Inner Relationship Focusing (IRF) Level 3 & 4

For therapists, IRF offers a dual benefit: it enhances personal presence and self-care while strengthening the empathic connection to clients – the foundation of effective, humanistic therapy.

This Level 3 and 4 IRF course is designed for therapists who have completed Level 1 and 2 with Ann Weiser Cornell or another certified Focusing trainer. In these advanced levels, you will deepen your skills and learn new techniques to guide the Focusing process with sensitivity and skill.

Each workshop day combines theoretical insights, live demonstrations, and hands-on exercises in pairs to support a well-rounded, experiential learning experience.


Level 3: Supporting the Inner Relationship

In Level 3, participants will gain confidence in guiding each stage of the Focusing process. You'll learn how to shape sessions gracefully, understanding which interventions work best at different points in the process. This level emphasizes smooth transitions into and out of the Focusing state and introduces ways to balance guiding and reflecting to enhance the session’s flow.

Skills you will acquire in Level 3 include:
• Starting a Focusing session using three different approaches
• Closing sessions in ways that honor the process and facilitate a smooth transition back to daily awareness
• Recognizing your own self-guidance as a Focuser
• Skillfully guiding others through their Focusing process
• Offering and receiving supportive reminders


Level 4: Facilitating the Inner Relationship

The final workshop in the series equips participants with tools to address challenges that may emerge during Focusing. You’ll explore techniques for working with conflicting or exiled parts and responding to inner criticism. This level introduces the principle of "Radical Acceptance of Everything," a key to engaging with distractions, external sensations, and even moments when the process seems blocked. Participants will also deepen their understanding of Close and Distant Processes and how to support these through reminders.

Skills you will acquire in Level 4 include:
• Recognizing and working within Close and Distant Processes
• Responding effectively when a Focuser has a “Feeling About a Feeling”
• Engaging compassionately with protective parts
• Inviting parts that are worried, afraid, or angry to express what they truly need or want
• Using reminders to invite a Focuser to linger with enjoyable sensations

Course Dates:
Level 3: February 21, 2025
Level 3: April 4, 2025
Level 4: May 16, 2025
Level 4: June 13, 2025