Training and certification Thinking At the Edge trainers mentors and facilitators for deep listening, emergent thinking, and embodied action

antheosophia offers an apprenticeship-model training and certification program for mentors and facilitators.  This innovative program emphasizes embodied learning.  Trainees learn how to bring their below-words, bodily-felt experiencing--their felt sense--into their learning even of complex theoretical material.  And they learn how to teach so that others can also learn in this fashion.  Over the course of the program, a theoretical understanding is gradually built from each trainee's growing experience in teaching and facilitating these processes, as is consistent with the TAE process itself. Who is it for? The training program has two tracks:  those who would like to be certified as TAE trainers, leading to certification and listing as such by antheosophia, and recognition as a certified TAE trainer by The Focusing Institute,  those who would like to enhance their capacity to offer skilled support for deep listening, emergent thinking, and embodied action in a variety of situations, leading to certification and listing by antheosophia as a mentor/facilitator. You may choose to be trained in either or both of these tracks. How does it work? Each person comes with different skills and needs, so each person's training program will be different. If the above sounds like what you are looking for, contact us and we will discuss what a program for you could look like. If you have not already been trained in Focusing, this is a good beginning point, as the capacity to use Focusing and to guide another in the process is a foundation skill in this program.  There are Focusing trainers worldwide; contact The Focusing Institute to find a trainer close to you. If you have not taken a TAE workshop, you will need to do so before you are accepted into the training program.  You are also encouraged to assist at a workshop (after having taken at least one TAE workshop) before you commit to training; this will help us both to evaluate our "fit".  There is no charge for the workshop itself if you assist as part of such an evaluation. One key dimension of the program is learning by doing; therefore, you will be assisting at workshops and/or with group facilitation as part of your training.  In this way you gain hands-on experience, with a mentor right at hand.   Other elements are:  one-on-one supervision sessions with the coordinator of your training, by email, phone, and face-to-face,  a peer group who share an online presence and work partnerships with one another as well as meeting face-to-face as a group just after the annual retreat, being a mentor at the annual retreat, assistance in forming a local community of practice in your area, if one does not yet exist. Later in your training you become a journeyman trainer or mentor/facilitator, offering workshops and facilitating group and individual processes independently but with continued mentoring and supervision. Certification is based on demonstrated competency rather than on activities fulfilled.   Prior to certification, three forms of written material must be submitted and accepted; standards are high for these materials as they will become part of the training library: a developed example of a TAE theory in your domain, a paper which expands our library of theory and/or practice about TAE and/or deep listening, emergent thinking, and embodied learning and action, handouts or other learning aids which you use in your practice, and a brief outline of the program or services you are offering, contact information, etc.; this will become the information in your public listing after certification. The first three of these will become part of the online library of material which is available to current and future trainees and trainers, mentors, and facilitators.  Also prior to certification, you will submit a presentation and when accepted, offer it at the annual retreat. Time, and cost... Again, this varies somewhat depending on your needs and prior skills.  You complete your training program at your own pace.  It is reasonable to expect your training program to take two years or more.   There is a one-time fee of $75 at the time of registration in the program Cost per year is $750 which covers your (required) participation in the annual retreat and the peer group for trainees, plus $75 per session for a minimum of 4 one-on-one mentoring/supervision sessions per year, by phone or in person (at least one of these sessions must be in person).  Thus, the program costs a minimum of $1000 per year.   The $750 helps defray the cost of your residence at the retreat and the cost of providing online resources, as well as the coordinator's time to facilitate the online peer-group discussion and to respond to questions etc. by email, and other administration of the training program.   The annual fee can be paid in full at the beginning of each year of training; or, if you need to pay over time this can be arranged.  If you pay over time there is a handling fee of $5 per payment to defray our additional administrative costs.  We do need to have received $400 from you by the time of the retreat to cover our costs for your residency there. Additional mentoring/supervision sessions are at your discretion, as you judge what you need as you work towards demonstrating competency for certification. There may be other expenses as well, depending on the skills you have or don't have: for instance, you may need to develop your skill as a Focusing guide.   When you assist at a workshop you attend free of charge; but for workshops (other than the annual retreat) which you attend as a participant only, you will need to pay the full fee (less a 5% courtesy discount for antheosophia-sponsored workshops extended to you as a member of the training program). The time commitment for hands on and formal learning is substantial, as you are mastering theory and practice in a subtle and vast domain which cuts across disciplines.  Much of this time will be spent in independent study, and it is wise to consider, before you begin, whether you are comfortable working this way. We are sensitive to the fact that often, those whose participation in the program might lead to new ways of meeting critical human needs are the very people whose financial resources may be limited due to their commitment to helping others.  Accordingly, we offer a discount to those whose training is sponsored by a nonprofit organization which believes these skills will: be of direct help to their constituency,  aid in new program development within the organization, or help disseminate needed innovations outside the organization.   Please discuss this with us if you think you might qualify.  It is also possible that you might be able to receive funding for training through your organization, either directly or through their sponsorship of a grant from an outside funder to cover your participation. Upon certification, and every year thereafter, there will be an annual fee of $75 which helps to defray the cost of listing you and others in the online directory of trainers and mentor/facilitators and maintaining the online discussion space and library for practitioners.   As a certified TAE trainer or a mentor/facilitator, you are encouraged to continue to come to the annual retreat and join the group of practitioners who meet there, and you are invited to submit presentations you would like to give there as well as papers and other materials to add to our library.

antheosophia    7307 Broadway, #3      San Antonio, TX  78209     telephone: (210)829-5177   email: info@antheosophia.org ©2003 Kye Nelson.  All rights reserved.