I was introduced to Focusing when I was studying psychology at university in Canada, in 1982. I used it as a method to support research on the effects of deep contemplation on personal mortality. Then I began to use it in my own life, to understand what I was feeling and to make decisions. It also became a fundamental part of how I related to others in my life. As I continued to learn about psychology and psychotherapy, the experiential grounding of Focusing was always fundamental to my integration. I continued to train further in Focusing, in North America and Europe, until I started to teach it, around 1990. Focusing supports my natural impulse to question authority, doctrine, dogma. I find that it gives me confidence in my individual experience of the world, offering an idiosyncratic way to navigate situations without defaulting to convention or chaos.

For over 20 years I have worked as a chartered psychologist, existential psychotherapist, supervisor, lecturer, and mediator in London, Brighton and internationally. I maintain a private practice in the UK (increasingly using skype) and travel quite a bit to teach Focusing Oriented Therapy and Existential Therapy/Coaching to professionals and students. The London Focusing Institute is a new community of Focusers in London offering training workshops to professionals and the public. I enjoy writing about this approach to practice, and extending it into new areas of work.

Focusing Institute Trainer and Certifying Coordinator