A Self-Leadership-Oriented Book for Educators Published

The Foundation for Self Leadership is pleased to announce that The Self-Led Educator, a new book by Joanna Curry-Sartori, LMFT, is being published and now available for presales.

In six highly informative, engaging chapters, this book introduces the IFS-inspired approach that Joanna developed, referred to as P.A.U.S.E. It offers the reader clear and accessible steps for applying it across many school-based scenarios and familiar situations one faces in life. In it, Joanna was able to integrate her varied experiences and sensitivities as teacher, curriculum developer, director of a mindfulness program, and therapist trained in marriage and family therapy, in general, and in IFS therapy, in particular.

This book, which IFS Founder Richard C. Shwartz, PhD, “plans to recommend to anyone who wants a clear model for how IFS can be applied outside of psychotherapy,” as he stated in his foreword, was made possible through a generous grant from the Foundation. The intention of the funding from several years ago was to develop and implement IFS-in-Schools curricula in addition to writing an applied manuscript for school educators. The Foundation additionally supported an independent review of the initial book draft by IFS practitioners, followed by a separate pilot workshop for school leaders that Joanna and a former school superintendent led.

"This was a meaningful investment by the Foundation and a fruitful one," said Toufic Hakim, PhD, Executive Director of the Foundation. “Joanna and her team have taken the initial effort quite far, steadily and significantly expanding it to involve a large group of individual and organizational partners.” The PAUSE program seems to be garnering wide interest and gaining in popularity. Offered to school educators and leaders at various levels of depth, it has also been introduced not only to numerous schools in the US and far beyond, but also in non-school settings as well.

"We're pleased and proud of Joanna's dedication and her achievements alongside a very dedicated team of practitioners. We are grateful for their consistent contributions to greater wellbeing," Hakim added, "which we hope will eventually inspire environments in our schools that are conducive to emotional and social development," which could lead to a more effective teaching and learning experience.