Introduction to FOAT® 2025 Course Description

This course provides an introduction to Focusing-Oriented Expressive Arts (FOAT®) including its history and development, foundational principles, and main theoretical and practice approaches. Based on Eugene Gendlin’s evidence-based Focusing, this training includes learning the main concepts of Focusing Attitude, felt sense, symbol/handle, and felt shift.

The course demonstrates user-friendly expressive arts methods for expressing a felt sense and defines the following main approaches– FOAT Check-in, Theme-Directed FOAT, Clearing a Space with Arts, and Working on an Issue. Didactic presentations, experiential practice exercises and examples provide a rich, varied format for learning.

Course Location: Online via Zoom.

Course Date and Time: February 7, 2025 from 11am - 2pm PST (Pacific Standard Time)

Course Cost: 

• Early bird: $85  Discount available until January 17, 2025
• Regular Price: $95  From January 17 - February 7, 2025

Course Faculty: Laury Rappaport, Ph.D., LMFT, REAT, ATR-BC and Lynn Pollock, MA, LMHC, REAT. If you would like to learn more about the faculty, please visit our FOAT Faculty webpage for their biographies.

Course Content Level: Open to those new and experienced in Focusing, Expressive Arts, and FOAT!

Course Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the history of the development of Focusing-Oriented Expressive Arts developed by Dr. Laury Rappaport.
2. Explain the history of Focusing developed by Eugene Gendlin and its research basis.
3. Name the main concepts of Focusing: Focusing Attitude, felt sense, symbol/handle, and felt shift.
4. List the foundational principles of FOAT®.
5. Summarize the basic FOAT® step.
6. State the 3 FOAT® approaches in addition to the basic FOAT® step.

Satisfactory Completion for CEs: This offering is approved for 3 CE hours. Participants must have paid the course tuition fee and CE fee, signed in and attended the entirety of the Live Zoom Teleconference, and completed the CE evaluation. Full attendance is required (there are no partial CE hours). 

Cancellation Policy: All refund requests are subject to review by the Focusing and Expressive Arts Institute Training Director.

• Requests made 21 days or more before the registration deadline for a given course, you will be given a refund of 95% of your registration fee (please note we take 5% for administrative/transactional fees), or the option to apply the full registration fee as credit towards your account for future program costs. 
• Requests made between 7 to 20 days before the registration deadline will be given a refund of 50% of your registration fee, or the option to apply the full registration fee as credit towards your account for future program costs. 
• Any requests made within 6 days or less before the registration deadline are non-refundable but you will be given the option to apply the full registration fee as credit towards your account for future program costs. 

Grievance Policy: For questions or concerns, please contact us at [email protected].

Disability Accommodations: To request accommodations, contact [email protected].

Disclosure Statement: There is no conflict of interest or commercial support for this program.