THE FOCUSZART SCHOOL (FZA)
Renewal And Repair Through Felt Sense-Based Arts
The FOCUSZART School (FZA) offers national and international training programs in Creative Arts and Culture Focusing (CACF). 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 Creative Arts and Culture Focusing
Receiving training in Creative Arts and Culture Focusing (CACF) 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
Creative Arts and Culture Focusing (CACF) engages clients and participants with culture-sensitive museum art through art-related, body-focused interactions framed by the principles of the Person-Centered and Experiential Approach
Evidence-Based Effects
Based on evidence-based studies examining the effects of museum art on well-being, CACF programs surpass Focusing practices and traditional practices of verbal and art-related therapies
Receptive-Expressive Arts
The CACF approach uses cyclic processing, following the CACF paradigm of engagement, expression, and exploration. It primarily uses the Receptive-Expressive Arts Focusing (REAF) method for this
Trauma-Informative Tools
The CACF 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 Creative Arts and Culture Focusing
Our training programs provide an opportunity to learn various European Focusing styles and Felt Sense-Based Art practices from the perspective of the Creative Arts and Culture Focusing (CACF) 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
CACF practices will enable you to help your clients and participants express their feelings in safe ways. Clients who feel stuck in traditional talk therapy may especially benefit from applied Creative Arts and Culture Focusing

Arts in Focusing Make All the Difference
Low Skill / High-Sensitivity
Clients can find assistance through the Creative Arts and Culture Focusing toolkits. These kits promote receptive-expressive studio art that is easy to do and require little skills, yet produce highly sensitive results
Equal-Status Interaction
Clients will benefit from CACF resources that 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 an overview of European Focusing Plus
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
Focusing Oriented 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
Creative Arts and Culture Focusing 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
Creative Arts and Culture Focusing with the Receptive-Expressive Arts Focusing (REAF) program
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
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
