Full Course Description

Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS): A Revolutionary & Transformative Treatment for Permanent Healing of PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, Substance Abuse and More!

Program Information

Objectives

Integrate the IFS model into your clinical practice and accelerate healing for PTSD, anxiety, depression, substance abuse and eating disorders.
Develop a deep understanding of how neuroscience informs therapeutic decisions in IFS therapy.
Determine the protective parts of clients with trauma histories to help with assessment and treatment planning.
Propose an alternate view of symptoms and psychopathology, showing how client’s parts are actually trying to protect them from emotional pain and psychological pain.
Demonstrate how IFS translates common comorbidities into parts language, showing a non-pathological perspective of mental health disorders.
Integrate IFS with your current treatment approaches including EMDR, DBT, and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy.

Outline

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Origins of IFS - the work of Richard Schwartz, PhD
A non-pathologizing, accelerated approach rooted in neuroscience
Apply inner resources and self-compassion for healing
How to heal implicit memory wounds
Harness neuroscience for techniques that cure traumatic wounds

The IFS Technique

Step 1: Identifying the Diagnoses & Symptoms

Assess the diagnoses: PTSD, anxiety, depression, substance abuse and eating disorders
Apply Meditation practices
- Finding the symptom
- Focusing on its fear
- Separating the person (self) from the symptom
- Becoming curious about it
- Find the real story behind the symptom

Step 2: Gain Access to Internal Strengths & Resources for Healing

Moving from defensiveness to curiosity
Access compassion to open the pathways toward healing
Foster “internal attachment” work
The “Self” of the therapist-countertransference redefined

Step 3: Healing of the Traumatic Wound

Three phases to healing the wound:
- Witness the pain
- Remove the wounded part out of the past
- Let go of the feelings, thoughts and beliefs
Memory reconsolidation & neuroscience

Integrate IFS into Your Treatment Approach

EMDR, DBT, Sensorimotor and other methods
Transformation vs adaptation or rehabilitation
Going beyond the cognitive
Integrate IFS with your current clinical approach

Copyright : 11/12/2015

Internal Family Systems Step By Step

OUTLINE:

Understanding Parts & Self in IFS
•   Parts are sub-personalities that interact internally in sequences and styles that are similar to the ways that people interact.
•   It is the nature of the mind to be subdivided.
•   All parts are valuable and want to have a positive role.
•   Parts become extreme and can be destructive because of life experiences.
•   Self is a different level of entity than the parts.
•   Self is the seat of consciousness. It is invisible because it is the observing “you”.
•   The Self contains qualities like compassion, confidence, curiosity, and perspective—the qualities of good leadership.
•   The Self can be obscured by the extremes of parts.

The Basic Goals of IFS
• Releasing parts from their extreme roles so they can find and adopt their preferred, valuable roles.
• DIfferentiating client’s Self from parts so Self can help harmonize and balance the inner and outer life.

Working with Exile Parts

•   Exiles are young, vulnerable parts that have experiences trauma and are isolated from the rest of the system for their own and the system’s protection.
•   Exiles carry the memories, sensations, and emotions of past events and are stuck in the past.
•   Exiles are easily flooded, so you need a calm, reassuring environment to approach.

Working with Protector Parts

Parts that run the day-to-day life of the person trying to keep exiles exiled by staying in control of events or relationships, being perfect and pleasing, caretaking, scaring the person out of taking risks by criticizing, apathy, worry, etc.
Firefighters: Parts that react when exiles are activated in an effort to extinguish their feelings or dissociate the person from them. Common firefighter activities include: drug or alcohol use, self mutilation (cutting), binge-eating, sex binges, suicidal ideation, and rage. They have the same goals as managers (to keep exiles away), but different, more impulsive strategies.

Case Study: Working with Protectors and Exiles—Two of the Most Common Parts
•   Identifying Parts—the First Steps
•   Unblending Parts from Self
•   Negotiating with protectors through direct access
•   With permission of protectors, begin working with exiles – witnessing,    retrievals and unburdening.
•   Strategies for Working with Exiles
•   Throughout the process, keep your parts from interfering.

OBJECTIVES:

1. Explain the importance of the Three-Group Model of Common Parts in the clinical applications of IFS.

2. Describe the differences between parts and Self and how it relates to clients.

3. Describe the step-by-step process of unblending the Self from parts.

4. Explain IFS’s unique approach to managing flooding and dissociation

5. Explain the process a therapist must take when a client begins to dissociate during IFS work.

6. Describe which parts take priority in the IFS process

Program Information

Objectives

Demonstrate the importance of the Three-Group Model of Common Parts in the clinical applications of IFS.
Distinguish the differences between parts and Self and how it relates to clients.
Analyze the step-by-step process of unblending the Self from parts.
Demonstrate IFS’s unique approach to managing flooding and dissociation.
Demonstrate the process a therapist must take when a client begins to dissociate during IFS work.
Debate which parts take priority in the IFS process.

