THE FOCUSZART SCHOOL (FZA)
Renewal And Repair Through Felt Sense-Based Arts
The FOCUSZART School (FZA) offers national and international training programs in Focusing-Oriented Creative Arts Engagement and Therapy (FOCAET). Our on-site training programs and workshop sessions are held throughout Europe
Our training programs focus on two key areas: integrating culture-sensitive museum art and Felt Sense-Based Studio Art in Focusing settings, as well as teaching the art of Focusing itself
Training in Focusing-Oriented Creative Arts Engagement and Therapy (FOCEAT)
Receiving training in Focusing-Oriented Creative Arts Engagement and Therapy (FOCAET) will provide you with a rich set of tools that will enable you to work with diverse populations in both clinical and non-clinical settings
Body-Focused Interactions
Focusing-Oriented Creative Arts Engagement and Therapy (FOCAET) enables clients to engage with culture-sensitive museum art through art-related, body-focused interactions guided by the principles of the Person-Centered and Experiential Approach
Evidence-Based Effects
Engaging with museum art is one of the most user-friendly options in the field of Arts and Health. Based on evidence-based studies examining the effects of museum art on well-being, FOCAET complements evidence-based Focusing-Oriented Therapies
Receptive-Expressive Arts
The FOCAET approach uses cyclic processing, following the FOCAET paradigm of engagement, expression, and exploration. It primarily uses the Receptive-Expressive Arts Focusing (REAF) program for this
Trauma-Informative Tools
The FOCAET practice is trauma-informative because it allows individuals to explore their inner landscapes without verbally expressing or artistically depicting traumatic experiences. Art from museums serves as a holding container
Art-making is a fresh forming. It's a dialogue that allows for becoming
Freda Blob
Benefits of Focusing-Oriented Creative Arts Engagement and Therapy (FOCAET)
Our training programs provide an opportunity to learn various European Focusing styles and Felt Sense-Based Art practices from the perspective of the Focusing-Oriented Creative Arts Engagement and Therapy (FOCAET) approach
Releasing Life Energy
Clients often experience inner stoppages. In addition to Focusing, imaginary spaces and art-related experiences may be beneficial for them. This is especially true when they feel stuck due to structure-bound experiencing
Sensory-Based Processing
Clients can find real-life solutions through unexpected and unpredictable experiences that are effective, sensory-based and playful. Felt Sense-Based Arts are known to facilitate such experiences
Safe Ways of Emotional Expression
FOCAET practices will enable you to help your clients and participants express their feelings in safe ways. The Focusing-Oriented Creative Arts Engagement and Therapy (FOCAET) approach may be especially beneficial for clients who feel stuck in traditional talk therapy or cannot afford psychotherapy sessions
Arts in Focusing Make All the Difference
Low Skill / High-Sensitivity
Clients can find assistance through the FOCAET toolkits. Designed for studio or museum art settings, these kits promote art activities that are easy to do, require little skill, and produce highly sensitive results
Equal-Status Interaction
Clients will benefit from FOCAET museum art resources, which are designed to introduce to diverse cultural heritages and promote cultural diversity. These sources support equal-status-interaction
FOCUSZART Skills Training Programs
What FOCUSZART stands for: Our name respresents our approach to Focusing and the arts. This approach is characterized by sensitivity and loving kindness — a concept encapsulated by the German word 'zart'
Training Overview
You will receive highly qualified training in a small group setting. Our national and international online training groups are comprised of between three and six people. This person-centered group setting makes the learning process more effective and adaptable to your needs
Focusing
The body-focused Focusing Skills Training for gaining a TIFI Proficiency in Focusing Partnership (PFP) Award provides 64 learning units, each 45 minutes long
The international skills training provides an introduction to Focusing, including listening and partnership skills, as well as practical Intermodal European Focusing Plus tools
