Our Founding Story…

How Focusing Initiatives International Began: Melinda Darer’s Vision and Partnership

Focusing Initiatives International (FII) began with the vision and initiative of Melinda Darer, who recognized a growing global need for psychosocial support that was both humane and accessible. Working in community and nonprofit contexts, Melinda saw how often people living with trauma, displacement, and chronic stress were left without practical support—especially when clinical mental health services were unavailable, overstretched, or culturally inappropriate. She believed deeply that communities needed approaches grounded in dignity, relationship, and inner resilience.

Melinda also understood that bringing such an approach to life would require strong conceptual grounding and deep field experience. It was from this place that she reached out to Pat Omidian, whose decades of work in humanitarian and post-conflict settings aligned closely with Melinda’s emerging vision. Pat’s research and practice had consistently shown that healing and resilience could not be imposed from outside, but had to grow from within communities themselves.

Their collaboration became the foundation of FII. Melinda took the lead in shaping the organization—articulating its purpose, values, and ethical commitments, and building the structures, partnerships, and funding pathways needed to sustain the work. Pat contributed the conceptual and pedagogical core, helping adapt the Focusing process, developed by Eugene Gendlin, into a community-based, non-clinical practice integrated with psychosocial support and Psychological First Aid.

Together, Melinda and Pat intentionally positioned FII not as a provider of therapy, but as a training organization offering learnable, peer-based practices that could be shared safely within communities. Melinda’s leadership ensured that this vision remained grounded, collaborative, and scalable.

FII exists today because Melinda recognized both the need and the possibility—and because she reached out to the right partner to help turn that possibility into a living, global organization rooted in respect, relationship, and shared resilience.

Melinda Darer, Co-Founder

Melinda Darer co-founded Focusing Initiatives International (FII) in 2014 and has guided its vision and growth with dedication and creativity. With more than 30 years of non-profit management experience, she has developed programs, fostered partnerships, and created spaces of connection across cultures. Before FII, Melinda worked for 17 years at The Focusing Institute, collaborating closely with founders Dr. Eugene Gendlin and Mary Hendricks to develop international programs and policies.

At FII, Melinda launched and promoted many initiatives, including CoronaPlaza.LIFE (nearly 100 webinars during the pandemic), the Wholebody Focusing Gathering (meeting bi-weekly for more than three years), and the Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy trauma program in New York City. She has also supported trainings, global webinars, and community-based Focusing projects across regions.

Melinda stepped down from her formal role in September 2025. All of us at Focusing Initiatives International express our deep gratitude for her vision, generosity, and tireless commitment to building global community resilience.

Thank you, Melinda, for all your hard work and dedication!

Pat Omidian, Co-Founder

Dr. Patricia Omidian holds a Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco (1992) and has taught at universities in the US, Japan, Pakistan and Afghanistan. She conducted research and developed intervention programs on trauma, psychosocial wellness and the anthropology of emotions in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In addition to her abundant research and publication record, she offers workshops and lectures on Focusing and various positive psychology techniques in the context of trauma and wellness in many countries and has given presentations in 13 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. She is a Certifying Coordinator and a former member of the Board of Directors for The Focusing Institute. Melinda Darer and Pat created Focusing Initiatives International. She co-founded the world-wide movement of “Community Wellness Focusing.”