising events there. She has already looked into and come up with good possibilities for accommodation.

But it has also been pointed out that travel to Greece is not viable for everyone who would like to attend the annual gathering and so we wanted to ask if anyone (or any small group) are willing to organise a gathering further north in Europe? Please can you let us know if you are willing to take on this responsibility by responding directly to this email.

It is not simply a matter of where people want to go, but who is actually willing to do the organising. Once we know if there are viable alternatives to Aegina we can then discuss the options that have been put forward.

Development of the Website
Special webpage for articles, projects, research, etc.

The EFA website is in the process of being developed by Nikos. A special page can be created where we could have links to what individuals have done/ written – articles, projects, etc. It would also be great to have updates from the Interest Groups from Loutraki (and elsewhere).

The possibility of an online publication was also discussed and more detail on this will follow.

As you will know, one of the videos has already been put on the website and is available on YouTube with subtitles and others will follow shortly… [link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb_yEuUclac]

Changes to the Steering Group

Tine Swyngedouw has decided that for personal reasons she needs to step down from the Steering Group at for now but hopes to be back later. We will miss her!

Autumn greetings,
The Steering Group

European Focusing Association (EFA)

Dear EFA Friends,

Many thanks to those of you who have renewed your membership of EFA and we welcome our new members, many of whom joined EFA at the very successful ‘Facets of Focusing’ conference that took place in Loutraki in Greece (10th- 14th May 2018). We now want to share with you some of the riches that came from the conference, which you can find on the conference website (https://efa2018.weebly.com/).

Presentations and Workshops

If you go to the ‘Sharing(s)’ page of the website (https://efa2018.weebly.com/sharing.html) you will find the full texts of some of the conference lectures, including those of Frans Depestele, Mia Leijssen and Campbell Purton. You will also find some of the workshop Powerpoints which will give you some idea of the rich and varied content of the workshops. We hope to add more texts as they become available.

Several of the lectures were videoed and these will be made available in due course through a specially-created YouTube channel.

The General Assembly and the Interest Groups

At the top of the ‘Sharing(s)’ page you will also find notes from the General Assembly and feedback from the newly-formed or already-existing ‘Interest groups’ (by clicking ‘Agenda Items and Feedback from Interest Groups’). The main decision taken by the General Assembly was to invest all proceeds from the conference into the development of the Website as a resource for Focusers in Europe and beyond.

Interest Groups that reported back to the General Assembly include: ‘What brings us aliveness?’; ‘Spirituality in Life through/ with Focusing’; ‘Wholebody Focusing and Heartfelt Conversation’; ‘Coaching’; ‘Issues of Racism in Everyday Life’; ‘Laughter and Humour in Focusing’; ‘Teaching Focusing’; ‘The subversive potential of Focusing Activism’ – now re-named‘Safety in the Open Air: A Focusing Space for Difficult Conversations’ (this group can be joined on Facebook); ‘young people and Focusing’; ‘identity politics through inner relationship Focusing’.

Contact details for these groups for anyone who is interested in joining any of them can be found on the relevant section of the ‘Sharing(s)’ page.

Greg Madison has also asked if a group of Focusing Oriented Therapists would be interested in taking over and developing the Focusing Therapy website (https://www.focusingtherapy.org/). Someone within the group would need to be familiar with basic WordPress. If you are interested in engaging in this particular project please contact Greg Madison directly (gregmadison@mac.com).

Conference Report

A summary of some of the conference themes- some of the different ‘facets of focusing’ that were explored- and participants’ responses to their conference experience can be found by scrolling down the page (beneath the link to the ‘Sharing(s)’) on the ‘News’ page (https://efa2018.weebly.com/news) (direct link: https://efa2018.weebly.com/news/a-conference-report-efa2018).

Other Thoughts…

Ideas that have developed since the conference include a proposal to develop a Eugene Gendlin Research Network as well as starting a (European) (online) publishing project and developing a Learning Managment System functionality for the EFA website.

We very much hope that together we will keep finding ways to carry forward
the wonderful potential for mutual support and learning that was so evident amongst us at the Conference in Loutraki.

