The Body Contour Technique:
Teaching the Focusing Language and Process to Children, Parents and Teachers in 1...2...3
Led by: Atsmaout Perlstein and Etty Katz
An anonymous, neutral body contour is used to represent the inner space of a person where usually one experiences the body felt senses of a situation or an event. The adult or a child are taught and encouraged to verbalize and use qualities of materials (e.g. hard, soft, round, sticky, fluffy etc.) to symbolize their felt senses. Thus, the Focusing process is experienced as dynamic and is carried forward on a physical and mental levels.
The workshop is experiential and didactic. The technique will be presented and later the participants will do their own Focusing process with the Body Contour. Few difficult cases of children in treatment will be also presented and discussed with the participants.
About the Facilitators:
Atsmaout Perlstein is an eclectic, dynamic Focusing-Oriented clinical psychologist for the past 25 years who treats individuals, couples and families. Atsmaout lived 30 years in Chicago and studied Focusing from her mentors Eugene Gendlin, Mary McGuire and Janet Klein. She was part of the team who created the Summer School program and taught there for three years. Atsmaout is a Focusing Coordinator for the past 15 years and brought Focusing to Israel in 2000 where she cofounded the Israeli Focusing Center with Bilha Frolinger. She is a dynamic lecturer and led workshops to parents, teachers and students of different ages. She has been involved in training therapists and psychologists in Focusing- Oriented Therapy.
Etty Katz is a creative artist and a therapist who has been known for her innovative programs to help children of special needs and children with conduct disorder. Etty founded her own center in 2004 where she has continued to develop teaching materials to schools. The popularity of her materials are due to her ability to integrate symbolization as a language in her programs. Thus, she combines right brain learning with left brain thinking. Etty authored a children’s book which uses symbols and felt sense qualities to explore the characters’ experiences in the plot of the story.
Both Atsmaout and Etty joined together in developing a new crossing between her work and Focusing to help children learn and experience the benefits of Focusing as the inner space language for everyday communication and for healing purposes.