Courses

Barbara Forest, Ph.D., is the Instructor for all 6 Core Courses, plus is the Supervisor for the Ongoing Practica.

Pathways of Life-Centred Transformational Counselling (TM)

The Lifespace courses integrate the following units of study to create a uniquely comprehensive and practical skills-oriented program:

Unit 1 teaches the Foundation Skills: establishing an inner resource base, respectful empathic listening, and Gendlin's Focusing (a proven effective & safe method for following an inner process and finding ones own right answers from within). You also gain an overall sense of the transformational process. As you deepen your ability with the Unit 1 skills, you add in-depth transformational focusing and transformational empathy, which, together with the Foundation Skills, becomes the Transformational UnfoldingTM process.

Unit 2 teaches the transformation and integration of the different aspects of self (e.g., transforming the inner critic, inner dialogue).  Profound inner transformational work is done, while maintaining a deeply resourceful inner state. Unit 2 also involves ongoing practice and refinement of your empathizing skills, while learning step-by-step the transformational questions and procedures for the deeply powerful inner parts work (Transformational Integration of Inner PartsTM ). Also included are Transformational DreamworkTM, Transformational Expressive ArtsTM, and Transformational Healing of the Inner ChildTM.

Unit 3 brings in additional structures to contain the highly reactive states associated with trauma and dissociated parts, so that instead of merely reopening old wounds, resourcefulness is maintained and deep inner healing is achieved (Transformational Healing of Past WoundsTM and Transformational Integration of Dissociated PartsTM). Note that the transformational work is always done at the somatic level (in contact with the body sensation level), in addition to the emotional, mental and spiritual, so that the healing release reaches deep into the body.

In Unit 4, the listening skills are applied to relationship, while adding in skills for win-win conflict resolution and healing childhood wounds triggered by relationship issues (Transformational RelationshipTM). Unit 4 also includes the powerful Transformational BeliefworkTM.

SEMESTER BY SEMESTER PROGRAM:  COURSE CONTENT

The six Lifespace Institute Core Courses (one per semester) are skills-oriented, working from a base of key theoretical principles.  The method, Life-Centred Transformational CounsellingTM, integrates a wide range of effective and powerful ingredients to create a uniquely comprehensive program. These personal therapy processes are organized within a systematic 7-step framework, that assists the therapist in guiding clients through progressive transformational stages.

Students begin the Program in September, starting with either the year 1 or year 2 courses, depending on which are currently running.

Note re Starting Time: Usually, students start in the fall of any particular year. However, if you have enough pertinent counselling experience and training, it is possible to start at a later point. To start in the winter, you need some basic skills in inner process work (like Gendlin's Focusing) and empathic listening. It is not usually possible to start in the spring. Ask Barbara Forest to call you to discuss. Doing some catch-up training with Barbara privately is also a possibility.

YEAR ONE

Semester 1 (fall):

Course 601: Foundation Skills and Transformational Unfolding (TM) (Unit 1): Core Process

• Life-Centred Transformational Personal CounsellingTM:  7-Step Integrative System                     
• Foundation Skills: Gendlins Focusing, Empathic Listening, Inner Resource Connection                     
• Experiential Therapy and Being Present                     
• Transformational UnfoldingTM: Transformational Focusing and Transformational Empathy                     
• Transferring the Changes to Daily Life                     

Semester 2 (winter):

Course 602: Transformational Integration of Inner Parts (TM) (Unit 2): Healing the Rifts Within: Reclaiming Wholeness

• Transformational Integration of Inner PartsTM                     
• Creating a Central Coordinator                     
• Transforming the Inner Critic                     
• Healing and Reclaiming the Treasure of the Inner Child                     
• Transforming and Integrating the Adult, Teenager, and Child Selves                     
• Kinesthetic (K) Method for Transforming Blocks and Regular Parts                     
• Visual (V) Method for Transforming Scary Parts    
• Transformational Dream WorkTM                         
• Transforming and Integrating Inner Polarities                     

