IFS Talks

IFS and Autism with Sarah Bergenfield - Part 2 Oct 29, 2024

Our guest today is Sarah Bergenfield, a Somatic Psychologist, and a Level 3-trained and Certified IFS practitioner, specializing in autism. Sarah holds a master’s degree in embodiment studies and wrote her thesis on autism as an embodied condition that impacts the brain, body, and mind. Sarah is a student in the Applied Neuroscience program at Kings College in London and begins her Ph.D. in Psychology in September at the California Institute of Integral Studies.
She is a wife, mom to three children, and dog mom to Magnus, her assistance dog. Sarah is the co-author of the book, Embodying Autism – Navigating your Autistic Brain, Body, and Mind, written with Martha Sweezey and published next year by New Harbinger. She is an international speaker and educator on the topic of understanding autism as an embodied condition.
We will be speaking with Sarah about the nature of autism (Episode Part 1) and (Episode Part 2) how IFS concepts and techniques can be understood through the lens of autism, how IFS therapy can be helpful for autistic clients, and some special considerations to keep in mind when working with autistic clients with IFS.
Hope you enjoy the episode and find it useful.

IFS and Autism with Sarah Bergenfield - Part 1 Oct 29, 2024

Our guest today is Sarah Bergenfield, a Somatic Psychologist, and a Level 3-trained and Certified IFS practitioner, specializing in autism. Sarah holds a master’s degree in embodiment studies and wrote her thesis on autism as an embodied condition that impacts the brain, body, and mind. Sarah is a student in the Applied Neuroscience program at Kings College in London and begins her Ph.D. in Psychology in September at the California Institute of Integral Studies.
She is a wife, mom to three children, and dog mom to Magnus, her assistance dog. Sarah is the co-author of the book, Embodying Autism – Navigating your Autistic Brain, Body, and Mind, written with Martha Sweezey and published next year by New Harbinger. She is an international speaker and educator on the topic of understanding autism as an embodied condition.
We will be speaking with Sarah about the nature of autism (Episode Part 1) and (Episode Part 2) how IFS concepts and techniques can be understood through the lens of autism, how IFS therapy can be helpful for autistic clients, and some special considerations to keep in mind when working with autistic clients with IFS.
Hope you enjoy the episode and find it useful.

The Nature of The Self, with Dick Schwartz May 03, 2024

In today's episode our guest is Dr. Schwartz, the developer of the Internal Family Systems model. Among the topics we address are the Dual Nature of Self, Self’s “Agenda,” IFS as a Constraint-Release Model, Self as the Agent of Healing, the wisdom of Self, Self’s Development, Trauma and Self, Self and the Body, Restoring Trust in Self, and Self and Vulnerability.

Trauma and Dissociation Informed IFS with Joanne Twombly Feb 11, 2024

Today, we revisit Joanne Twombley’s amazing episode from 2022 on Trauma- and Dissociation-Informed IFS.
Joanne H. Twombly, MSW, LICSW is a psychotherapist in private practice in Arlington, MA. She has over thirty years of experience working with C-PTSD and dissociative disorders, provides trainings and consultation. She has written on EMDR and Dissociative Disorders, EMDR and Internal Family Systems, and on working with perpetrator introjects. Her commitment to helping her clients heal and to providing quality training has resulted in her becoming an EMDR Consultant and a Trauma and Recovery Humanitarian Assistance Program Facilitator, Internal Family Systems Certified, and an American Society for Clinical Hypnosis Consultant. She is a past president of the New England Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. In recognition of her achievements and her service on committees and the Board of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) she was honnored with ISSTD's Distinguished Achievement Award and is an ISSTD Fellow.

IFS-informed OCD treatment with Melissa Mose Dec 14, 2023

In this episode, we discuss understanding OCD through an IFS lens. We explore particular challenges in treating OCD that arise from the interplay of the neurological and psychological factors that underly the condition. We also discuss how IFS integrates effective elements of other empirically validated treatments for OCD, and why IFS enhances the effectiveness of these interventions.

Melissa Mose, LMFT, has been in private practice for 30 years and has specialized in working with OCD for roughly half of that. She is currently the president of OCD Southern California, an affiliate of the International OCD Foundation and she is an international speaker and educator on Obsessive Compulsive disorder. As a Level 3 trained and certified Internal Family Systems therapist and an IFSI-approved professional consultant, Melissa is committed to developing a more compassionate, IFS-informed approach to evidence-based treatment for OCD. She is currently working on several projects designed to raise awareness, improve early identification and a wider range of treatment options for individuals with OCD.

