ANNUAL REPORT 2024
All information in this report covers January 1 – December 31, 2024
| MEMBERSHIP & PARTICIPATION |
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MEMBERSHIP
We have 2,465 members (an increase of 6% over 2023)
- 1,126 Certified Focusing Professionals (including Trainers and FOTs)
- 238 Coordinators
- 69 Coordinators-in-Training
- 540 Trainees (up 20%)
- 525 affiliate members
- 6 honorary members
Members come from 72 countries: Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China (mainland), China (Hong Kong), Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam
PARTICIPATION IN EVENTS (classes, conferences, membership gatherings)
- Total number of registrations in all online events: 4,739
- 1,574 unique individuals (the average person took part in about 3 events)
- 77 as volunteer event organizers
- 294 as presenters
- 106 as volunteers managing Zoom and other tech
- 425 individuals participating were new to TIFI
CERTIFICATIONS AND AWARDS in 2024:
- New Coordinators: 11 (see more about them below)
- New Coordinators-in-Training (CiTs): 31
- New certifications: 203
- New Proficiency in Focusing Partnership: 86
EQUITY IN MEMBERSHIP: New membership rates were implemented in January 2023 in our “Equity in Membership” initiative. In 2024, 18% of those certified were able to pay lower certification fees because of the existence of 3 new levels, tied to the average income in their countries.
| COORDINATORS |
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A listing of all our Coordinators can be found by going to Find a Focusing Professional on our website and choosing "Coordinator (Can certify through the Institute)"
We welcomed 11 new Coordinators in 2024. You can read about each of them on the Milestones page of the website (https://focusing.org/more/milestones). They hail from 9 countries: Canada (2), China (1), China-Hong Kong (2), Germany (1), Greece (1), Netherlands (1), Poland (1), Russia (1), UK/Palestine (1)
NEW COORDINATORS:
TOP ROW (L-R): Dr. Mohamed Altawil (UK/Palestine), Dr. Chuen Yih Amos Cheung (Hong Kong), Annette Dubreuil (Canada), Mei Hong (China)
SECOND ROW (L-R): Michele Jodoin (Canada), Joanna Kaczmarek (Poland), Nikolaos Kypriotakis (Greece)
THIRD ROW (L-R): Regina Margarete Jürgens (Germany), Yuen-ling Sandy Ng (Hong Kong), Maria Vetluzhskih (Russia), Esther Wijs (Netherlands)
| MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS & MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES |
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Members-Only section of the website – We maintain a Members-Only area of the website to find information about benefits that members might not be aware of. To access the page, the member must be signed in.
Membership Committee: The Membership Committee meets monthly to discuss ways to serve our members. Mariana Písula of Argentina continued as Chair in 2024. Members of the committee are from Spain, Ireland, Germany, the United States, Romania and Palestine (Gaza). See their web page here.
Focusing Partnership Network & TAE Partnership Network
- Read about Focusing Partnership and the Focusing Partnership Network HERE
- The number of people in the Focusing Partnership Network - 826
- Read about TAE Proficiency Award and the TAE Partnership Network HERE
- The number of people in the TAE Partnership Network – 11
TAE Proficiency Award allows those who have it to join our TAE Partnership Network. So far, we have a total of 14 individuals from 8 countries who have received the TAE Proficiency Award from our TAE Teachers who are eligible to offer the awards (those teachers are listed on the website at focusing.org/tae/award): Australia (1), Belgium (1), Canada (3), France (2), Hong Kong (1), Italy (1), Portugal (1), United States (4)
Pop-Up Focusing
The Focusing Partnership Network is open to all members of TIFI who are either certified or have the Proficiency in Focusing Partnership award. It is a list of people who are open to finding new Focusing partners. The Membership Committee started a new offering: “Pop-Up Focusing Partnerships” as a way to allow those in the Network to engage with one another in a fun way. The first event was a big success – we had 79 registrants for two lively events. This first one was open to all members with the PFP or certification, though future ones will be open only to those members who have opted into the Network.
Roundtables: There were 13 Roundtables (free online conversations for members) which were part of a Roundtable Series: Oceania, French, Therapists’, and Children & Focusing and some “ one-off” roundtables on a variety of topics.