Semester 3 (spring):

Course 603: Transformational Integration of Dissociated Parts (TM) (Unit 3): Reclaiming Lost and Severely Wounded Parts

• Subconscious Reframing: Guidelines for Communication & Partnership with the Subconscious                     
• Strengthening the Inner Resource Connection                     
• Maintaining Safety and a Constructive Life-Centred Process                     
• Transformational Integration of Dissociated PartsTM: Lost & Disconnected Parts                     
• Principles for working constructively with nonfunctional or highly reactive emotional states are applied to working with addiction, anxiety, and depression (including bipolar)        
• Multiple Dissociation         
• Use of Music and Images to Access and Anchor Inner States                     

YEAR TWO

Note: Students starting in Year 2 of the Program must take an extra one-day Skills Intensive Course, giving the basics of the Unit 1 skills taught in Course 601 (Resource Base, Gendlin's Focusing, and Empathic Listening).

Semester 1 (fall):

Course 614: Transformational Relationship (TM) (Units 1 & 4): Extending the Wholeness

• How to Maintain an Inner  Resource Base and Connectedness in Relationship   
• Applying Focusing and Empathic Listening to Relationship                   
• Understanding Differing styles of Relating                     
• Using Transformational Empathy to Transform a Relationship                     
• Transformational RelationshipTM: Win-Win Synergistic Conflict Resolution, Compassionate Communication, Presence and Intimacy                     
• A Consensus Model for Resolving Conflict (can be used with any size group)                     
• Improvisational Theatre Games for Enhancing Awareness of and Shifting the Patterns in Your Interactions in Positive Ways                     

Semester 2 (winter):

Course 623: Specialty Transformational Tools (Units 2 & 3): Further Personal Empowerment

• Creating New Inner Helpers                     
• Creating an Inner Caretaker                     
• How to Use an Image in Transformational Questions                                 
• Transformational Expressive ArtsTM                     
• Core Transformation (Andreas Method)                     
• Body-Centered Therapy Applied to Parts Work: the 5 Flags (non-verbal, subconscious messages)                     
• Kinesthetic (K) & Visual (V) Swish (Automating the change work)                     
• Internal Strategies (Timelines, Motivation, Decision-Making)                     
• New Code NLP (helping with dyslexia; fast self-help with personal issues; e.g., while walking)                     

Semester 3 (spring):

Course 634: Transformational Healing of Past Wounds (TM) and Transformational Belief Work (TM) (Units 3 & 4): Healing the Past, Creating the Future

• Different Ways of Developing and Building Inner Resources, including Left & Right Brain Methods                     
• Key Spiritual (Life) Principle (also integrated throughout the program)                     
• Transformational Belief WorkTM                     
• Cognitive Therapy                     
• Transformational Healing of Past TraumaTM:  Theatre Method                     
• Transformational Healing of Past TraumaTM:  Survey Method (Healing of childhood wounds triggered by relationship)                     
• In-the-Body Transformational Healing of Past TraumaTM:  Age Regression                     
• In-the-Body safe use of Transformational UnfoldingTM and Transformational Integration of Inner PartsTM (when working with deep wounds and traumatized parts: Breath of Life)                     
• Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Combined with Humanistic Therapy                     

Explaining the Skills: Building Step-by-Step

Course 601 lays the foundation:

• First you build the skills for staying grounded in an inner core of peace and strength --for holding steady in any storm that comes.                 
• While maintaining this inner resource connection you next learn how to make contact with the places of pain and personal issues, in a way that instates a healing process, rather than getting lost in the hurt or stuck in the head.                 
• Once contact has been made, you learn how to deeply unfold your sensing and understanding of what was wrong, and then of what is needed as you learn how to guide the process in a positive transformational direction.  This Transformational Unfolding process infuses the healing currents of our Core Self through every level: somatic (body), mental, and emotional.           
• We explore how to align the Heart and Mind realms with spiritual principle so that they can function powerfully and in harmony          
• Deep listening skills both for yourself and for others are developed, along with principles and methods for keeping the journey on a helpful track, both internally and in your daily life.                 
• These Foundation Skills provide core processes to be used with all the other transformational tools.                 

