European Focusing Association Conference 2018 - 2nd announcement

European Focusing Association Conference 2018

2nd announcement

The European Focusing Association (EFA) is pleased to invite you to attend the first European Focusing Conference

Facets of Focusing

May 10-14, 2018

Loutraki, Greece

Visit the conference website at:

efa2018.weebly.com

This, our first European conference, will provide an opportunity to gather to celebrate the life and work of Eugene Gendlin and to experience some of the many ‘Facets of Focusing’. We invite you, whatever your Focusing background - relative beginner, Focusing teacher, therapist - to join with us to share knowledge and focus together in the beautiful seaside resort of Loutraki. Our aim is to be inclusive of all ‘facets’. You might be inspired by how Focusing can filter into different aspects of life. You might be new to Focusing and want to learn more about how it can be taught and practised at a basic level. You might want to explore how Focusing can become a force for change in such areas as politics, art or social work. You might want to reflect on how it can be integrated into the practice of different therapies or into other professional trainings, such as Coaching. You might wish to share your fascination with the philosophical foundations of Focusing or its origins in the Person-Centred Approach. Whatever your level of interest, we hope that we can together create an enjoyable, enriching and inspiring learning environment.
 

The Programme

A full conference timetable will be sent out in the New Year and will include workshops, lectures, discussion panels- and, of course, time for focusing exchange. Registration will be between 14:00-17:00 h on Thursday 10th May and departure after midday on Monday 14th May.

Language

As well as honouring the different ‘facets of Focusing’ we want to acknowledge the language differences within our European community. Although the language of the conference is English, we hope that language barriers can be overcome by volunteers who are prepared to offer translation for their own language group.

EFA

For those who wish to take part in carrying the European Focusing Association forward into the future all are invited to participate in the EFA General Assembly that will take place towards the end of the conference. Time will also be made for EFA project and interest groups throughout the conference.

Optional Excursions

We want to make sure that participants have the opportunity to visit the sites of this beautiful part of Greece and (if there is enough interest) half-day excursions may be arranged to: Argolis (Mycenae - Epidaurus) and/or Nafplio

• The ancient city of Mycenae (a world heritage monument and archaeological site, home to the kingdom of mythical Agamemnon) was a major centre of Greek civilization.
• The ancient theatre of Epidaurus (a Unesco world heritage listed monument) is reputed to be the birthplace of Apollo's son Asklepios, the healer, and was the most celebrated healing centre of the classical world. Epidaurus is probably most famous for its theatre, one of the best preserved classical Greek buildings and still used today due to its amazing acoustics.
• Nafplio is a very beautiful city. It was the first capital of modern Greece with its Venetian fortress (Palamidi) and the fortified islet of Burtzi.

(or) Tour through the Corinth canal Participation in these excursions is optional and the cost for them is not included in the conference fee. We will try, however, to keep costs as low as possible and more details will be sent out later. A ‘Greek evening’ will most probably be incorporated into the Programme.

Registration

Registration needs to be done in two stages.

First of all, you need to register for the conference with the Hellenic Focusing Center:

Early Bird Rates (before 31 January)

• Regular Conference fee (before 31 January) 200 Euros: Includes conference fee for the whole conference and materials.
• For Students or the Unemployed (before 31 January)*140 Euros: Includes conference fee for the whole conference and materials.
• One-day participation (before 31 January) 70 Euros: Includes conference fee for one day and materials.

Conference Fees after 31 January

• Regular Conference fee (after 31 January) 250 Euros: Includes conference fee for the whole conference and materials.
• For Students or the Unemployed (after 31 January)*180 Euros: Includes conference fee for the whole conference and materials.
• One-day participation (after 31 January) 80 Euros: Includes conference fee for one day and materials.

* For Students and Unemployed Participants proof of their current studies or unemployed status is required. For any questions, regarding your registration to the conference, please contact the Hellenic Focusing Center (HFC) at focusinghellas@yahoo.com Then you need to book separately with the Hotel Pappas, who have offered very favourable rates for conference delegates. The price given below covers accommodation for all 4 nights of the conference. The cost of accommodation with Hotel Pappas is a special offer made to us for the conference and is a very good deal. If you wish to stay for less than the four nights of the conference then the hotel’s usual rates will apply, such as those to be found through booking websites (e.g. Booking.com). Additional nights may also be charged at the hotel’s usual rates. You will need to make your own arrangement directly with the hotel.

Single Room 180 Euros per person Double Room 132 Euros per person Triple Room 120 Euros per person The cost includes accommodation, breakfast, lunch, evening meal.

The price for tea/coffee during breaks is an extra 16 Euros for the whole conference. (i.e. this is on top of the fees quoted above, to be paid on arrival at the Hotel or as agreed with the Hotel).

To book with the hotel you need to email them at info@hotelpappas.gr and state:

• Your name
• The name of the conference (‘European Focusing Conference’)
• Whether you wish to occupy a single/ double/ or triple room
• The number of people who will occupy the room
• The cost of the room for the 4 nights of the conference (as stated above) (you need to arrange fewer nights or additional nights directly with the hotel)

Then the Hotel will guide you through the rest of the booking process.

Important: Please do NOT use the Hotel website ‘contact form’ and do NOT press the ‘Book now!’ Button. These do not work and are not needed for the booking process. The Hotel Pappas website is www.hotelpappas.gr (The ‘Early Bird’ rate and cancellation fees apply only to registration wich will be handled by the Hellenic Focusing Center. EFA and the Hellenic Focusing Center are not responsible for the hotel or its policies and procedures.) This is a ‘not for profit’ conference and we have tried to keep costs as low as possible to make sure that it is an affordable and inclusive event. Please visit the weblink: https://efa2018.weebly.com/register.html for more details regarding registrations. For information about transportation from the Athens International Airport to the Hotel please follow the weblink: https://efa2018.weebly.com/venue.html

Call for Papers and Workshops

Many leading practitioners have already committed to be present at the conference, including Campbell Purton whose Person-Centred Therapy: The Focusing-Oriented Approach has recently been translated and published in Greek. We are calling for presentations from participants to share our experiences, practices, hopes and ideas. We ask you to submit your abstract as soon as possible or by the end of 28 February 2018. Abstracts may be accepted up until the end of March 2018, if there is still room in the conference timetable. For submissions, please visit the following weblink: https://efa2018.weebly.com/call-for.html

We hope to see you all in May!

Let's make it a success!

Facets of ​Focusing

ORGANIZING TEAM Local Committee Patricia Foster (Greece/UK), Anna Karali (Greece) Nikos Kypriotakis (Greece) Dimitris Portokalis (Greece), ​Pavlos Zarogiannis (Greece)

European Committee Hejo Feuerstein (Germany), Maria Emanuela Galanti (MEG) (Italy) Judy Moore (UK), Edit Selmeczi (Hungary)

an EFA event

In collaboration with and with the support of the Hellenic Focusing Center, Focusing as a Life Skill, EFocusing.be, Focussen Vlaanderen, Vlaamse Vereniging voor Cliëntgericht-Experiëntiële Psychotherapie en Counseling, ​and many more (which will be added later)

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European Focusing Association (EFA)