Relational Presence: Focusing Skills Certificate 5 Weekends

31st October 2026 - 29th March 2026 Portobello, Edinburgh

Focusing Skills Certificate Workshop/Event

What makes the difference with those clients who are hardest to reach?

More often than not it’s not the tool that you use, but the quality of your very presence.

This Focusing Skills Course is aimed at helping professionals such as coaches, therapists and other spaceholders to helps you develop exactly that, through easy to learn, practical embodiment tools.

As a result you will feel more resourced in your work, so that you are better able to work with challenging clients.

It can also help you to take your work to a deeper level. Each session is one step on that journey.

“As complex human beings living in a complex world, we need the precision of both kinds of knowing, the body knows, but it does so in a different way than the mind knows,” Eugene Gendlin

Both the body and the mind are needed for real change to happen, and this is where focusing comes in. In this Course we will also work with the Relational Field -this We Space between you and the client. Working with this practice, drawing on both Circling Practices and Relational Whole Body Focusing you will no longer feel that you need to leave yourself ‘at the door’ but you will find ways to bring your full authentic self in service of your client.

Course overview

Each weekend builds on the previous one. They are also standalone and you may join individual weekends if you have relevant prior experience. Please be in contact if this may apply to you.

The themes identified below are indicative and the programme may be adapted to meet the needs of the participants

Weekend 1 Introduction to Focusing and contexts October 31st and November 1st

During this weekend you will learn

A theoretical framework drawing on the work of Heinz Kohut and Iain McGilchrist that supports the tools we will explore throughout the course
An Arrival Practice that helps you arrive more fully into the body
Discover your very own Felt Sense. You will learn to listen to what it has to tell you. This structured approach provides a foundation for the rest of the programme.
Have a first hand experience of Focusing, the process that Eugene Gendlin created to help anyone access their Felt Sense.

Weekend 2 Working with the Relational Field November 29th and 30th

On this weekend we will explore:

A deeper level of listening skills
Exploration of the ‘We Space’ Drawing on Circling Practices
Deepening experience into the Felt Sense and Focusing
Using the Relational Field in working with clients

Weekend 3 Applications with Client Work January 23rd and 24th

Now that we have some experience in these modalities for ourselves we will learn to apply this more directly to working with clients

Typical themes will include:

Guiding Principles in working with clients (in your existing contexts)
Using Reflections
Guiding a client
Endings and Beginnings

Weekend 4 Focusing Deep Dive February 27th and 28th

Typical themes will include:

Being with ‘What is’ and ‘Not Knowing in a focusing way
Using Focusing as a way to resource yourself and support your clients with this
Using the Relational Field in working with clients
Working with Internal ‘parts’ – your own and your clients

Weekend 5 Integration: Challenges, Compassion and Surrender March 27th and 28th

This final weekend will be tailored to meet the needs of the group as issues surface throughout the programme.

Topics may include:

Working with Self Critical parts
Radical Self compassion
The role of shame, freeze and fawn stress responses
Surrendered Leadership and following aliveness
Participants case studies

‘Being more present in myself and listening to my gut rather than living in my head so much . This will make me a more attentive and a better coach.’

This program deepens your experience with the Felt Sense, Focusing, and Circling Practices It will also include nervous system regulation tools drawing on polyvagal toning and support you in making your work more trauma informed.

After successful completion of the course participants will gain 60 hours CPD from the Association for Coaching. and a British Focusing Association Certificate in Focusing Skills Level 5. This will allow you to continue your own journey as a Focuser and access a wide range of ongoing activities related to focusing, through both the BFA and TIFI

Small group format
The group size is deliberately kept small. This helps to ensure everyone gets the attention, space and connection that this work deserves. Places are limited.

Some feedback from previous participants

‘Being more present in myself and listening to my gut rather than living in my head so much . This will make me a more attentive and a better coach.’

‘With these tools I will be able to create much deeper connections with the clients. Some of the techniques are also useful for my own wellbeing.’

‘Being fully present and grounded opens up new possibilities and widens our perspective. It creates a certain level of lightness and mental space. I LOVE IT!’

“Being more present in myself and listening to my gut… this will make me a better coach.”

“Any coach worth their salt would want to learn and practice how they can be more present.”
—Helen Isacke, Founder, Trusted Coach Network

“Thanks again for the past 6 sessions, Ruth! It has been hugely rewarding and insightful in ways I hoped but mostly in ways I didn’t expect, in getting in touch with my body’s wisdom and feeling grounded in a space.” Isaac Allaway

You can also watch these Video Testimonials

Ellie Nova, The Sober Coach

Helen Isacke, Founder, Trusted Coach Network

Mariell Patiki, Executive Coach

Natalie Salvesen, Therapist

About the Facilitator

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My name is Ruth Friedman and I have been recognised by the Forbetter Institute as one of Edinburgh’s Top 10 Coaches. I’m the creator and owner of Lead Being You coaching and training company. I created Lead Being You to help people overcome doubts, manage stress, and build confidence. I am excited by aliveness, finding my own and supporting others to find theirs. I draw on a Surrendered Leadership approach in this work

I use a unique blend of coaching and embodiment tools, which I learned first for my own development and in which I am now trained and credentialed.

I am credentialed through the ICF as a Professional Certified Coach and with Association for Coaching as a Master Executive Coach.

I have been working with Focusing and Circling practices for over a decade and am now trained and credentialed as a Focusing Teacher and Circling Practice Leader. I’m passionate about sharing these practices because of the profound impact they have had on my own life and in my work as a coach.

My style is warm, inclusive, and experiential. I offer clear demonstrations, hold safe space, and support deep personal and professional transformation.

Questions? Ready to Join?

I’d love to hear from you.

Email:
Tel: +4477358328567

This course is also offered online on Tuesday mornings. More details on that here

Registration Course Fee

All 5 weekends

Early Bird (before August 15th): £950

Regular Fee: £1200

If you sign up to both Modules before August 1st you will get an additional one hour Embodied Coaching Session included – which can be taken at any point between signing up for the course and the end of the course

Each weekend on its own £300

Limited to 8 participants to ensure a rich, intimate experience.

Financial difficulty? A few reduced-fee sponsorship spots may be available, please get in touch if you need that.

Please contact me for further information and questions

Contact details:

Ruth Friedman

Email: Tel: +4477358328567

Book your complimentary call here

Booking link (offsite)

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