Exiles and the Healing process with Einat Bronstein Oct 29, 2023

In this episode, we explore the nature and healing of exiles. We discuss finding and connecting with exiles, approaches to dealing with protectors’ fears of overwhelm, the healing and integration process, and more.
Einat is a psychotherapist with over 30 years of clinical experience with individuals, couples, families, and groups. She has lived and worked with IFS since the early days of the model and learned closely and directly from Dr. Richard Schwartz. She is a certified IFS therapist and supervisor and a Senior International Lead Trainer for IFSI. She is also the co-founder and co-director of The Israeli Institute for IFS that brought IFS to Israel and has trained hundreds of Israeli therapists in the model since 2008. Einat taught family and couples therapy at Tel Aviv University, presented multiple times at the IFS Annual Conference, and has led IFS trainings, seminars and workshops all over the world. She is married, has 4 children and one grandchild, and lives in Israel. She feels that all aspects of her life have been greatly influenced and shaped by the loving and spacious perspective IFS offers, for which she is deeply grateful.

Finding Your Own Way as an IFS Therapist with Paul Neustadt Aug 15, 2023

Today we are welcoming IFS Lead Trainer, Paul Neustadt. Paul is a clinical social worker who has worked in community mental health and the counseling program of a working class state university, and he has been the director of a community based counseling and prevention program. He is an IFS senior co-lead trainer who also provides IFS consultation for individuals and groups. He has given workshops on The Gifts of Our Exiles: Reconnecting with Our True Self; Direct Access: An Essential Skill of IFS; Self Led Parenting; Self Led Feedback; Skeptical Parts; and other topics. He has written a chapter called “From Reactive to Self Led Parenting” in a book edited by Martha Sweezy and Ellen Ziskind. Today, we will be talking with him about the process of finding our own way with the IFS model as therapists and practitioners. You can contact Paul at probneus@gmail.com

Martha Sweezy's Internal Family Systems Therapy for Shame and Guilt Jul 28, 2023

Having worked in community mental health at the outpatient department of the Cambridge Health Alliance for 18 years as a therapist, supervisor and the associate director of the DBT program, Martha Sweezy experienced with a wide variety of mental health challenges, many related to the sequelae of trauma. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and a clinical and program development consultant at Cambridge Health Alliance. Until January, 2015, Martha was the Associate Director and Director of Training of DBT at Cambridge Health Alliance. In addition to being the author of several articles, Martha is a co-editor or co-author of eight books related to IFS (see Publications), and co-leads (with Toni Herbine-Blank) workshops for IFS trained therapists on shame and self-compassion, fondly nicknamed “Shame Camp” by participants. Martha has an online private practice.

The Further Reaches of IFS and Beyond with Bob Falconer May 07, 2023

Today on Explorations in Psychotherapy, we are welcoming IFS practitioner, teacher, and author, Mr. Robert Falconer. Bob has an undergraduate degree in cultural anthropology, with a focus on the history of religions, and a Master’s degree in psychology. Bob has been extensively trained in multiple therapeutic modalities, but he has devoted himself to the Internal Family Systems model for over 10 years, as he has found it to be the most compassionate and potent way to work with severe trauma. At this point in his career, he is increasingly focused on the spiritual dimensions of healing. He has published 7 books and co-edited four. Today, we will be speaking with him about his new book, which represents the culmination of decades of in-depth research, calledThe Others Within Us: Internal Family Systems, Porous Mind, and Spirit Possession.

No Bad Parts: Individual and Collective Healing with Dick Schwartz Apr 07, 2023

Today, and while we do a pause in our IFS Talks series, we release a 2021 episode with Dick Schwartz.
The Hosts, Alexia Rothman and Aníbal Henriques will be speaking primarily about his latest book, No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model, published in 2021 summer by Sounds True.
Dick speaks not only to the basics in IFS, but he goes deeper into the healing and transformative challenges we all face individually and collectively, and discusses IFS as a spiritual practice as well as a psychotherapeutic morality.
Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

The Power of Utilizing IFS in a Group Format - with Chris Burris Jan 09, 2023

Chris Burris, M.Ed, LMFT, LCMHCS, is a Clinical Consultant and Senior Lead Trainer for the Center for Self Leadership.Chris has been a psychotherapist since 1989, working with diverse populations in community agencies, intensive residential centers, institutions of higher learning, and in private practice. He began training in the Internal Family Systems model in 1999 and is currently a Senior Lead Trainer for the Internal Family Systems Institute where he teaches Level 1, Level II, and Level III trainings and serves as a trainer and mentor for new IFS training staff. Recently Chris published "Creating Healing Circles", a book focused on utilizing IFS in group formats.

