Header ©Jonny Girs/Unsplash

Bio

© Gabriel Holom, press photo

Background In Design

Freda's academic training started with a preliminary internship in design crafts to get enrolled in Design Techniques, a pilot program for vocational teachers at the University of Duisburg-Essen GER

Her major coursework and work as student assistant was with sculptor and Folkwang teacher Prof. Franz Rudolf Knubel (research area Sensual Design)

Freda was a participating artist at the International Stone Sculptur Symposium Kaiserslautern (1982) when her career took a turn. Inspired by art burt, she took up studies in Human Sciences as requirement for a university program in art therapy

Clinical Training and Career

Freda teaches helping professionals (psychosocial, educational, pastoral, therapeutic) at communial and national training centers online and in presence. Her teachings on Therapeutic Arts in Focusing are embedded in the pluralistic-humanistic approach

She also presents her approaches of Expressive Arts Focusing ExAF and Creative Compassion Practice CCP at national and international conferences, offering experiential workshop settings

 

Freda holds two Pre-Bologna graduations from the Free University of Berlin (Clinical Psychology BA, MA 1992) and the Eberhard Karls University Tübingen (Adult Education MA 2010).

In her second thesis 'The Significance of Corporality for Educational Processes with Special Consideration of Focusing as Method' she pioneered by crossing educational salutogenesis and embodiment with experiential First Person Science

Freda enrolled in the Scientific Program in Art Therapy of the Catholic University of Freiburg and graduated as Art Therapist (Diploma of Advanced Studies 2022). Her thesis 'The Experiential Third: Focusing Concepts for Art Therapy' was again an academic pioneering work

 

Freda passed a postgraduate seven-year-program in person-centered training, undergoing two certification procedures at the Person-Centered Institute AGB Berlin (depth-oriented, 1998) and the Person-Centered Institute IGB Stuttgart (behavioral-oriented, 2004). The program was performed by 18 clinical teachers including Prof. Reinhard Tausch, founder of the German Person-centered Psychotherapy approach

From 1994 - 2002 she was trained in Focusing by 14 German and Swiss Focusing pioners and practitioners. Her long-term Focusing training was backed up by two prior basic trainings in body-psychotherapy (Biosynthesis with David Boadella, Biodynamic with Gerda Boyesen) along with continous practice of Sensual Awareness (Gindler-Goralewski)

 

After years of working in publich health care institutions (1989 -1996), Freda took her professional expertise to teaching (1994) and to private practice (1996). In 2016 she founded the Tübingen FOCUSZ Center for Focusing and Therapeutic Arts, from 2022 on: FOCUSZART The Focusing Studio

From 2022 - 2024 Freda was guest lecturer for Focusing and the Expressive Arts at the Department of Clinical Curative Education of the Catholic University Freiburg

Expertise In Focusing

Freda started her career as a Focuser in 1994. In 2004 she certified as FN Focusing Teacher being FN co-teacher and member of the FN leading team since 2001

In 2013 Freda certified as Certifying Coordinator of The International Focusing Institute TIFI, in 2020 she certified as TIFI Focusing Oriented Therapist

To complete her FN training, Freda took classes in Integrative Focusing with René Maas (1997), Wholebody Heartfelt Conversation (Kevin McEvenue) with Katrijn van Look and Lara Peumans (2015), Dynamic Expressive Focusing/Being Seriouosly Playful with René Veugelers (2019) and Focusing-Oriented Relational Psychotherapy with Lynn Preston (2023)

Additional training programs in Existential Wellbeing Counseling with Prof. Mia Leijssen (2016), Focusing with the Whole Body with Astrid Schillings (2016-2017), and Focusing Oriented Expressive Arts FOAT® with Dr. Laury Rappaport (2017-2020) took Freda's Focusing teachings to new levels

Expertise In Therapeutic Arts

International conferences and programs in Therapeutic Arts Continuing Education guarantee excellency of Freda's professional skills as art therapist and creative arts educator

Standing on Many Shoulders

Being an expert in her field, Freda is standing on many shoulders

Ani de La Prida (UK), Freda's teacher in Person-Centred Creative Arts, who role-modeled the therapeutic use of the arts in most creative ways

Laury Rappaport PhD (US), Freda's teacher and supervisor for Focusing Oriented Expressive Arts FOAT® who introduced her to the Expressive Arts and supported Freda to develop her approach of Expressive Arts Focusing ExAF

René Veugelers (NL) who introduced Freda to Dynamic Expressive Focusing and role-modeled how authentic placfulness makes all the differences

Astrid Schilllings (GER), Freda's teacher of Focusing with the Whole Body who role-modeled how to open up opportunities for experiencing the body as most safe place

Prof. Mia Leijssen (BEL) who's programm of Existenial Wellbeing Counseling shifted Freda's psychotherapeutic framework towards the existential approach 

Christiane Geiser (CH), Co-Founder of the Institut GFK (Person-centered Psychotherapy, Body Therapy, Focusing) and Freda's teacher, supervisor and mentor for Focusing Plus who taught Freda to be super precise in theory and practice and role-modeled how to work with stoppages and structure-boundness

Uli Schlünder (GER), Jules Zwimpfer (CH), René Maas (NL) and Lore Korbei (AT) who role-modeled the diversity of intermodal Focusing in work and life

Gabriele Hasler (GER), artist and art therapist, who pushed Freda to suscribe for an academic art therapy program that was life changing

William Winkfield (US), artist and photographer based in Mérida/Mexico, who encouraged Freda to start with arts again after decades of clinical work

FIND YOUR ARTIST VOICE. MAKE ART YOUR WAY