Healing in a World of Need
KAIROS LINKS
Kairos Institute offers courses and programs for the general public and more immersive career oriented programs in artistic therapy and trauma pedagogy training.
Public Welcome
Fall Emergency Pedagogy Online Modules
with Bernd Ruf
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
Module 7: will be on Zoom, Sept. 18-19 2026
Read Course Information
Traumatology Module 7: Emergency Pedagogy: Addressing Major Natural and Human-made Disasters through Healing Communities and Animal-Assisted Therapy Interventions with Bernd Ruf
Online
Friday September 18 and Saturday September 19
Tuition: $ 350
This module examines how catastrophes, such as floods, earthquakes, fires, and human-made disasters, including explosions, produce similar traumatic impacts on children, youths, and adults. Healing communities are foundational in overcoming and working through the consequences of collective trauma. Attention will be given to the healing potential of animal-assisted therapy in supporting trauma-informed pedagogy.
Schedule
Friday, September 18, 2026
- 2:00 – 3:30 PM EST: “Major Incidents”
Saturday, September 19, 2026
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9:00-10:30 AM EST: “Pandemic Trauma”
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11:00 AM -12:30 PM EST: “Healing Community”
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1:30-3:00 PM EST: “Animal-Assisted Interventions”
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3:15-4:00 PM EST: Closing Plenary Session: 21:15 – 22:00
Bernd Ruf
Presenter, Founder of Parzival School & Emergency Pedagogy
Author of Educating Traumatized Children, Bernd Ruf is the founder of the worldwide Emergency Pedagogy crisis intervention center, based in Karlsruhe, Germany. Skilled teams are sent out to help traumatized children in places of the strife of war, or ecological disasters.
ALSO OPEN TO THE PUBLIC:
Free Introduction to 4-year Art Therapy Training
Sunday September 6, 1:30 EDT
Free online session
For those wishing to join our 4-year program, we have 5 available spots for people with backgrounds in anthroposophy, education/art.
If you are interested in a vocational training in Art Therapy (painting, clay, and drawing) please sign up for the free online session and/or write to Karine Munk Finser karine@centerforanthroposophy.org
Kairos Celebratory Convocation with Peter Selg
Sept 13, 2026, 1:30 PM EST
The Mystery of the Heart. Ita Wegman and Rudolf Steiner
Overview of Kairos: 2026-27
Fee: $30
Peter Selg
Peter Selg studied medicine in Witten-Herdecke, Zurich, and Berlin and, until 2000, worked as the head physician of the juvenile psychiatry department of Herdecke Hospital in Germany.
Dr. Selg is director of the Ita Wegman Institute for Basic Research into Anthroposophy (Arlesheim, Switzerland), professor of medicine at the Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences (Germany), and co-leader of the General Anthroposophical Section at the Goetheanum. He is the author of numerous books on Rudolf Steiner, anthroposophy, medical ethics, and the development of culture and consciousness.
Understanding the Organic and Psychospiritual Basis of Mental Health from an Anthroposophic Perspective with Dr. James Dyson
Seminar 1: Mysteries of Embodiment. Two Streams of Incarnations
Saturday, September 26, 2026
3:00 – 5:00 PM EST
Seminar 2: Attachment Dynamics and Personality Structure
Saturday, October 24, 2026
3:00 – 5:00 PM EST
Seminar 3: Organology – Planetary Qualities and the Ethers in Relation to the Threefold Nature of the Human Soul
Saturday, October 31, 2026
3:00 – 5:00 PM EST
Seminar 4: Developmental and Spiritual Challenges of our Times. Understanding the Separation of the Three Soul Forces and Encountering the Guardian of the Threshold
Saturday, November 7, 2026
3:00 – 5:00 PM EST
Fee: $350 (4 Seminars, 2 hours each)
James Dyson, M.D.
Dr. James A. Dyson first trained as a medical doctor in London University and went on to study anthroposophic medicine at Emerson College, Camphill Schools, Aberdeen and in hospitals in Germany. In 1979, he co-founded Park Attwood Clinic, a residential medical facility in the UK, where he practiced for 25 years. He also worked as a school doctor, both in mainstream Waldorf Schools and schools and communities for adults and children with special needs. In 2008, he completed a five-year program in Applied Psychosynthesis at the Institute of Psychosynthesis, London, for which he was later awarded a Masters’ degree in Psychosynthesis Psychology from Middlesex University.
James has lectured over several decades in a very wide range of international anthroposophic medical and therapeutic trainings and is a regular contributor at conferences of the Medical Section of the School of Spiritual Science at the Goetheanum, Switzerland. As a founding Faculty Member of the “Association for Anthroposophic Psychology” in the USA in 2014, he is a regular contributor to their foundation programs. This Association (AAP) currently offers three-year certificate programs in anthroposophic psychology as well as a professional certification program in anthroposophic psychotherapy. Beyond teaching commitments, James’s current practice embraces clinical mentoring and independent consulting. His aspirations lie in connecting esoteric experience with cognitive understanding, especially in relation to psychosomatic medicine, mental health and in the context of human relationship. Published in 2022 by Steiner Books, USA, Soul Size, The Eternal Psychosomatic Dilemma, contains a range of James’s lectures, essays and interviews, in which he explores the realm of soul in relationship to body and spirit.