Multiplicity in Psychotherapy and Beyond, with Robert Falconer Dec 28, 2022

Today we bring a 2021 episode on Explorations in Psychotherapy Podcast, with Bob Falconer. Bob earned his undergraduate degree in cultural anthropology, with a focus on the history of religions. In the early 1980s, he pursued his Master’s degree in psychology. In his career as a therapist, Robert spent considerable time at the Esalen Institute and decades involved in Gestalt therapy. For 15 years, he was the executive director of the Institute for Trauma-Oriented Psychotherapy. Over the course of his career, Robert has been extensively trained in multiple therapeutic modalities, but he has completely devoted himself to the Internal Family Systems model for the past 10 years, as he has found it to be the most compassionate and potent way to work with severe trauma. At this point in his career, he is increasingly focused on the spiritual dimensions of healing. He has published 6 books, co-edited four, and most recently co-authored a book with Dr. Richard Schwartz, the developer of the IFS model, entitled "Many Minds, One Self: Evidence for a Radical Shift in Paradigm". Today, we will be speaking with Bob about this wonderful book. Robert is teaching a lot now. If you want to study with him go to Bob's website at https://robertfalconer.us

Trauma and Dissociation Informed IFS with Joanne Twombly Nov 06, 2022

Joanne H. Twombly, MSW, LICSW (Pronouns: she/her/hers) is a psychotherapist in private practice in Arlington, MA. She has over thirty years of experience working with C-PTSD and dissociative disorders, provides trainings and consultation. She has written on EMDR and Dissociative Disorders, EMDR and Internal Family Systems, and on working with perpetrator introjects. Her commitment to helping her clients heal and to providing quality training has resulted in her becoming an EMDR Consultant and a Trauma and Recovery Humanitarian Assistance Program Facilitator, Internal Family Systems Certified, and an American Society for Clinical Hypnosis Consultant. She is a past president of the New England Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. In recognition of her achievements and her service on committees and the Board of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) she was honnored with ISSTD's Distinguished Achievement Award and is an ISSTD Fellow.

Therapeutic Relationships and Addictive Processes: Help for Managers! Oct 02, 2022

Cece Sykes, LCSW is a senior trainer at the Internal Family Systems Institute with over thirty-five years of clinical experience specializing in recovery from trauma and addiction. Her chapter on treating addictive processes appears in IFS: Innovations & Elaborations, 2016). She is co-author of a new book on IFS therapy with Martha Sweezy, due out in early 2023: Treating Addictive Processes with Internal Family Systems Therapy: A Compassionate and Effective Approach for Helping People Who Soothe or Distract with Substances, Food, Gambling, Pornography, and More. Cece also developed the Heart Lessons of the Journey retreat for an on-going study of therapist narratives. She lectures and consults internationally on these and other related subjects. Cece lives and works in Chicago.

The Essence of Healing with Art Mones Sep 26, 2022

Today we bring an episode from Explorations in Psychotherapy, Alexia Rothman as co-host. We welcome Dr. Arthur Mones, a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology with over three decades of experience as a therapist, teacher, and clinical supervisor. He is on the faculty of the Adelphi University Derner Institute Postgraduate Training Program in Couples Therapy. Previously, he served as Coordinator of Marriage and Family Therapy Training in the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at St. John’s University, and was a faculty member of the Long Island Institute for Psychoanalysis and Psyhchotherapy. He is an Approved Supervisor of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, and is a Certified Internal Family Systems Therapist. His publications include Transforming Troubled Children, Teens, and Their Families: An Internal Family Systems Model for Healing, and the KidsWorld Psychotherapeutic Board Game along with a Therapist’s Guide to KidsWorld. He offers Workshops and Consultation Groups on The Essence of Emotional Healing. Today, we will focus on Art's most recent book, The Essence of Healing: A Quest for a MetaModel of the Psychotherapy of Trauma, published in 2021.