With our best regards,
Cornelius, Fiona, Hejo, Judy, Lucy, Nikos, Pat, Tine

(the Steering Group)

European Focusing Association (EFA)

Hello!

Dear member of EFA (European Focussing Association) mailing list

this time we hope we are making even easier for you
to re-subscribe to the EFA mailing list.

To conform to the upcoming changes in the European Union data protection law,
known as the GDPR,
we’ve updated our Privacy Policy and End-User License Agreement (Website Notice).
The new regulation gives us all greater transparency, security, and control of our personal data.

We’re ready to send you emails from EFA
(and from the 1st European Conference website, via focusing.europe@gmail.com, as before),
but first we need you to confirm that this is what you really want.

Because of this change in the law please opt in
to continue to hear all the latest news from us.

Opt-In

It is now possible for you to ‘sign up’ (anew)
to receive newsletters and general mailings from EFA
by using the “Get newsletter” form at the bottom (“the footer”) of the EFA webpage
https://legacy.efa-focusing.eu/

There anyone can give their First Name, Last Name and E-mail
and, then, press the ’submit’ button.

Opt-Out

You can also ‘unsubscribe’ from receiving mailings at any time
by using the next form “Unsubscribe from EFA mailing lists”,
by simply giving your e-mail address and then pressing ‘unsubscribe’.

We hope this is clear.

It will mean that you can engage or dis-engage
from EFA mailings at any time.

What these functions look like on the website is pasted here below.
Visit the EFA website and then scroll down to the footer of the page to find them.

If you do not want to continue to receive mailings from us,
you may also simply ignore this message.

Without your permission, we won’t be able to send you any of our helpful communications
about the Focusing world after May 25th, 2018.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and for being
a part of the EFA community!

Remember, you can always opt out or change your personal data.

If you have any question or concerns, we are happy to help.
Simply reply to this email (efa@legacy.efa-focusing.eu).

Thank you very much!

Nikos & Judy

European Focusing Association (EFA)

European Focusing Association Conference 2018

2nd announcement

The European Focusing Association (EFA) is pleased to invite you to attend
the first European Focusing Conference

Facets of Focusing

May 10-14, 2018

Loutraki, Greece

efa2018.weebly.com

Hotel Pappas

This, our first European conference, will provide an opportunity to gather to celebrate the life and work of Eugene Gendlin and to experience some of the many ‘Facets of Focusing’.

We invite you, whatever your Focusing background – relative beginner, Focusing teacher, therapist – to join with us to share knowledge and focus together in the beautiful seaside resort of Loutraki.

Our aim is to be inclusive of all ‘facets’. You might be inspired by how Focusing can filter into different aspects of life. You might be new to Focusing and want to learn more about how it can be taught and practised at a basic level. You might want to explore how Focusing can become a force for change in such areas as politics, art or social work. You might want to reflect on how it can be integrated into the practice of different therapies or into other professional trainings, such as Coaching. You might wish to share your fascination with the philosophical foundations of Focusing or its origins in the Person-Centred Approach. Whatever your level of interest, we hope that we can together create an enjoyable, enriching and inspiring learning environment.

The Programme

A full conference timetable will be sent out in the New Year and will include workshops, lectures, discussion panels- and, of course, time for focusing exchange.

Registration will be between 14:00-17:00 h on Thursday 10th May and departure after midday on Monday 14th May.

Language

As well as honouring the different ‘facets of Focusing’ we want to acknowledge the language differences within our European community. Although the language of the conference is English, we hope that language barriers can be overcome by volunteers who are prepared to offer translation for their own language group.

EFA

For those who wish to take part in carrying the European Focusing Association forward into the future all are invited to participate in the EFA General Assembly that will take place towards the end of the conference. Time will also be made for EFA project and interest groups throughout the conference.