Mesas Redondas & Cafecitos: These are Spanish language gatherings for members, led by Alejandro Juroczko, Lucia Águilar and Flor Sassoli and Jimena Camón, all from Argentina. There were 10 Mesas Redondas and 2 Cafecitos in 2024.
Reading Freshly: This new member benefit continued throughout 2024. It offers a chance to read Gendlin’s seminal book, Focusing, together with others, slowly and in a Focusing way.
Welcome Conversations: Any member is free to request a “Welcome conversation” with a member of the Membership Committee. This is a chance to ask about the meaning of membership, the benefits, and perhaps to get guidance on how to upload and event or information to one’s professional profile on focusing.org. There were 6 of these Welcome Conversations in 2024.
WEBSITE VIEWS
From January 1 to Dec 31, 2024, our website (focusing.org) received a total of 576,479 views. The total number of views of all Events listings was 76,834. We are delighted with the number of views on the Events page (focusing.org/events) because this is a significant way for our members who are certified to advertise their courses and events.
VOLUNTEERS
We are grateful for the incredible generosity of our community in offering themselves as volunteers to serve in many capacities. Please see the Volunteer list which was published in our News Feed on January 8, 2025 thanking all those who helped make our many programs happen in 2024.
| GATHERINGS, CLASSES, CONFERENCES |
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GATHERINGS & CLASSES – focusing.org/events
We offered many classes and conferences in 2024, including the following:
Academia de Focusing - this was the first Focusing Academy to take place all in Spanish
Focusing Academy
TAE Academy
Experiencing Gendlin's Quotes
A Process Model Reading Group
Social-Oriented Focusing - this is an example of one of our Coordinators offering a course through TIFI to both support us and also to spread knowledge of her own work. TIFI recently offered a short information session to encourage others to do the same.
The Children & Focusing Conference "Less is More" - read about it in a News Feed from February 5, 2025
Highlights - We offered 13 Focusing Highlights along with 9 other online courses. Thank you to all our volunteer presenters! A full list of our presenters and the Zoom support team who make the classes happen can be found HERE.
Weeklong for Advanced Focusers: We had our third hybrid Weeklong, in Connecticut and online.
HONORING MILESTONES
In our 2024 Honoring Milestones ceremony, the following pioneers and elders were honored:
- Mary Hendricks Gendlin (tribute given by Doralee Grindler Katonah)
- Bebe Simon (tribute given by Len Grossman)
- Reva Bernstein (tribute given by Doralee Grindler Katonah)
- Janet Klein (tribute given by Mary McGuire)
Read about each of them in our Focusing Heritage Gallery
The Focusing Heritage Gallery
https://focusing.org/more/heritage-gallery
TIFI is commmitted to remembering and appreciating those who have been pioneers and elders in the Focusing community, and those who have significantly carried forward Focusing, Thinking at the Edge and the philosophy of the implicit. For that reason, in 2022, we began a new tradition of an online Honoring Milestones ceremony. In 2024, we also developed the Heritage Gallery as a place to remember them in a more permanent way. We are grateful for so many wonderful people who have gone before us and have made this a world more filled with Focusing.
FUNDRAISING – focusing.org/donate
We are deeply grateful to all those who made donations in 2024. A list of all donors appeared in our thank you News Feed of January 29, 2025. Donations ranged from a few dollars to $50,000. Each one adds up to make our work possible. Memberships and program fees do not cover all of our costs, so we depend on your generosity. Thank you!
| THE EUGENE T. GENDLIN CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN EXPERIENTIAL PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY |
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New logo for the Gendlin Center
The Eugene T. Gendlin Center for Research in Experiential Philosophy and Psychology unveiled a new look, featuring a photo taken of Gendlin by his son, Gerry.
Academic Survey
All those teaching Gendlin in university settings have been invited to let us know about themselves and their work. Anyone who teaches Gendlin in a university or is a researcher at a university has been asked to fill out a survey. Results will be posted on GendlinCenter.org.