Copyright : 11/02/2016

Dick Schwartz Answers Your Questions about IFS

Program Information

Outline

Richard Schwartz answers your questions.
Intro to call
Questions of the IFS
Summary of Call

Objectives

Evaluate the Internal Family Systems model, the clinical demonstrations, and how IFS can help you in your practice.

Copyright : 21/09/2016

The Myth of Unitary Self: A Dialogue on the Multiplicity of Mind with Daniel Siegel, MD and Richard Schwartz, Ph.D.

Objectives

Assess how to help clients not over-identify with a single part of themselves, and empower them to move beyond the diagnostic labels they feel define them
Evaluate the concept of mindsight and how an enhanced ability to perceive the workings of one’s own mind can lead to greater levels of personal integration
Assess the distinction between the Self and one’s parts and how it can help clients develop a capacity for self-leadership and self-regulation
Communicate the practical similarities and differences between two widely influential models of personality and change

Outline
Brief overview of interpersonal neurobiology

Presentation of using interpersonal to look at “triangle” of human experience - relationships, body and mind
- False goals of “unitary” self
- Integrated identity that makes up one’s “self”

Internal Family System (IFS) view of multiplicity

Presentation of IFS outlook of multiple parts within the person
- Healing oneself internally through parts Eight “C” word qualities of self that aid in healing: curiosity, confidence, calm, compassion, creativity, clarity, connectedness and courage.

Discussion between presenters Daniel Siegel and Richard Schwartz on how to bring the concept of multiplicity into therapy

Helping client not over-identify with single part
Distinction between the self and the parts
Similarities and Differences between neurobiology and IFS

Exercise to overcome emotional obstacles
Concluding discussion between speakers

Case examples of multiplicity in psychotherapy
Techniques to use neurobiology and IFS within therapy sessions

Audience question and answer session with speakers

Copyright : 28/03/2015

IFS for Complex Trauma

Objectives

Explain why Internal Family Systems therapy is an effective method for treating trauma.

Outline

Help clients communicate with disowned and disliked parts of the themselves
Avoid becoming the primary attachment figure and, instead, open the way for the client’s Self to emerge
Use methods for transparently handling situations in which the therapist can get emotionally triggered

Program Information

Objectives

Demonstrate why Internal Family Systems therapy is an effective method for treating trauma.

The Inner Game of Psychotherapy

Objectives

List 3 protocols of IFS therapy and how to apply them when working with clients who have complex developmental trauma.

Outline

Family therapist, Richard Schwartz introduces the concept of Internal Family System (IFS)- a clear, systematic methodology for helping clients heal themselves.
A basic premise of IFS is that the “Inner Self” is not a single, monolithic persona, but in fact, a complex Internal Family System (IFS) of different parts-or sub-personalities-each with its own sometimes antagonistic memories, viewpoints, desires, and agendas.
Understanding IFS Parts

They are sub-personalities or aspects of our personality that interact internally in sequences and styles that are similar to the ways that people interact
All parts are valuable and want to have a positive role
Parts become extreme and can be destructive because of life experiences

Three most common roles played by internal parts

Exiles. Young, vulnerable parts that have experiences trauma and are isolated from the rest of the system for their own and the system’s protection. Exiles carry the memories, sensations, and emotions of the events and are stuck in the past
Managers. Parts that run the day-to-day life of the person trying to keep exiles exiled by staying in control of events or relationships, being perfect and pleasing, caretaking, scaring the person out of taking risks by criticizing, apathy, worry, etc.
Firefighters. Parts that react when exiles are activated in an effort to extinguish their feelings or dissociate the person from them. Common firefighter activities include: drug or alcohol use, self mutilation (cutting), binge-eating, sex binges, suicidal ideation, and rage. Firefighters have the same goals as managers (to keep exiles away), but different, more impulsive strategies

Understand the Self in IFS

The Self is a different level of entity than the parts
It is the seat of consciousness-sometimes called the “observing self.”
In IFS, the Self is known to contain qualities like compassion, confidence, curiosity, and perspective

Basic Goals of IFS:

To release parts from their extreme roles so they can find and adopt their preferred, valuable roles
To differentiate client’s Self so Self can help harmonize and balance a client’s inner and outer life

Introduction of case study: a clinical video demo using IFS with a client who has a history of complex developmental trauma
Video illustrates the key steps in the IFS model:

Assess the client’s external system to make sure it is safe to do work
Introduce IFS language to client
Ask what client would like to change
Explore the roles and relationships among prominent internal parts
Identify and work with managers first
Ask about and defuse any dangerous firefighters
With permission of managers, begin working with exiles
Notice how the client’s deeper Self-characterized by confidence, compassion, and wisdom-emerges during the process
Observe the Core Self assume a leadership role in integrating conflicted and disowned inner parts
Throughout the process, notice how the therapist keeps his own parts from interfering

Program Information

Objectives

Use 3 protocols of IFS therapy and how to apply them when working with clients who have complex developmental trauma.