Optional Excursions

We want to make sure that participants have the opportunity to visit the sites of this beautiful part of Greece and (if there is enough interest) half-day excursions may be arranged to:

Argolis (Mycenae – Epidaurus) and/or Nafplio

• The ancient city of Mycenae (a world heritage monument and archaeological site, home to the kingdom of mythical Agamemnon) was a major centre of Greek civilization.
• The ancient theatre of Epidaurus (a Unesco world heritage listed monument) is reputed to be the birthplace of Apollo’s son Asklepios, the healer, and was the most celebrated healing centre of the classical world. Epidaurus is probably most famous for its theatre, one of the best preserved classical Greek buildings and still used today due to its amazing acoustics.
• Nafplio is a very beautiful city. It was the first capital of modern Greece with its Venetian fortress (Palamidi) and the fortified islet of Burtzi.

(or) Tour through the Corinth canal

Participation in these excursions is optional and the cost for them is not included in the conference fee. We will try, however, to keep costs as low as possible and more details will be sent out later.

A ‘Greek evening’ will most probably be incorporated into the Programme.

Registration

Registration needs to be done in two stages.

First of all, you need to register for the conference with the Hellenic Focusing Center:

Early Bird Rates (before 31 January)

• Regular Conference fee (before 31 January) 200 Euros: Includes conference fee for the whole conference and materials.
• For Students or the Unemployed (before 31 January)*140 Euros: Includes conference fee for the whole conference and materials.
• One-day participation (before 31 January) 70 Euros: Includes conference fee for one day and materials.

Conference Fees after 31 January

• Regular Conference fee (after 31 January) 250 Euros: Includes conference fee for the whole conference and materials.
• For Students or the Unemployed (after 31 January)*180 Euros: Includes conference fee for the whole conference and materials.
• One-day participation (after 31 January) 80 Euros: Includes conference fee for one day and materials.

* For Students and Unemployed Participants proof of their current studies or unemployed status is required.

For any questions, regarding your registration to the conference, please contact the Hellenic Focusing Center (HFC) at focusinghellas@yahoo.com

Then you need to book separately with the Hotel Pappas, who have offered very favourable rates for conference delegates.
The price given below covers accommodation for all 4 nights of the conference. The cost of accommodation with Hotel Pappas is a special offer made to us for the conference and is a very good deal. If you wish to stay for less than the four nights of the conference then the hotel’s usual rates will apply, such as those to be found through booking websites (e.g. Booking.com). Additional nights may also be charged at the hotel’s usual rates. You will need to make your own arrangement directly with the hotel.

Single Room 180 Euros per person
Double Room 132 Euros per person
Triple Room 120 Euros per person
The cost includes accommodation, breakfast, lunch, evening meal.

The price for tea/coffee during breaks is an extra 16 Euros for the whole conference.
(i.e. this is on top of the fees quoted above, to be paid on arrival at the Hotel or as agreed with the Hotel).

To book with the hotel you need to email them at info@hotelpappas.gr and state:

• Your name
• The name of the conference (‘European Focusing Conference’)
• Whether you wish to occupy a single/ double/ or triple room
• The number of people who will occupy the room
• The cost of the room for the 4 nights of the conference (as stated above) (you need to arrange fewer nights or additional nights directly with the hotel)

Then the Hotel will guide you through the rest of the booking process.

Important: Please do NOT use the Hotel website ‘contact form’ and do NOT press the ‘Book now!’ Button. These do not work and are not needed for the booking process. The Hotel Pappas website is www.hotelpappas.gr

(The ‘Early Bird’ rate and cancellation fees apply only to registration wich will be handled by the Hellenic Focusing Center. EFA and the Hellenic Focusing Center are not responsible for the hotel or its policies and procedures.)

This is a ‘not for profit’ conference and we have tried to keep costs as low as possible to make sure that it is an affordable and inclusive event.

Please visit the weblink: https://efa2018.weebly.com/register.html for more details regarding registrations.

For information about transportation from the Athens International Airport to the Hotel please follow the weblink: https://efa2018.weebly.com/venue.html

Call for Papers and Workshops

Many leading practitioners have already committed to be present at the conference, including Campbell Purton whose Person-Centred Therapy: The Focusing-Oriented Approach has recently been translated and published in Greek.

We are calling for presentations from participants to share our experiences, practices, hopes and ideas. We ask you to submit your abstract as soon as possible or by the end of 28 February 2018. Abstracts may be accepted up until the end of March 2018, if there is still room in the conference timetable.