Gendlin’s Approach to Words and Meaning Invites Creativity - A conversation about the meaning and significance of Gendlin's article "The significance of felt meaning." This was a 90-minute presentation and conversation by members of the Gendlin Center.
Gendlin Grant for Research in Psychology
In late 2024, the 4 Gendlin Grant for Research in Psychology was awarded to Marisa Hoslet of Belgium for her research project “A Mixed Methods Approach to Enhancing Student Well-being: Exploring Focusing, Mindfulness and Fear of Failure Training.” Watch for a full announcement soon.
MEMBERS:
Akira Ikemi (Chair), Kevin Krycka, Mary Jeanne Larrabee, Donata Schoeller, Sigríður Þorgeirsdóttir, Siebrecht Vanhooren, Evelyn Fendler-Lee (board liaison)
| The TIFI BOARD |
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As 2023 ended, the members of the Board were:
Nelle Moffett (President, USA)
Bill Gayner (Vice President, Canada)
Darryl Commings (Treasurer)
Evelyn Fendler-Lee (USA/Germany)
Florentina Sassoli (Argentina)
Eveline Moor Züllig (Switzerland)
Tom Larkin (Ireland)
The Board meets monthly to receive reports on the ongoing work on TIFI, to think strategically about the present and future of Focusing, and to ensure that the Institute is functioning ethically, legally, and carrying forward its mission.
All members of the Board are experienced in Focusing. Some are certified by TIFI and others are Coordinators. All are committed to the mission.
The Board invites new Coordinators to the beginning of its meetings in order to thank and congratulate them.
The Board made a substantial investment in Gene Gendlin's intellectual property in 2024 by committing $20,000 to secure the services of a consultant to help Executive Director, Catherine Torpey, to sort through a number of lingering legal issues that needed clarification, in order for TIFI to facilitate the translation and greater dissemination of Gendlin's writings. By the end of the year, most of the issues have been resolved thanks to the work of the consultant. The Board now has a much clearer picture of the status of the rights of Gendlin's works. A few issues remain, and the consultant has helped us to secure pro bono legal support for those.
In 2024, an ongoing project was a revision of the Goals of The International Focusing Institute. The existing Mission Statement and Goals for TIFI were developed by the Board along with the International Leadership Council, with input from Coordinators and other members. The Mission and Goals can be found at focusing.org/mission. The revision made by the Board is currently being shared with
News Feed updates from the Board and its monthly minutes and other information is available at focusing.org/board.
| The INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP COUNCIL (ILC) |
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In 2024 the members of the ILC were:
Laura Bavalic (Hungary), Massimo Zarghetta (Italy), Guilherme Tostes (Brazil), Nancy Falls (Canada).
After serving seven years, Claude Missiaen’s term on the ILC ended. There was a lovely News Feed interview with him upon his departure.
The ILC's main work in 2024 was to take up the request made by a number of Coordinators to create a new certification and new level of membership for those who learn Focusing and want certification, but do not wish to become Trainers. The ILC worked closely with the Executive Director, Catherine Torpey, and they also had a number of consultations with all Coordinators worldwide. The goal was to go slowly enough to felt sense into the best way forward. As of the end of 2024, they were coming very close to finalizing the new certification. More details will come in 2025.
The ILC has committed to holding online meetings twice a year with Coordinators. Some of those meetings are for the purpose of discussing matters such as certification, but the intention is also to meet even when there are not specific issues to discuss. This is to allow Coordinators to have a chance to get together for the purpose of knowing one another and sharing thoughts and ideas, and perhaps even having a chance to focus together.
| FINANCES |
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Although 2024 was full successful in many ways, unfortunately we had a substantial deficit at the end of the year. Our income from memberships was exactly as budgeted, and donations were only slightly below budget, but it was our income from classes and conferences which fell substantially short of what we had budgeted. This was due to two factors: a somewhat lower capacity of members in 2024 to spend time as volunteers to organize conferences during the year; and an apparent change in how much money people can (or want to) pay to attend. We will work in 2025 to adjust the way we offer programs in order to increase income from this part of our revenues. In the meantime, it makes us even more grateful for donations which allow us to weather these vicissitudes.
