Children & Focusing Roundtable Series - Love and Boundaries – Keeping Children Engaged

Tuesday, March 14, 2023  2:00-4:00 pm EDT (New York - US)

8:00-10:00 pm Central European Time

Times worldwide: convert to your time zone

In this Roundtable, we will explore the boundaries that may be useful to safely explore Focusing/BioSpiritual Focusing in group/school settings with children of different ages. 

We will explore how we can respond creatively to meet children where they are – and not where we THINK they should be.

And we will consider the importance of active/experiential engagement in sharing the gift of Focusing with children.

We invite people who have some experience to join us in sharing their practice and how we can allow and meet children where they are, in safe and creative ways. You are also invited to join us if you are interested in working with groups of children but have not taken your Focusing in this direction yet.

Who might be particularly interested in attending this Roundtable?

Anyone working with or wanting to work with children in groups/schools setting of all ages. People hoping to connect with individuals working with a certain age group. Also, anyone looking to explore loving boundaries with an individual child.

CONNECTION>CONVERSATION>COMMUNITY

What to expect from Focusing Roundtables: Each Focusing Roundtable is designed to promote informal peer-to-peer conversation. Rather than acting as expert presenters, the Hosts will serve as conversation moderators to encourage sharing and exploration of the topics from the participants’ own perspectives.  All participants’ sharings are welcome and valuable, no matter what level of experience or knowledge you have on the topic. To preserve the nature of informal conversation, the program will be offered live only and no recordings will be available. Registration is limited and on a first-come, first served basis. Participants are encouraged to create follow up opportunities for connection among themselves after the Roundtable.

The TIFI Membership Committee is pleased to offer this series of Focusing Roundtables designed especially for members of the Institute. If you are not a member, please join at http://www.focusing.org/membership, then return to this page to register. This program will afford members a valuable opportunity to engage in casual peer-to-peer conversation with other members who share Focusing-related interests.

Hosts and Children Advisory Members

John Keane has over 25 years’ experience in practicing and teaching Focusing. John first discovered Focusing while recovering from a chronic illness that left him hospitalised for six months. Focusing had such an impact on his life that he changed career from working in the Health Insurance Industry, to studying the philosophy and practice of the Focusing Process. John took a BA in Philosophy in the Jesuit University, Milltown Park, in Dublin. He also obtained his certification as a Focusing Professional through the Focusing Institute in New York at that time. Inspired by the work of BioSpiritual Focusing, he obtained a master’s degree in Philosophy for his study on the correlations between BioSpiritual Focusing and Narrative.

John travelled to California in 2008 to work and study with Fr Edwin McMahon and Fr Peter Campbell the founders of the BioSpiritual Institute. John has taught BioSpiritual Focusing in a wide variety of settings, including Universities, retreat centres, parishes, schools, and has presented at a number of international conferences.

John is passionate about sharing the gifts of BioSpiritual Focusing with children. He is also actively involved in the design and presentation of online BioSpiritual education programs. John is the International Director of the BioSpiritual Institute.

Laura Bavalics is an early childhood educator, play mentor, and drama teacher. She is a Certified Focusing Professional and a Focusing-oriented educator, who has been working with young children, parents, and professionals for over twenty-five years. She is a professional director of the Pendula inclusive kindergarten program for children in foster care and with special needs at the Világszép Foundation in Hungary. She is also teaching at ELTE University, Hungary, in their College of Education. Laura is a member of the International Leadership Council and the Children's Focusing Advisory Board.

René Veugelers is a Coordinator specializing in Children’s Focusing, with an emphasis on the non-verbal world. René teaches parents, therapists, teachers and others how to be with children in a Focusing way, how to (re)connect to their own inner child experiences and how to integrate creativity and flexibility into their life and work. His work and experiences as a psychiatric nurse and as an art therapist with children, of any age, embraces an expanded richness of creative elements and supports a natural unfolding of creative process. René lives and works in the Netherlands, where he teaches Children Focusing and specializes in working with children with ADHD, ADD, trauma and attachment disorder.

Harriet Teeuw Focusing Coordinator and Art Therapist, working in her own practice with children and adults in The Netherlands. Teaching “Dynamic Expressive Focusing” and Focusing International Online (Dream) Workshops and Certification Program for Focusing Practitioners: https://www.childrenfocusing.org/www.deruimte-info.nl  [email protected]