The training will enable you to practice Focusing Partnerships (guide another individual who already knows Focusing)
The Focusing Skills Training is a stand-alone course and is also Part 1 of the Training for Certifying as a TIFI Focusing Fascilitator
The Focusing Skills Training meets the quality standards of the FOCUSZART School FZA ('Focusing Basis Training, Basics Online' - German) and the quality standards of the German Focusing Association DFG
The Online Training settings can be 1:1 or in groups of 3-4 participants each
Next Skills Training will start November 27, 2026, 6-9 pm CET/5-8 pm GMT with a Free Presentation Talk on November 13, 2026, 6-7.30 pm CET/5-6.30 pm GMT
Focusing Oriented Arts Therapy and Expressive Arts FOAT®
The mindfulness-based FOAT® Skills Training provides 64 learning units, each 45 minutes long
You will receive a qualified certificate of attendance with the EFA, DFG and FZA (FOCUSZART School) logos
Trainees who successfully complete the FOAT® skills training are eligible for the TIFI Profiency in Focusing Partnership (PFP) Award. TIFI membership is required
Focusing-Oriented Creative Arts Engagement and Therapy (FOCAET) with the Receptive-Expressive Arts Focusing (REAF) program
Receptive-Expressive Arts Focusing (REAF)
The museum art-based, trauma-informed REAF Skills Training provides 64 learning units, each 45 minutes long. It is a training course in itself and the first step to becoming a Certified REAF practitioner. Trainees will receive training in Focusing skills, along with an introduction to practical, trauma-informed Receptive-Expressive Arts Focusing (REAF) toolkits
You will receive a qualified certificate of attendance with the EFA, DFG and FZA (FOCUSZART School) logos
Trainees who successfully complete the REAF skills training are eligible for the TIFI Profiency in Focusing Partnership (PFP) Award. TIFI membership is required
REAF in Focusing-Oriented Therapy
This clinical-oriented Skills Training provides 20 learning units, each 45 minuts long. The training is designed to help you incorporate the toolsets of the Receptive-Expressive Arts Focusing (REAF) program into your clinical practice
You will receive a qualified certificate of attendance with the EFA, DFG and FZA (FOCUSZART School) logos
REAF in Focusing Trainings
This One-Day Training Program contains 8 learning units that will enable you to incorporate Felt-Sense-Based Art tools into your own Focusing courses and trainings. The intensive program has a workload of six hours and will cover specific, hands-on practices for museum-art based Felt Sense processing. Our one-day training series is grounded in the REAF framework and offers you a comprehensive learning experience
You will receive a certificate of attendance with the EFA, DFG and FZA (FOCUSZART School) logos
Focusing-Oriented Creative Arts Engagment and Therapy (FOCAET) with the Expressive Arts Focusing (EXAF) program
The trauma-informed EXAF Skills Training course is an integrative program rooted in Focusing with the Whole Body (FWB) and the European Focusing Plus approach. It has 64 units, each 45 minutes long. Trainees will learn how to integrate these two Focusing styles with practical toolkits from the Expressive Arts
You will receive a qualified certificate of attendance with the EFA, DFG and FZA (FOCUSZART School) logos
Trainees who successfully complete the EXAF skills training are eligible for the TIFI Profiency in Focusing Partnership (PFP) Award. TIFI membership is required
This training course can be upgraded to qualify as a Certified Receptive-Expressive Arts (REAF) Practitioner
Make Your Training a Time to Grow
DFG Gathering 2022
DFG Gathering 2023
DFG Gathering 2024
FOCUSZART Certification Training Programs
What FOCUSZART stands for: Our name respresents our approach to Focusing and the arts. This approach is characterized by sensitivity and loving kindness — a concept encapsulated by the German word 'zart'
Training Overview
You will receive highly qualified training in a small group setting. Our national and international online training groups are comprised of between four and eight people. This person-centered group setting makes the learning process more effective and adaptable to your needs
Certifying as a TIFI Focusing Facilitator
The international certification training provides 160 learning units, each 45 minutes long, that must to be completed under the guidance of your FZA Focusing teacher
