Saturday, May 27, 2017
An Online Class Facilitated by Jim Iberg
Part of The Focusing Highlights Series
As Gene Gendlin said decades ago, Focusing does not belong to the therapist but “you find it inside you and then it’s yours.” Over his 44 years of listening to people in psychotherapy, Jim has observed that when Focusing happens, it always seems to help, relieve, and inspire the person talking. But how can the listener promote Focusing without sacrificing empathy, and also allow the Focuser to own their process?
In this webinar, Jim describes an idealized Focusing process, and then describes ten things that happen in talk therapy that vary around that idealized process. Some of these “process events” represent opportunities to support Focusing that is happening. Others represent opportunities to gently invite Focusing when it is not yet happening, such as when the client's inner critic is reacting.
Bio:
Jim Iberg, PhD, MBA learned Focusing at the original Chicago Changes Group in the early 1970s. Shortly after, he transferred from studying business to psychology to work with Eugene Gendlin. His doctoral dissertation looked at teaching Focusing to business students who were anxious about job interviews. Since becoming a licensed psychologist, he has taught Focusing in Europe, the US, and Japan. Jim recently ended his term as a board member of The International Focusing Institute and is a certifying coordinator. Most of his time is spent as a psychotherapist in the Chicago area, using Focusing and Empathic Listening as the central tools. You can find more information and contact details at www.empathywork.com.