A Focusing Session
An hour of guided attention to what you notice inside.
How it goes
It will be about an hour, and I'll guide you through it.
You can choose something you'd like to explore — an issue, a decision, a project, or even a vague feeling.
It begins a little like the STOP exercise — a short pause — but we spend more time listening to what you notice inside.
There's nothing to prepare. You can simply come as you are, and we'll work with whatever feels present for you.
You stay in control
What you share with me is confidential, with one exception I'll explain before we begin: for practice sessions I write a reflection for my training organisation, with no name and nothing that could identify you.
You'll remain in control throughout. It's your session, and we'll follow your process.
My role is to listen.
If you have any questions before, feel free to ask.
What it isn't
- •It isn't psychotherapy or treatment.
- •It isn't diagnosis, and it isn't advice about how to live.
- •It isn't someone explaining you to yourself.
Practical
- Length
- about an hour
- Format
- online, or in person in Naples, Florida
- Language
- English or Russian
- Preparation
- none
One thing worth saying plainly
I'm currently completing Focusing training through The International Focusing Institute, with certification expected in 2028, and I offer practice sessions as part of that path. That's why these sessions are free right now. It's an ordinary arrangement in the Focusing community — people in training work with people who are curious.
Questions people ask
What kind of session should I choose?
There are two kinds of Focusing session: a free practice session and a paid one. Right now I can only offer the free ones — I need to complete my required practice hours first, and paid sessions begin after that. A free practice session is part of my Focusing training and certification process. Because of that, I use Granola to record and/or transcribe the session, and I write an anonymized reflection afterward for Focusing Resources, my training organization. A paid session is different. I do not record, transcribe, or submit anything from a paid session unless I ask you first and you clearly agree.
Is the free session really free? What's the catch?
There is no payment. The reason it is free is that it is part of my Focusing training. I need practice sessions for certification, and those sessions include documentation. For free practice sessions, I use Granola to create a recording and/or transcript. Afterward, I write an anonymized reflection for Focusing Resources. Your name and identifying details are removed from anything I submit. So the exchange is simple: you receive a free Focusing practice session, and I receive practice material for my training.
What if I don't want the session recorded or transcribed?
That is completely okay. But then the free practice-session format is probably not the right fit, because those sessions are connected to my training documentation. You are welcome to choose a paid Focusing session instead. In paid sessions, I do not record, transcribe, or submit anything unless I ask you first and you clearly agree.
What if I don't know what to bring?
For the free 20-minute introduction, you don't need to bring anything — that time is for working out what you're looking for and what to expect. For a session itself, it helps to arrive with something: an issue, a decision, a project, or a feeling you can't quite place. It doesn't need to be well formed. But a session works from something, rather than from nothing.
What if I get emotional?
Sometimes something moves, and that's completely ordinary. You don't have to hold anything back, and you don't have to produce anything either. You can stop, change direction, or sit quietly at any point.
Does anyone else hear about our session?
Yes, in one specific way, and I'd rather say it plainly than have you find out later. Practice sessions are how I train, so afterwards I write a reflection on the session and send it to Focusing Resources, my training organisation. It carries no name and nothing that could identify you. That happens with every practice session, and it is the whole reason they are free.
Do you record?
Only if I ask first, and only for some sessions. If I want feedback on a particular moment it helps to have the actual words. I use a notes service called Granola, which means the recording sits with them as well as with me — I can't pretend otherwise. You can say no and still have the session, exactly as it would have been, and you can ask me to stop at any point without giving a reason. What I send on has your name and anything identifying taken out.
How many times can we meet?
Six at the most. That is my programme's rule, not mine — it's there so trainees work with a range of people rather than a few. But six is a ceiling, not a plan: we might agree on fewer, and either of us can say after any session that this has run its course. That's ordinary and it isn't a judgement in either direction. I'd rather you knew all of that at the start than at the sixth. If you want to continue and I'm not the right person to continue with, I can introduce you to another trainee, and from 2028 I can carry on with you myself.
What happens when you finish your training?
These sessions stop being free, because they will no longer be practice. Certification is expected in 2028, and regular sessions begin in February 2027. If we are working together when that changes, I'll tell you well before it does.
How is this different from the dream work?
Dreamwork starts from an image you've already been given. Focusing starts from what you feel now, before it has words. They're two ways of doing the same kind of listening, and plenty of people do both.
Start with an introduction
Twenty minutes, free, to find out what Focusing is before you decide anything. I'll explain how it works and what to expect — including the one practical thing, which is that the sessions I can offer now are practice sessions for my training, so I record them.
Twenty minutes to find out what Focusing is before you decide anything.
What we'll cover:
What Focusing actually is, and what an hour of it looks like.
Whether it fits what you're after.
The practical part — the sessions I can offer now are practice sessions for my training, so I record them.
Nothing to prepare, and no obligation to carry on afterwards.
Not ready to book?
Regular sessions begin in February 2027. Leave your details and I'll be in touch to find a time. Places are limited and are filling up.