Course 602 facilitates an ever-deepening wholeness:

• We often have inner parts in conflict.  For example, you might have a Driven Accomplisher part struggling with a Beach Bum part, each sabotaging the others efforts.  Parts in conflict often end up operating in extreme and unconstructive ways.                 
• The transformational inner parts work discovers the positive qualities and purposes that all the parts in conflict have to offer, and integrates them, so that they can work together with flow and harmony.  In the above example you would come to a balance of the Doing and Being aspects of self -- able to claim your fullness of energy and vision for accomplishing things, along with having the qualities of relaxed centredness permeate your life.                 
• Developing a Central Coordinator to oversee and orchestrate harmonious centred inner process and living strengthens the Resource Base.                 
• Most of us have an Inner Critic or judgmental part that hinders us in hurtful ways.  Through the transformational process, this part can become a positive inner support that helps us move forward in our lives.                 
• There are many more aspects of ourselves to be healed, integrated, and their potential, maximized, such as the inner child, teenager, and adult dimensions of self.                 
• Blocks in the way of our full expression (e.g. procrastination, fear of failure, etc.) are also transformed.                 
• You also learn how to transform parts that seem scary, using a comfortable visual method.                 
• An ever-expanding, ever-deepening wholeness of self is reclaimed.                 

Course 603 reaches out to the more severely wounded and disconnected parts, bringing them in out of the cold:

• Transformational Integration of Dissociated PartsTM: Lost & Disconnected Parts.        
• Highly reactive or distressed parts need additional procedures to ensure that transformational processes and integration occur, so that one does not become lost in extreme states.         
• Principles for working constructively with nonfunctional or highly reactive emotional states are applied to working with addiction, anxiety, and depression (including bipolar).         
• Working in partnership with the subconscious is strengthened, including how to work on the subconscious level in changing undesired habit patterns.         

Course 614 combines the foundation skills with skills for transforming relationships:

• In working with relationship, it is important to learn processes that strengthen rather than destroy, that care for each other and the relationship while working through the issues.                 
• Maintaining an inner resource base together is vital.                 
• Conflict resolution skills are used that promote intimacy and personal healing, as well as provide new more mutually satisfying solutions and ways of being together.                  
• Deep listening plus unfolding from a place of connection within oneself are important ingredients.                 
• A consensus model for use with families, or larger groups, is also taught.                 

Course 623 applies inner parts work to special additional transformational tools:

• You learn how to create any inner part you would like to have, such as an inner Caretaker.                 
• You are shown how to use the expressive arts, and dream work in the transformational process.                 
• Andreas Core Transformation is a streamlined parts work method that is especially easy to apply for working with oneself.                 
• You are shown how to be aware of and utilize subconscious flags (non-verbal messages) in Body-Centred Personal Therapy.                 
• Other specialty strategies are learned for working with dyslexia, motivation, decision-making, self-help, etc.                 

Course 634 takes the transformational processes deep into the healing of trauma and limiting beliefs, and further deepens the understanding of core life (spiritual) principle:

• A variety of methods are learned for safely approaching those deeply wounded places, and reclaiming your wholeness of self now, so that you are no longer stuck in any trauma from the past.                 
• The belief work goes deep, including both the cognitive and subconscious levels.  Instead of just changing your thoughts at a surface level, you discover your true magnificent self at a deep core level.           
• Spiritual (life-enhancing) principles as a guide to the process are brought into awareness throughout the Program.  This course deepens this understanding with a key model for working with spiritual alignment, and applies it to working with life-limiting beliefs.                

See 'programs' for Course Format; 'admissions' for Admission Procedure, Tuition Fees, and Schedule.

Please contact us at coordinator@lifespace.ca

Course Location

Courses are held in the High Park area of central west Toronto, with easy TTC access and parking.