Intercultural Competence and IFS: A Conversation with Fatimah Finney Sep 05, 2022

Fatimah Finney is a serial goal-setter, lover of new ideas, and imaginative thinker.

She is a certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist and maintains a private practice serving BIPOC, young adults and people navigating workplace issues. She is a certified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and is a consultant for individuals and organizations aiming to build their capacity and skills for centering diversity equity and inclusion in their workplaces.

Prior to her counseling and consulting practice, Fatimah was an in-home therapist to children and adults and served as a director of a community mental health agency. Through her clinical leadership roles, she cultivated a strong commitment to helping therapists increase their cultural competence and clinical fluency with diverse populations. Fatimah is a new Assistant Trainer at the IFS Institute and will be teaching in the upcoming Continuity Program on Intent, Impact and Intercultural Competence.

She recharges her spirit by playing with her children, taking walks with her parts, and dabbling in creative writing.

The Gifts of our Protectors and Direct Access with Paul Neustadt Aug 23, 2022

Paul Neustadt, MSS, LICSW, is a senior IFS Co-Lead Trainer. He also co-leads a monthly seminar for level 1 graduates focused on integrating the skills learned in level 1. He has led workshops on Self Led Parenting, the Therapeutic Relationship in IFS, Direct Access: An Essential Skill of IFS, IFS and Climate Change, and The Gifts of Our Exiles.

For 17 years Paul was director of a community counseling and prevention program for children, adolescents, and their families. Paul has also worked in a college counseling center and community mental health center, and taught couples and family therapy in a family therapy institute and two graduate programs. In his private practice Paul now specializes in IFS consultation, both group and individual.

Paul lives with his wife and long time life partner, Barbara, and together they are delighting in being grandparents to a wonderful toddler. He has two grown children who have greatly expanded his consciousness in many ways. Paul feels most at home in nature, near water and close to trees. He enjoys kayaking and hiking and riding his bike.

As an IFS trainer, Paul creates a safe, accepting atmosphere, attends thoughtfully to group process, and ensures that all parts are welcome. He is known for his clear, down to earth, and open-hearted manner. Paul is grateful for the opportunity to share with others the things that have most transformed his own life.

Unlocking the Light of Sexual Intimacy with Nancy Wonder and IFIO Jul 06, 2022

Nancy Wonder, Ph.D. is a Licensed Psychologist practicing in Tallahassee, Florida where she offers Internal Family Systems therapy and consultation.Dr. Wonder obtained her Ph.D. from Florida State University in Counseling Psychology and remained as a field instructor for FSU for many years teaching and training doctoral students.

In 2003 she began to be fascinated by the Internal Family Systems model and later became involved in the IFS applied couple model of Intimacy From the Inside Out (IFIO). This fascination has led Nancy to establish a full-time practice that revolves around individual and couples counseling using the IFS and IFIO models. Nancy loves to teach other therapists about the two powerful, life changing models of IFS and IFIO.

Dr. Wonder has published two chapters regarding use of Internal Family Systems with a case involving pornography addiction: (Wonder, N.M. (2012) “Treating Pornography Addiction with IFS” in Internal Family Systems: New Dimensions. Eds. M. Sweezy & E. Ziskind, Routledge; NY, NY. And another on IFS and supervision:Internal Family Systems Therapy: Supervision and Consultation, Edited by Emma Redfern Making the Unconscious Conscious in IFS Consultation of Sexual Abuse, Sexual Offending, and Sexual Compulsivity Cases.

She has taught for the Institute of Internal Family Systems, PESI, and Intimacy From the inside Out with a total of 15 years-experience teaching IFS and IFIO. She also is a senior lead trainer for Intimacy From the Inside Out. Dr. Wonder teaches throughout the United States and in Europe. Her students describe her as warm, real, and an excellent clinician.

She also developed an IFS Continuity Program for treating sexual addiction and sexual victimization through the use of IFS. Dr. Winikates and Dr. Wonder created a webinar for loneliness that they offered through the Internal Family Systems Institute early in the pandemic.

In her leisurely time she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and 3 grandchildren.