For submissions, please visit the following weblink: https://efa2018.weebly.com/call-for.html

We hope to see you all in May!

Facets of ​Focusing

ORGANIZING TEAM
Local Committee
Patricia Foster (Greece/UK), Anna Karali (Greece)
Nikos Kypriotakis (Greece)
Dimitris Portokalis (Greece), Pavlos Zarogiannis (Greece)

European Committee
Hejo Feuerstein (Germany), Maria Emanuela Galanti (MEG) (Italy)
Judy Moore (UK), Edit Selmeczi (Hungary)

an EFA event

European Focusing Association (EFA)

First announcement

The First European Focusing Conference
Facets of Focusing

Thursday 10th May- Monday 14th May 2018

Loutraki, Greece

The European Focusing Association (EFA) is pleased to invite you to:

The First European Focusing Conference:
Facets of Focusing
Thursday 10th May- Monday 14th May 2018
Loutraki, Greece

This conference is an opportunity for us to celebrate the life of Eugene Gendlin,
to gather and reflect on the different facets of focusing, through workshops, lectures and interest groups.
We will also have plenty of space to enjoy being together in a more leisurely way.

The venue is a hotel in the beautiful seaside resort of Loutraki,
with a direct suburban rail link to Athens airport.
Single, double and triple rooms will be available.

Check this website again soon to be updated with further details.

Save the dates!

Visit The Hotel Website

Facets of ​Focusing…

ORGANIZING TEAM
Local Committee
Patricia Foster (Greece/UK), Anna Karali (Greece)
Nikos Kypriotakis (Greece)
Dimitris Portokalis (Greece), Pavlos Zarogiannis (Greece)

European Committee
Hejo Feuerstein (Germany), Maria Emanuela Galanti (MEG) (Italy)
Judy Moore (UK), Edit Selmeczi (Hungary)

an EFA event

European Focusing Association (EFA)

Dear EFA Friends,

We are happy to report that we had a very successful gathering of EFA members in Italy from 29 September- 1 October. Around twenty of us met in the beautiful monastic setting of Abano Terme, near Padua, and spent time together enjoying workshop presentations and forming interest groups around different topics as well as taking part in our General Assembly on the Sunday morning. For this we were joined by four Zoom participants who could also take part in the decision-making processes.

There was a real sense of energy and ‘new life’ at the General Assembly and all decisions were made according to a ‘card system’, introduced by Fiona Parr. A full account of what was discussed (and decided) at the General Assembly can be found in the report that has now been posted on the EFA website at https://legacy.efa-focusing.eu/efa-2017-annual-meeting-a-report/ It includes feedback from various interest groups that had met the previous day. These include a new ‘Focusing Teachers’ group’, a group on ‘Focusing for Social Action and Cultural Change’ and a ‘Focusing Oriented coaching group’. Discussions also took place about how to accredit programmes through EFA and other organisational issues were also raised and addressed.

But the most exciting news to come from the meeting is that there will be a European Focusing Conference in Greece next year!!! We look forward to more details of this event from our Greek colleagues, but we are very grateful for their commitment to carry the life of Focusing in Europe and EFA forward in this way.

We also invited new members to join the existing steering group and a new group has now been formed, encompassing members from Italy and Hungary as well as Belgium, Germany, Greece and the UK. We are sorry to lose Pavlos Zarogiannis from the steering group, but look forward to seeing him again next year in Greece.

And, finally, here is some feedback from some of the Abano participants:

‘It was so good to be in touch – again or first time – with so many focusing people from so many countries in Europe, to meet, to share, to exchange and to work together. The combination of interest groups, workshops and the assembly works well for me, as does the beautiful location with lovely people!’ (Ria van Hage, Netherlands)

‘My sense of my first EFA meeting, feeling solidly effervescent. It was a great pleasure to meet focusers from other countries and I left with a bubbling feeling that something is beginning to gel and form.’ (Pat Foster, Greece/UK)

‘For me it was a slow process of coming to experience the importance and relevance of what we were doing. But when we got to use the cards that Fiona had printed, wow! My first participated assembly that came smoothly to smooth conclusions was there in front of me and I in it !!!’ (Meg Galanti, Italy)

We’ll be in touch again with more news on the Greek conference and other developments.