The Bridge Lectures: Enthusiasm as Warmth to Counter the Cold of our Times Salutogenesis and the Power of Human Love with Dr. Michaela Glöckler
Seminar 1
Sunday, January 24, 2027
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM Seminar 2 1:30 – 3:00 PM EST
Seminar 2
Sunday, February 14, 2027
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM Seminar 2 1:30 – 3:00 PM EST
Seminar 3
Sunday, February 21, 2027
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM Seminar 2 1:30 – 3:00 PM EST
Fee: $350 (6 Seminars, 1 1/2 hour each)
Dr. Michaela Glöckler, M.D.
Michaela Glöckler, M.D., a graduate of the original Waldorf school in Stuttgart, Germany, studied history and German in Freiburg and Heidelberg and medicine in Tübingen and Marburg while engaging in her own study of anthroposophy. After further training as a pediatrician and adolescent physician at the Community Hospital in Herdecke and the University Hospital in Bochum, she launched her career as pediatrician as well as school doctor in a Waldorf school. From 1988 to 2016 she served as Head of the Medical Section at the Goetheanum (Dornach/Switzerland). These years included deep involvement in lecturing activities and the training of physicians (IPMT) at home and abroad. She is co-founder of the Alliance for Childhood and the European Alliance of Initiatives for Applied Anthroposophy/ELIANT (www.eliant.eu).
Publications in English: *Guide to Child Health, The Dignity of the Young Child, Ethical Considerations in Medicine, Education – Health for Life, Education as Preventive Medicine, Medicine at the Threshold, *and Healing Education.
IMMERSIVE PROGRAMS
More about Kairos Institute
The Kairos Institute at the Center for Anthroposophy, founded by Karine Munk Finser, provides professional training in healing artistic therapies and Emergency Pedagogy, addressing global suffering and trauma. The institute offers a supportive community where students develop resilience and self-healing capacities through a combination of residencies, artistic studios, and online classes. As a cooperative member of iARTe, Kairos students work toward a Diploma from the Medical Section at the Goetheanum in Switzerland, and a Certificate in International Crisis Intervention. The program is designed for those in the healing professions, offering a unique approach to personal growth and trauma recovery.
In a world filled with tremendous soul struggle, where the demands on both young and old often lead to overwhelm, mental health crises, and PTSD, the Kairos Institute at the Center for Anthroposophy offers a beacon of hope. Founded by Karine Munk Finser, the institute is dedicated to addressing suffering in the world by providing professional training in healing artistic therapies and Emergency Pedagogy.
Healing in a World of Need
Students in Kairos form a supportive community who journey together over several years. During this time, they develop skills to strengthen resilience and self-healing capacities for themselves and others. Students participate in two residencies per year plus artistic studios and online classes.
At a glance, Kairos provides training in:
Artistic Therapies:
Kairos is a cooperative member of iARTe. Students work towards a Diploma from the Medical Section, Goetheanum, Switzerland. Artistic therapies include painting, clay, and drawing.
Emergency Pedagogy:
Kairos is an English language site for Bernd Ruf’s trauma and crisis intervention modules. These modules deepen students’ understanding of trauma preventative pedagogical and artistic healing approaches. Students work towards a Certificate in International Crisis Intervention. Some modules are included in the Kairos training.
In this time of tremendous soul struggle, the demands on young and old often lead to overwhelm, mental health crises, and PTSD. These stresses can make it difficult to learn in a normal classroom setting or to have enough inner resilience to participate fully in life. The Kairos Institute was created to address suffering in the world. Kairos offers professional training in the healing artistic therapies and in Emergency Pedagogy.
A renowned international faculty contributes to making Kairos a vibrant school of learning. It is a soul school where all are welcomed into a living process dedicated to healing. This work is based on careful training in observation and living into another person’s needs. Empathy and compassion form the foundation of our creativity; and together with the practice and development of artistic capacities, human beings can become medicine for one another.
For questions and more info on our programs, contact Karine today!
Karine Munk Finser
Director
INQUIRE
Donations are gratefully accepted to support the Kairos students scholarship fund.
Financial Aid
Limited Financial Aid is available upon request. To inquire, please fill out and submit the form below
Kairos Financial Aid Application
Kairos Emergency Pedagogy without Borders Team USA in Action
Our Kairos Team, USA, was founded in the summer of 2024. In October, we all met in Asheville under the direction of Bernd Ruf and Alicia D’Urso for our first crisis intervention. We felt called to respond to the wreckage and chaos from the severe storm and flooding that hit North Carolina. Our intervention was successful, thanks to the strong leadership who guided us to become a strong and focused team and to the vast experience of the pedagogues and therapists who formed the sixteen-person team. In addition, we had strong support on the ground from our local coordinator and others who helped us: Sola, School of Living Arts gave us housing and much more, Asheville Waldorf School provided a daily site for students and community members, and we ventured to Shanonoa and Black Mountain where met community members at the Peri Social House. Some of us visited the LatinX community. We returned home grateful for all we had learned and deeply moved by all the human encounters we had experienced—a huge thank you to Bernd Ruf and Alicia D’Urso.
February 8-13, 2025:
Second Crisis intervention under the direction and guidance of Bernd Ruf, Alicia D’Urso, and Renaldo Nascimento Team Kairos will join Team California, who is leading this Los Angeles crisis intervention. We will offer our support to children in the community who are suffering from devastating loss, grief, and trauma after the destructive fires. Natalia Picasso from Team Kairos will submit a report after we return home. We hope to align our two Teams under Team USA for this critical crisis intervention.
Faculty