Overview over all activities of the ETAB in 2025
17th July 2025
The ETAB annual report can be downloaded here.
ETAB Annual Report – 2025
European and Israeli Feldenkrais Training and Accreditation Board
Overview
During 2025, the European and Israeli Feldenkrais Training and Accreditation Board (ETAB) continued its work to ensure consistency, quality, and accountability within Feldenkrais training and accreditation processes across Europe and Israel. The year was characterised less by major structural change and more by sustained engagement with governance questions, policy interpretation, and the careful handling of individual and training-related matters.
ETAB met regularly throughout the year, both online and in person, and remained actively involved in InterTAB and IFF-related discussions. A substantial part of the work focused on maintaining organisational continuity, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and responding to emerging challenges within an evolving international and educational context.
Governance, Structure, and Policy
Governance-related issues formed a central thread throughout ETAB’s work in 2025. Recurrent discussions addressed the distribution of decision-making authority and the relationships between ETAB, ETC, InterTAB, and IFF. Particular attention was given to reaffirming ETC’s role as the governing body for EuroTAB.
Over the course of the year, ETAB repeatedly engaged with questions concerning the procedures by which guidelines and policies may be changed. These discussions highlighted the absence of clear, shared mechanisms at the international level and the resulting uncertainties for TABs, applicants, and the broader professional community. ETAB consistently advocated for transparent, well-defined processes that operate at an organisational level.
Assistant Trainer guidelines were a recurring topic of discussion, including questions related to assessment criteria, recommendation requirements, and alignment with practices adopted by other TABs. More broadly, ETAB contributed to reflections on the structure and future functioning of TABs, particularly in regions where training programmes operate across national or jurisdictional boundaries and require coordinated oversight.
InterTAB and IFF Engagement
Throughout 2025, ETAB maintained an active presence within InterTAB work. ETAB participated regularly in meetings, contributed to agenda-setting, and, when appropriate, chaired discussions at the InterTAB level. These engagements included reflections on the effectiveness of existing working structures, questions of representation, and the practical impact of InterTAB’s activities.
Engagement with ETC involved the exchange of information regarding guideline updates, internal regulation changes, and voting processes. In situations where ETAB had not been involved in the development of proposed policy changes, this position was clearly articulated and formally communicated. ETAB also participated in the IFF General Assembly through rotating representation, ensuring continuity of involvement while accommodating the limited availability of individual members.
In parallel, ETAB contributed to broader international discussions that emerged during the year, including questions related to the use of AI in personal applications, the clarity and coherence of pedagogical foundations in trainings. ETAB supported and actively participated in the development of international working groups.
Martin Mosimann actively participated in the IWG’s work, and Jaime Polanco is currently actively involved in the same working group.
Applications and Accreditation
The assessment of personal applications remained one of ETAB’s core responsibilities and constituted a substantial portion of the Board’s workload during 2025. Applications were reviewed across multiple categories, including Trainer, Assistant Trainer, Trainer Candidate, Fast Track, and resubmissions.
Many applications required extended discussion, either due to borderline cases, incomplete submissions, or broader questions concerning the interpretation of existing guidelines. Throughout the year, ETAB issued detailed feedback letters, often requesting additional case studies, clearer articulation, or further professional development. A number of applications were approved following careful deliberation, while others were rejected when minimum requirements were not met.
ETAB also addressed exceptional requests for an extension of the seven-year timeframe within which the training should be completed, consistently reaffirming the importance of applying existing regulations in a fair, transparent, and consistent manner, even when individual circumstances were complex.
During the second half of 2025, ETAB observed a significant decrease in the number of personal applications submitted across categories. While the underlying reasons for this development are likely multifactorial, the Board considers this trend relevant and potentially indicative of broader dynamics within the professional and educational community. Rather than interpreting this decline in isolation, ETAB identified it as a topic requiring collective reflection and further analysis, to be addressed in more depth during the planned live meeting in 2026.
Training Programs
In addition to personal applications, ETAB remained engaged in the review and oversight of training-related matters throughout the year. This included the assessment of training programme applications, discussions regarding changes in Educational Directors or teaching configurations, and the monitoring of compliance with existing guidelines and documentation requirements.
Particular attention was paid to training programmes operating in complex international contexts, where jurisdictional questions and differing regional practices necessitate careful coordination. ETAB’s work in this area aimed to balance the need for flexibility with the responsibility to maintain clear educational, organisational, and ethical standards.
Internal Functioning
During 2025, ETAB also devoted time to reflecting on its own internal functioning and working processes. Discussions addressed communication practices, the use of official channels for substantive exchanges, and the importance of collective decision-making. The Board reaffirmed the value of clear documentation and consistent reporting, both for internal use and for communication with ETC.
Workload distribution and staffing challenges were also acknowledged. With regard to staffing, the Board reiterated throughout the year the continued absence of a second Trainer member. This situation represents not only a limitation in terms of internal exchange and diversity of perspectives within discussions, but also a deviation from the general rules governing the intended composition of the Board. ETAB has repeatedly reflected on possible strategies to recruit the missing Trainer, including raising the issue with ETC. To date, however, no viable solution has been identified, and the matter remains open.
Final considerations
While 2025 did not result in major structural reforms, it was a year of important groundwork and consolidation. ETAB invested significant effort in clarifying positions, maintaining organisational coherence and contributing thoughtfully to international discussions. Recurring challenges identified during the year included the lack of clear procedures for policy change, maintaining standards in training programmes, and the need to further strengthen pedagogical perspectives within career development pathways.
In addition, ETAB acknowledged the importance of actively addressing its relationship with the wider professional community. The Board is aware that recent events, including tensions related to changes in the Assistant Trainer guidelines and the subsequent exchange with the Italian Guild, may have affected perceptions of ETAB’s role and functioning. While these processes took place within an organisational and regulatory framework, ETAB recognises the need to work intentionally on restoring clarity, trust, and reputation.
These aspects, together with the observed decrease in personal applications, will form a central part of the agenda for the live meeting planned for 2026. The meeting is intended to support open discussion, strategic reflection, and the development of targeted actions aimed at strengthening communication, transparency, and the standing of ETAB within the international Feldenkrais community
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Accreditations 2025 |
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Assistant Trainers Shosha Dekel (Israel) Tereza Hrdličková (Czech Republic)
Trainer Candidates Sascha Krausneker (Austria)
Trainers /
New FPTPs Ekaterinburg 1 (Russia) Brussels 4 (Belgium) Paris 14 (France) MIFT 3 (Russia) Poland 1 (Poland) Siberia 1(Russia) Istanbul 1 (Turkey) Sussex 14 (UK) Bar 9 (Israel) |