Warm greetings from the Steering Group…

(Bruna Blandino, Caterina Carta, Meg Galanti)  (Italy)
(these three will be present at meetings on a rotating basis)
Hejo Feuerstein (Germany), Patricia Foster (Greece/UK)
Cornelius Gehrig (Germany/Switzerland), Nikos Kypriotakis (Greece)
Judy Moore (UK), Fiona Parr (UK),  Edit Selmeczi (Hungary)
Tine Swyngedouw (Belgium), Lucy Van Praag (Italy/UK)

Dear EFA members,

We are getting very close to our annual meeting and making plans for it to be as enjoyable and inclusive as possible.

If you are planning to offer a workshop in Abano can you please be prepared to take a few minutes to present an outline of your workshop to the larger group so that participants can make a choice about which workshop they would like to attend on Saturday afternoon?  We will be just over 20 participants in all so it may be that not all of the workshops will actually happen, but we hope you will be prepared to make your offering anyway.

For those of you who are not able to be present we are hoping to set up a Zoom link so that you can participate in the Sunday morning General Assembly.  For this you would need to set up Zoom on your computer and let us know your email address in advance so that you could be invited in to the meeting.

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in Abano, either in person or by Zoom.

It looks a wonderful venue and we hope to have an enjoyable time as well as make good plans for our EFA future.

All good wishes,

Fiona, Hejo, Judy, Meg, Nikos, Pavlos, Tine

Dear Friends,

Some of you have already made your booking for our gathering at Abano Terme, near Padua, for the nights of 29th and 30th September and we are delighted that you can join us. There are still rooms available for those who haven’t already booked. Details of how to make a booking at this stage are given below.

What do I do to book now?

We have now received enough bookings to have been able to make a deposit to the venue.
If you haven’t already booked and would like to join us, please write a short email to this address and let us know:

• your name
• whether you would like a single, double or triple room (please arrange your own share)

• whether you would like to stay any extra nights before or after Friday 29th and Saturday 30th September.
  If you would like to stay extra nights please let us know the dates and whether you want half-board (bed and breakfast and one other meal) or full board (all meals). It is likely that you will be charged more for meals than the agreed price of 10 Euros a meal, which is the cost per person for group buffet meals during the main gathering.

Your details will be passed on to the venue at Abano and you will not need to pay until you arrive there. The costs of accommodation are detailed below.

Prices for 2 nights’ accommodation (per person), plus dinner on Friday evening, 3 meals on Saturday and breakfast and lunch on Sunday are as follows:

• 128 Euros for a single room.
• 118 Euros for a shared double room.
• 112 Euros for a 3-4 person room.

An additional 1.5 Euros per day will be charged as tax and there will be a further charge for meeting room hire.

What if I’ve already booked and want to add extra nights?

Let us know by writing to this address and your request will be passed on to Albano Terme. You will not need to pay for the extra nights until you arrive at the venue.
Please let us know :

• your name
• which extra nights you want to book
• whether you need full board (all meals) or half-board (breakfast and one other meal only)

You will not need to pay for the extra nights until you arrive at the venue. It is likely that you will be charged more for meals than the agreed price of 10 Euros a meal, which is the cost per person for group buffet meals during the main gathering.

What if I’ve already booked extra nights?

You don’t need to do anything at this stage, but be prepared to pay a little more for meals than during the main group meeting.
If you didn’t let us know whether you want half-board (bed and breakfast and one other meal) or full-board (all meals) it would be helpful if you could add this information by sending a further email.

What will happen at the gathering?

There are many things to discuss as we work out where we are going and how we can operate most effectively as a loosely-formed (and still forming) organisation. We are still very much in the early stages of this project and we welcome your input – and offers of help – for how best to carry Focusing forward in Europe. Thoughts and offers for hosting a 2018 gathering – maybe a ‘summer school’, maybe even a ‘European Focusing Conference’ – would be particularly welcome!