BIPOC Leadership, Healing and IFS with Crystal Jones Jun 11, 2022

Crystal Jones, LCSW is a Certified IFS Therapist and Assistant Trainer. She feels extremely grateful to have experienced and witnessed the healing benefits of the IFS model in her own life and in the lives of her clients. She has 18 years of clinical experience and owns a private group practice, Life Source Counseling Center, Inc., in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Crystal is known for her compassion and heart-led approach to her work. She is passionate about creating safe spaces for BIPOC women to feel connected, seen, heard, and valued as they do their healing work individually and collectively. She also enjoys providing IFS clinical consultation to therapists and practitioners learning the model and pursuing certification. In her leisure time, Crystal enjoys traveling, being with her family and friends, reading, enjoying nature, and caring for her plant collection. She truly looks forward to sharing in the healing journeys of all inspired by this model.

Getting Past You and Me with Terry’s new book: Us Jun 04, 2022

Terrence Real is an internationally recognized family therapist, speaker, and author. He founded the Relational Life Institute, offering workshops for couples, individuals, and parents along with a professional training program for clinicians to learn his Relational Life Therapy methodology. He is the bestselling author of I Don't Want to Talk About It, How Can I Get Through to You?, and The New Rules of Marriage. His book US: Getting Past You and Me to Build a More Loving Relationship will be published by Goop Press June 7, 2022.

Befriending Self-like Parts with Mariel Pastor May 14, 2022

Mariel Pastor is a Lead Trainer based in Portland, Oregon who began her IFS journey back in 1998 with Richard Schwartz. She trains across the United States and internationally and is a co-founder of the IFS Telehealth Collective, a multi-state group practice of licensed and trained IFS therapists. Mariel recently wrote and edited the new Level 1 training manual, and has created advanced workshops designed around the Unburdened Internal System mandala. Prior to becoming a psychotherapist she worked in the entertainment industry in Hollywood. Her love of working with artists has inspired her most recent project called Character Mapping - a psychological toolbox for actors writers, and directors to build deeper characters and to find them selves. In her private practice she works primarily with individual adults and provides consultation for other therapists.
Mariel is with Paul Guinter coordinator for IFS Telehealth Collective.

Emotional Regulation and Dysregulation through IFS Lens Apr 20, 2022

Chris Burris, LPC, LMFT is a Senior Lead Trainer for the IFS Institute. He has been an IFS Therapist since 1999 and is trained as a Marriage and Family Therapist. He uses mind/body approaches of therapy in alleviating traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety disorders. He works extensively with individuals and groups.

Since 1990 he has been very active with Men’s, Couples, Self Leadership Groups and Rites of Passage Programs. As the former Director of Counseling at The North Carolina School of the Arts, Chris has considerable experience with performance enhancement with Athletes, Artists, Actors, Filmmakers, Musicians, Writers, and Dancers. He is currently in Private Practice in Asheville, NC.

In addition to being a psychotherapist, Chris has trained in many nature based models with Animus Valley institute, School of Lost Borders, The Foundation for Shamanic Studies, and The Center for Conscious Eldering.

Spirituality and Psychotherapy with Russell Siler Jones Apr 01, 2022

Russell Siler Jones, ThD, LCMHCS, is a psychotherapist in Asheville, NC, Director of CareNet/Wake Forest Baptist Health’s Residency in Psychotherapy and Spirituality, and Developer of ACPE’s Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy Program. He is author of Spirit in Session: Working with Your Client’s Spirituality (and Your Own) in Psychotherapy.

You can find more about RSJ here at Russell's website:
https://russellsilerjones.com

Working with sex and sexuality using IFS with Victoria Kirby Mar 22, 2022

Victoria is an IFS and IFIO therapist working in private practice in London. She is passionate about applying the IFS model to working with sex and sexuality and is currently delivering workshops and designing resources to support other practitioners in this area of work.

Victoria previously worked in public health. She completed a master's degree in health promotion and worked as a Senior Health Improvement Specialist, specialising first in young people's sexual health and then in HIV prevention in men who have sex with men.

Victoria then trained in psychotherapy and completed a master's programme in psychodynamic and person-centred modalities. She gained Accreditation with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy and Advanced Accreditation as a Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversities Therapist with Pink Therapy. Before moving into private practice, Victoria coordinated a specialist counselling service in a central London clinic working with clients around out of control sexual behaviours, understanding and asserting sexual needs, coming to terms with sexual health diagnosis, exploring sexual identity and difficulties having sex.