The training has two parts
- Part 1: Focusing Skills Training (64 learning units)
- Part 2: Training to deepen your Focusing skills and abilities, as well as your Focusing practice (96 learning units)
You will receive a certificate from The International Focusing Institute TIFI (Track: 'Certified Focusing Fascilitator')
The training will enable you to guide individuals in 1:1 Focusing sessions and in group settings (working with indivduals who do not know Focusing)
The training will not qualify you to practice Focusing Oriented Therapy FOT
As a sucessfully trained Focusing Fascilitator, your 1:1 sessions and group settings should meet the ethical framework of the professional organization in your country with which you are affiliated
The training builds on the TFI Skill Set Guidelines for Certifying as a TIFI Focusing Facilitator. It meets the quality standards of the German Focusing Association DFG ('Certified Focusing Practitioner') and the training standards of the German-Swiss Focusing Network FN ('Certified Focusing Practitioner')
The online training setting for Part 1 can be 1:1 or in groups of 3-4 participants each. The online training setting for Part 2 is only in a group of 4-8 trainees
Equivalence rules: The TIFI Proficiency in Focusing (PFP) Award and the British Focusing Association (BFA) Certificate in Focusing Skills are accepted as equivalents to Part 1 of the training
Certifying as a REAF Practitioner: Focusing Practitioner Training with Specialization in Receptive-Expressive Arts Focusing (REAF)
This certification training provides 160 learning units, each 45 minutes long, that must be completed under the guidance of your REAF teacher. The training is tailored for EU participants, who can participate online and on-site, as well as for participants from around the world, who will participate online
The training has two parts
- Part 1: Trauma-informed Receptive-Expressive Arts Focusing Skills Training (64 learning units)
- Part 2: Focusing and Receptive-Expressive Arts Focusing (REAF) Advanced Training: Deepen your Focusing and REAF skills and abilities, as well as your museum-art based studio practice (96 learning units)
You will receive a certificate of attendance with the EFA, DFG and FZA (FOCUSZART School) logos
The training will not qualify you to practice Focusing Oriented Therapy FOT, trauma therapy or art therapy
The training will enable you to guide individuals in 1:1 Focusing sessions from a trauma-informed, museum art-based perspective. You will be trained to work with individuals who are new to Focusing and new to express themselves through receptive-expressive arts. You will learn various Focusing interventions and trauma-informed receptive-expressive arts practices for different applications. Museum-Art Based Studio Art is at the heart of these practices
As a sucessfully trained REAF practitioner, your 1:1 sessions should meet the ethical framework of the Person-centered and Experiential Approach (PCE) or the ethical framework of the professional organization in your country with which you are affiliated
The training is based on the quality standards of the FOCUSZART School FZA (German Guidelines/Curriculum), and follows the guidelines of the TFI Skill Set Guidelines (Track: 'Certified Focusing Facilitator'). It also meets the quality standards of the German Focusing Association DFG ('Certified Focusing Practitioner'), and the training standards of the German-Swiss Focusing Network FN ('Certified Focusing Practitioner')
The online training setting for Part 1 can be 1:1 or in groups of 3-4 participants each. The online training setting for Part 2 is only in a group of 4-8 trainees. The on-site training for Parts 1 and 2 will consist of groups of four to ten trainees
Equivalence rules: The TIFI Proficiency in Focusing Partnership (PFP) Award is recognized as being partially equivalent to Part 1 of the training. To earn full equivalency, however, you must complete additional REAF training hours. A review and an interview are prerequisites for the equivalency process
Uplift Your Training
We recommend Focusing Professionals for becoming a Coordinator-in-Training and subsequently a TIFI Certifying Coordinator
Member of The International Focusing Institute (TIFI) and the German Focusing Association (DFG)
Shift Your Art And Life!
ENGAGE. EXPRESS. EXPLORE.
Trust Your Felt Sense. It's A Work Of Art In The Making