We will meet as a whole group on the Friday evening and again on Saturday morning. After that there will be space for the formation of interest groups and for deeper discussion of specific topics.

There are also some wonderful workshop options for the Saturday afternoon of our gathering, which you can find on the ‘meetings’ section of the EFA website: https://legacy.efa-focusing.eu/meetings/

On Sunday morning, we hope to gather thoughts and ideas – including those arising from the interest groups – for how best to carry our Association forward into the future. The beginnings of a discussion around some of this can be found on the website at topic/annual-meeting-in-abano-terme-padua-2017/

Details of how to get to the venue are available on the website. If you have specific queries it might take a few days to get back to you. The putting-together of this small gathering involves collaboration between Germany, Greece, Italy, Belgium and the UK and this can lead to things taking more time than if we were a single organiser.

So, with apologies for any past and future delays in communication, we anticipate that all will come right in the end, and look forward very much to seeing as many of you as possible at Abano Terme.

Warm greetings,

Fiona, Hejo, Judy, Meg, Nikos, Pavlos, Tine

Dear EFA Member

Plans are moving ahead for our gathering at Abano Terme, near Padua in Italy on 29 September to 1 October. We are taking bookings and payments now, so please let us know if you want to come.
We expect the final plan for the weekend will emerge from the group when we arrive, sensing into what is wanted by the people who come.

Here is a provisional outline plan:

Friday afternoon – Arrivals and informal gathering and meeting, before supper.
After supper on Friday – meet as a whole group for attunement and connection.

Saturday morning – Meet as a whole group, and identify current topics for exploration and development.
Lunch 1pm
Saturday afternoon – Development of interest groups
Coffee break, then 2 x 1 and a half hour workshops, running concurrently.
Supper, then party time and relaxation.

Sunday morning – The general assembly, where we make decisions and carry forward action steps that can be developed during the next year.
1pm Lunch, then leave.

We will be a multi-lingual group. We want to include non-English speakers, and we want to get to know our Italian colleagues and friends. It will be important to slow down, and make time for translations. We have seen how valuable this can be, when at the conference at Cambridge, and at other international gatherings. It emphasises the Focusing way of really listening, and making sure that everyone feels heard and understood.

Workshops that have been offered so far include:

Focusing as a Life Skill – Eirini Davleri and Patricia Foster
Symbols that keep us together – MEG (Maria Emanuela Galanti)
Focusing-oriented coaching – Aukje Strandstra
Focusing to make sound choices in decision-making – Hejo Feuerstein

Interest group – How can Focusing translate into social action in Europe?
Interest group – How can we develop our own European certification without losing our diversity and richness?
Interest group – Discussing our resposes to the ILC proposal on certification

There is more information on the EFA web site about workshops and interest groups that are forming. What happens is very much dependant on who comes, and we will create this weekend together. Recent newsletters also give you an update on how plans are progressing.

This page also has information on how to get to the venue at Abano Terme.

Here is a reminder of the cost of the venue:

(Costs include all meals, including dinner on Friday evening and lunch on Sunday),
and is non-refundable.

131 Euros for a single room.
121 Euros per person for a double room. (Please let Meg know if you want a double bed, or twin beds)
115 Euros per person for a triple room. (Please arrange your own share)

We will divide the cost of the meeting rooms between us when we get there.

We look forward to our meeting at the end of September.

Please let us know if you are coming, and we will let you know how to pay.

Kind regards

Fiona, Meg, Tine, Judy, Hejo, Pavlos and Nikos

Dear Friend,

We are writing to give more detail of the first ever Annual European Focusing Association (EFA) Meeting, which will take place near Padua in Italy from 29^th September to 1 October 2017.

Why are we having this meeting?

EFA is a European network for Focusers, Focusing professionals and Focusing practitioners, who wish to develop Focusing through collaboration, openness and mutual support. We are now ready to carry forward the development of this Association and hope you will be able to join us.

What’s good about it and what’s in it for you?

This is an opportunity to gather, to meet old friends and new, to network and connect, and most importantly to collaborate in developing Focusing in Europe.