You can find out more about the work Victoria does on her website www.victoriajanepsychotherapy.net and details of her next workshop at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sex-and-sexuality-using-an-ifs-framework-tickets-299028842317
More resources from Victoria's work here at https://www.victoriajanepsychotherapy.net/ifs-sexuality-workshops-resources

IFS and Neurodiversity with Yoav Bartov Feb 20, 2022

Yoav Bartov was born and raised in Israel. A BA and MA in Social work from Tel-Aviv university, Yoav trained in couples and Family therapist (3 year program from Tel Aviv university), worked for the public sector in welfare department with children at risk and multi-problem families, running the special staff dealing with abuse and neglect of minors for a few years.

Yoav started his IFS journey in 2014, completing Level 1, 2 and 3. He is being a PA and Lead PA in different IFS trainings around the world for the last 5 years. A certified IFS therapist and supervisor, Yoav has a private practice where he consults individuals and couples, and also offers supervision to therapists.
Yoav is married and has two sons.

A Model for IFS Supervision and Consultation with Liz Martins and Emma Redfern Feb 06, 2022

Liz Martins is an experienced therapist, an IFS Institute Lead Trainer, Certified IFS Therapist and Approved IFS Clinical Supervisor/Consultant. She has a private practice in the UK and offers therapy and individual /group supervision online and in person. Prior to becoming a therapist, Liz had a career in social work with children and families, including in leadership and external consultancy roles. She is a qualified supervisor with extensive experience as an individual/group supervisor in a range of settings. Liz has a particular interest in supporting supervisors to integrate IFS into their practice and has contributed a chapter for a book on IFS supervision and consultation, due to be published next year.

Emma Redfern is a Certified IFS Therapist and Approved IFS Clinical Supervisor/Consultant, as well as an experienced PA. Working in private practice in the UK, she is a senior BACP-accredited supervisor and psychotherapist and an EMDR therapist. Emma has had a number of articles published in professional journals and she has edited a multi-author book on IFS and Supervision and Consultation, due to be published by Routledge in July 2022.
Note:
The seven-eyed model was developed by Peter Hawkins and Robin Shohet, with Judy Ryde and Joan Shohet (née Wilmot), of the Centre for Supervision and Team Development (CSTD), Bath and London, UK.

Here Emma and Liz contacts:
eredfern96@gmail.com
lizmartins2@gmail.com
https://www.emmaredfern.co.uk

How to stay Present for Addictive Processes with Cece Sykes Jan 29, 2022

Today on IFS Talks we’re so happy to be welcoming back Cece Sykes.
Cece has over 40 years of clinical experience, specializing in recovery from trauma and addictive processes.
She is currently a Senior Lead Trainer of IFS) and Cece has also developed a workshop as part of an ongoing worldwide project to explore the personal narratives of therapists and the impact on their work.

Today we’re having a conversation with Cece about how to Create Order out of the Chaos of Addictive Process: how to use IFS to find the patterns in addictive issues or any intense or polarized system. Basically, how to stay in charge without losing our hearts, or our minds.

Common Pitfalls in IFS language, with Mariel Pastor Jan 16, 2022

Mariel Pastor is an IFS therapist, consultant, and Lead Trainer based in Portland, Oregon who began her IFS journey back in 1998 with Richard Schwartz.  She trains across the United States and internationally and is the principal author of the manual used in Level 1 trainings. She is also co-founder of the IFS Telehealth Collective, a multi-state group practice that brings IFS therapy online to clients while supporting the clinicians who serve them. Mariel's Unburdened Internal System mandala illustrates what life can look like when we befriend and unburden our parts, and this material was recently featured as part of the IFS Institute's Continuity Program. This year she will launch online programming for Character Mapping - a psychological toolbox for actors writers, and directors. You can find more about Mariel here at https://www.marielpastor.com

The Tyranny of Change and other Therapist Burdens with Einat Bronstein Jan 10, 2022

With a Law degree at Tel Aviv University, Israel, and Masters in Clinical Social Work at Washington University in St Louis, MO, USA, Einat learnt with Dick Schwartz and practiced IFS from its early years in Chicago. She graduated from Level 1, 2 and 3 IFS trainings; an International Lead Trainer, an IFS supervisor and a Certified IFS Therapist with over 25 years of clinical experience in private practice. She is the co-founder and co-director of the Israeli Institute of IFS. Einat taught Couples Therapy for 8 years in Tel Aviv university, she is married and has 4 kids.
More recently Einat became a grandmother: a grandson joined the family.

