First, thank you to TIFI for the privilege of attempting to pay tribute to Lucy Rietveld Bowers. Lucy contributed so much to our global Focusing community, and to each and every one she met. How can anyone possibly do justice to her?
Lucy and I met in the Focusing Institute Summer School (FISS) of 2010. We only spent a little time together, but had several conversations thereafter, which I remember as always deep and meaningful. Lucy is known to so many people through her teaching, her writing, her innovations, her love of all things Focusing, and most of all her joyful spirit. <READ MORE>
"... the most wonderful part of Bala was her generous Focusing approach..."
Bala Jaison died on March 7, 2023 after a lifetime devoted to championing Focusing by teaching, writing, editing, and helping others in her Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy practice.
In the 1980s, she had started a small newsletter with a few articles written by her colleagues who were exploring a fascinating philosophy proposed by Eugene Gendlin. She typed, mimeographed, stapled, and offered the few pages to the young Focusing community in Chicago
Beatrice Blake: Hello Veronica, I’ve been looking forward to this interview about your new position on The International Focusing Institute Board. I always start by asking, how did you come to Focusing?
Veronica Toescu: I trained as a Humanistic Person-Centered psychotherapist. There was a very brief mention of Gendlin as part of the training, which I was really, really curious about. When I finished my training, I attended an introductory workshop as part of a continuous professional development workshop. It just completely made sense…completely made sense! I came across Gendlin’s Focusing book, then a year later after I finished my Master's, the London Focusing Institute was starting a new course led by Greg Madison in Focusing Oriented Therapy. It felt like I had come to the right place at the right time, and I enrolled. (READ FULL INTERVIEW)