You are invited to offer a workshop and to take part in other people’s offerings. You could also think about how collaborating with others could enhance and develop your own work with Focusing. We hope this weekend will be a springboard for new initiatives for Focusing in Europe.

Our aim is that the meeting should facilitate the formation of project groups that can be continued through web meetings. We hope that specific interest groups will organize events throughout the year to demonstrate and develop new directions in Focusing.

If you already know what kind of project group you would like, please write us and we will reserve some time and space for you during the meeting.

Here is more information.

If you want to come, you can register your interest here.

We hope to see you in Italy!

Warm good wishes,

Fiona, Hejo, Judy, Meg, Nikos, Pavlos, Tine

Death of Gene Gendlin

Gene Gendlin died aged 90 on 1 May at his home in New York.  A memorial website has been created by The International Focusing Institute where you can read more about Gene’s life and some of the many tributes to his contribution to the world of philosophy and psychotherapy. See https://www.eugenegendlin.com/

The 2017 EFA Annual Meeting

The 2017 EFA Annual Meeting is where we really want to take EFA forward. This is your chance to ask yourself – and let us know- what you want to see happening in terms of Focusing in Europe.

Please join us if you can.  The meeting will take place from Friday 29 September- Sunday I October.

The venue is a beautiful religious house of hospitality near Padua in Italy.  For more details of the venue see http://www.termesalesiani.it/sanmarco/listino.html

What form will the meeting take?

Arrival will be in the afternoon of Friday 29 September.  The meeting starts with an evening meal and there will be a whole group meeting after the meal. There is space for an informal gathering before the evening meal for those who arrive earlier.

We plan to have some time on Saturday as a whole group and also to allow time for workshops and for the formation of task and interest groups to carry the work of EFA forward.  It is proposed that the EFA Annual General Assembly take place on the morning of Sunday 1 October.

Topics for task/ interest groups to date are:

• How can Focusing translate into social action in Europe?
• Focusing-oriented coaching.
• The formation of our own European university/ academic institution
• European certification of training programmes

Please let us know if you would be interested in offering a workshop.

What are the costs of attending?

Prices for 2 nights accommodation, plus dinner on Friday evening, 3 meals on Saturday and breakfast and lunch on Sunday are as follows:

• 128 Euros for a single room
• 118 Euros for a shared double room (Please arrange your own share)
• 112 Euros for a 3-4 person room. (Please arrange your own share)

An additional 1.5 Euros per day will be charged as tax and there will be a further charge for meeting room hire.  The cost of the room we would like to use is 100 Euros a day.  The cost will be divided among participants and the total amount required from each participant will depend on numbers present.

How do I register interest in the Padua gathering?

Booking details for the 2017 meeting will shortly be released, but, to give us some idea of numbers, please first register your interest on the following Google form at

http://bit.ly/2rLEQYH

We hope to see you in Italy!

And, if you are not able to attend in person, please let us know of any topics you would like to raise.

Warm greetings,

Fiona, Hejο, Judy, Nikos, Pavlos, Tine, Meg

We realise that there has been some confusion about whether or not the people who receive this newsletter also need to register membership on the EFA website.  We know that by signing up in Cambridge that you did, in effect, register to be a member of the European Focusing Association, but we would also like to encourage you to sign up to the website as we aim for it to become a forum for Europe-wide ‘networking’ and the sharing of information.

We have had to make some changes to the ‘process’ of registering to the website because of some ‘spam’ registrations that we have received and details of how to register and post on the website are given below.

What is the point of registering to the EFA Website?

By registering to the website you open up several possibilities:

• You can advertise your work (individual work or workshops) to a wider (European-wide) group of participants. (There are already examples of such postings on the website.)
• You can learn more about training and events that are happening elsewhere in Europe.
• You can start a discussion forum for areas of particular interest (you will see, for example, that a ‘coaching’ group has begun to form and will shortly meet in Amsterdam).
• You can form or join ‘task groups’.
• You can ask questions.

How do I register on the EFA Website?

