Transforming humanitarian work

Guided by the community. Listening from the heart.

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Courses

Closed/ Community Wellness Focusing

This is an in-person year-long Community Wellness Focusing (CWF) course leading to certification as a Focusing Professional through The International Focusing Institute (TIFI). Nina Joy Lawrence and Pat Omidian, Certifying Coordinators, Facilitators Monthly classes will be held in Corvallis, OR, USA on the first Saturday of […]

Closed/ Community Wellness Focusing – Online

This is year-long online training in Community Wellness Focusing (CWF) leading to certification as a Focusing Professional through The International Focusing Institute (TIFI). We will meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month (January through November) for a total of 55 hours class time, […]

Free Introduction to PSS and PFA – Self-Paced

Are you curious about the field of psychosocial support and community wellness, or psychological first aid? Our introductory course is the perfect way to get a taste of what these courses have to offer. In this short self-paced course, you’ll experience the unique approach and […]

Psychological First Aid (PFA) – Self-Paced

Psychological First Aid (PFA) is the current international standard for care and support for individuals in the midst of or the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event. This evidence-based technique replaces the debriefing process that was used in the past.

Psychosocial Support (PSS), Community Wellness and Focusing

There is no “one size fits all” in PSS work, because each community has its own needs, traditions, and its own hidden strengths.  This course is designed to work with you as you explore working at a deeper level within your own community.

Latest News and Resources

Being with your Felt Sense of Fear

My fear kept me safe from Ebola. I worked in Liberia when Ebola was on the rise, then again when it was almost gone. As I sit here today thinking about these experiences and about the current warnings about a global pandemic from the coronavirus, […]

Deep Listening Allows Healing

As she spoke, all I did was to listen to her, reflecting where required. As soon as she completed the narration of the complete ordeal, she stood up and said: “My brain has started working and I need to go to my unit to support my team.”

Community Wellness

Community wellness is based on a public health approach with two assumptions. First, most illnesses are preventable, including various types of mental illness. Second, the community itself contains many solutions to its own health needs and already has many techniques to encourage resilience and wellness. […]

Lessons from a Group Facilitator

An Interview with Anna Willman, in conversation with Dana Hercbergs I met Anna in 2021 through the Focusing community and occasionally attended her weekly Saturday Listening Space, an online peer support group.  Her facilitation style melds her own grounded attention with her wonderful sense of […]

Living the Process not the Goal

Building a community wellness program reminds me of my recent experience knitting my grandson’s sweater. Here I was happily knitting away and I was almost finished with the body of the sweater when I realized the front was completely wrong.