Dr. Bala Jaison
Focusing Institute Certifying Coordinator
Certified Focusing-Oriented Therapist
Certified Focusing Trainer
Personal Statement
I have been in practice as a therapist and teaching for some 30 years. The joy of my (professional) life is watching people make change, especially seeing them have (what we call in Focusing) an ‘aha’ experience. I feel blessed to have had Mary McGuire, Psy.D. as my trainer/supervisor – and eventually partner – teaching the Focusing Week-longs together, twice a year for over 10 years. We trained and Certified so many in our community over that period of time. What an honor! I also feel honored to have been editing the Folio since 1989 and have submitted numerous articles for the Folio over the years.
In the early 90’s I was exposed to, and did extensive training in the field of Brief Therapy, especially Solution Oriented Therapy. I knew from day one, that SOT (Solution Oriented Therapy) had something to give to FOT (Focusing Oriented Therapy) and developed what I termed: The SOFT approach: Solution Oriented Focusing Therapy (with acknowledgment here to Glenn Fleisch for help with that acronym) and have written many articles on the subject, and a book: Integrating Experiential and Brief Therapy – How Do Do Deep Therapy – Briefly and How To Do Brief Therapy – Deeply. In closing this section: I love Focusing. I love teaching, and I love watching people have inner, (and hence outer) transformational experiences, right before my eyes!
Location(s):
Office 1: 282 Erskine Ave. Toronto, On. M4P 1Z4, Canada
Public Contact Details:
telephone: (416) 482-6689 or (416) 440-1811
website: See Focusing Institute Page
email: balaj@sympatico.ca
Languages: English
Professional Details:
Professional memberships with licensing or registering bodies:
OAMFT, AAMFT, College of Registered Psychotherapists, Coordinator for The Focusing Institute
Academic and training qualifications:
B.A. Psychology, New York University; Gestalt Therapy Training, Elizabeth Mintz, Ph.D. and Merrith Hockmeyer, Ph.D.; Master’s Program, Early Childhood Development, Harvard University; Ph.D.; Transpersonal Psychology. Columbia Pacific University; Graduate Clinical Extern Program in Brief Family Therapy, Hincks Dellcrest Centre, Toronto; Trimester Clinical Seminars for Advanced Canadian Therapists with Insoo Kim Berg, Brief Therapy Family Center, Milwaukee, Wi.; OAMFT Certificate Program, University of Toronto, Marriage and Family Studies; Certified Master Practitioner, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, (NLP).
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Therapeutic services:
o Individual psychotherapy/counselling
o Individual Focusing sessions (guided Focusing, not ongoing therapy)
o Couple/Relationship therapy
o Focusing-Oriented Coaching
o Conflict Mediation
o Telephone sessions
o Group or family therapy
Areas of special interest or advanced training:
I love teaching and especially integrating Focusing Oriented approaches into varied and diverse fields of work. I offer tailored-workshops/trainings for various groups and organizations in Focusing-oriented Therapy (for professionals) and Focusing and Practical Applications in a wide variety of professions to the general public.
Training:
o I offer training groups to learn Focusing (open to the public)
o I offer individual sessions for people to learn Focusing (open to the public)
o I offer training in Focusing-oriented Therapy (for professionals)
o I offer training for organizations and teams
o Consultation and Supervision for psychotherapists, psychologists, counsellors
Details of these and any other services:
2 year Certification program to become Focusing-Oriented Therapist
Individual supervision for FOT therapists/students
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Recent Publications (5 years or less):
Jaison, B. (2014). Focusing with Solutions: How To Do Brief Therapy Deeply. In Madison, G, (Ed.) Theory and Practice of Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy: Beyond the Talking Cure. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
The Shortest Focusing Session Ever, The Folio: A Journal for Focusing and Experiential Psychotherapy, Volume 24, Number 1, 2013.
Focusing…And He Didn’t Even Know It, The Folio, Volume 22, Number 1, 2010.