1. Send an email to our Web administrator Nikos Kypriotakis (efa@legacy.efa-focusing.eu) and tell him that you wish to register yourself on the Website.
2. Nikos will then send you a password that you can use to access the website for the first time (you can then change the password to one that you will easily remember).
3. You then go to the website (https://legacy.efa-focusing.eu/) and in the top left-hand corner you will see an option either to ‘Log in’ or ‘Register’.
4. Once you have registered (or logged in) your name (and profile picture once you’ve added one) will come up in the top-right hand corner with the message ‘Howdy [your name]’.
5. Click on ‘Howdy [your name]’ and a number of options will come up, including ‘Edit my profile’ where you can set up your profile through a number of easy steps. There is an option to add a link to your own website if you wish to do this.

How do I post a general message on the EFA website?

1. Go to your ‘Profile’ and click on your picture (or the space for a picture) and a message will come up saying ‘What’s new [your name]?’
2. Write your message and send.

How do I post an individual message on the EFA website?

1. Go to the Dropdown box that appears when you click ‘Howdy [your name]’ and click on ‘Messages’.
2. Another Dropdown box will appear with the option ‘Compose’.
3. Write your message and send.

We are in the process of composing some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for the Website, but we thought these instructions might be helpful to get you started.  It takes a bit of time to get used to the Website, but it is actually very simple once you get used to it!

We are delighted to have been joined on the Steering Group by

• Nikos Kypriotakis from Greece, a Physics teacher who loves Gendlin’s philosophy, Focusing, TAE and is in charge of the Website and the EFA Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/FocusingEurope), and
• Tine Swyngedouw, who is a Focusing trainer, FOT psychotherapist and Certifying Coordinator from Belgium, and who is in charge of the European Coordinators Conference Calls.

We will send out another Newsletter with further details of the website and the possibility of a 2017 meeting, but, in the meantime, we hope to see you on the Website!

With our warm good wishes,

Fiona, Hejo, Judy, Pavlos, Nikos, Tine

Dear Friends,

We are pleased to be able to send details of the EFA website, which has now gone ‘live’ and can be accessed at https://legacy.efa-focusing.eu. We also want to invite offers to organize an EFA autumn gathering.

The Website

If you follow the link https://legacy.efa-focusing.eu you will come immediately to the EFA webpage and a double arrow will appear in the middle of the screen. Click on this arrow and you will then find instructions for how to ‘Register’.

The website has a copy of the Vision Statement that was presented in Cambridge and outlines the principles that were agreed at the meeting there. We ask that anyone who registers agree in principle with this Vision Statement. At present we have a Swedish, Greek and German translation of the Vision Statement and invite translations into other European languages. At this stage we are sending this communication only to those of you who were in Cambridge and indicated that you would like to join the Association, but in due course we would like to open the website to Focusers throughout Europe.

The aim of the website is to offer a forum where European Focusers can present their work, advertise Focusing events and network to foster collaboration and within and across the boundaries of the countries of Europe.

This website and membership of EFA is entirely free of charge and we are very grateful for the generosity of those who have made this possible. We particularly appreciate the work of Gilbert Seilheimer and Nikos Kypriotakis who have collaborated to put the website together.

The website is very easy to use: it has a ‘public area’ and also ‘members only’ sections where EFA members can read colleagues’ profiles and communicate privately. It is here that we hope members will form discussion groups on topics of common interest and collaborate on projects.

Volunteers to Organize an EFA meeting?

One project that we hope participants will want to be involved in is the organization of a 2017 EFA gathering. At present this is tentatively planned for the weekend of 29th September, but other dates would also be possible. It would be good to get together to meet in person. Such meetings have taken place since 2010 in Pforzheim, Germany and in large and small venues around Europe- Paris, London, Liège, Madrid, Emmetten in Switzerland, Athens, Tübingen in Germany and Cambridge.

Because membership of EFA is free and we, the Steering Group, are merely the ‘volunteers’ who have agreed to carry things forward in the short term, we now want to ‘open’ EFA to all our members, to share the options and also the difficulties that we face so that we can work together to find creative solutions.

We look forward to hearing from you, either through the website or via email.

Warm regards,

Fiona
Hejo
Judy
Pavlos