Cultural competency with LGBTQ+: a Talk with Derek Scott Oct 19, 2021

Derek Scott is the founder of IFSCA, a Canadian organisation dedicated to promoting the work of Dick Schwartz, originator of the IFS model. Though IFSCA Derek offers many programs and trainings such as the Stepping Stone course and the affordable online monthly masterclass workshops featuring experts in the IFS field such as Dick Schwartz, Kay Gardner, Susan McConnell and many others.

Derek has been working with and teaching the model for 20 years. Along with his daughter Maya he presented as part of the plenary on diversity and inclusivity at the IFS conference in 2016 and volunteered as consultant to the IFS Institute as part of the diversity and inclusivity advisory committee.

His first job as a counsellor was in the early 80’s when he began working on the frontlines of the AIDS pandemic, developing anti-oppression workshops as clients and loved ones were dying. He has been championing queer rights ever since.

You can find Derek's IFSCA website at https://ifsca.ca/

Working with suspicious, stubborn, and dangerous parts: a Talk with Mike Elkin Oct 08, 2021

Mike Elkin is an IFS senior Lead trainer who has been involved with the model since 1995. He has been a popular presenter, conducting scores of trainings and workshops throughout the US and Europe and has taught level one trainings in Boston every year since 2003. He was a pioneer in applying hypnotic and strategic approaches to addiction treatment and has integrated those tools into IFS treatment. He is the author of, “Families Under the Influence” and several articles.

Michael has a private practice in marriage, family, and individual psychotherapy, and he is very focused on training therapists in the Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy model, which Michael believe is the most flexible, powerful, and humane tool for healing available. It enables people to use their spiritual resources without getting into religeon or metaphysics.

No Bad Parts: Individual and Collective Healing with Dick Schwartz Sep 23, 2021

Today we release an Explorations in Psychotherapy episode with Dick Schwartz.
The Hosts, Alexia Rothman and Aníbal Henriques will be speaking primarily about his latest book, No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model, published this 2021 summer by Sounds True.
As we found the episode potentially didactic for the IFS Community in particular, we decided to release it in IFS Talks as well.
Dick speaks not only to the basics in IFS, but he goes deeper into the healing and transformative challenges we all face individually and collectively, and discusses IFS as a spiritual practice as well as a psychotherapeutic morality.
Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
And here a link to the coming online 2021 Annual IFS Conference:
https://ifs-institute.com/annual-conference/registration

When “Self” becomes an emotional bypass - with Pam Krause Aug 29, 2021

Today we are interviewing and welcoming back Pam Krause. Pam is a Senior Lead Trainer for theIFS-Institute, and has been leading Level 1, 2 and 3 trainings since 2005. Pam adapted the IFS model for use with children and adolescents, and has created both onsite and online trainings on the topic. Ana Gomez and Pam co-authored the chapter EMDR Therapy and the Use of Internal Family Systems Strategies with Children in EMDR Therapy and Adjunct Approaches with Children. Pam also authored a chapter on IFS with Children & Adolescents in Internal Family Systems Therapy: New Dimensions, and also co-authored a chapter called Getting Unstuck: addressing occasional ruptures and impasses in our work in IFS in the 2017 book “Innovations and elaborations in IFS”. Pam also has a private practice in Mechanicsburg, PA.

Reshaping the Nervous System and Integration with IFS - Deb Dana Aug 19, 2021

Today we bring an "Explorations in Psychotherapy" episode, Lexi Rothman as co-host. We are speaking with Deb Dana, a clinician and consultant who specializes in treating complex traumatic stress. Deb is a consultant to the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium in the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. She lectures internationally on the ways Polyvagal Theory informs clinical interactions with trauma survivors, and she works with organizations wanting to bring a polyvagal-informed approach to working with clients. Deb is the developer of the Rhythm of Regulation Clinical Training Series. She is trained in Internal Family Systems and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and has completed the certificate program in Traumatic Stress Studies at the Trauma Center. Deb is the author of "The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy" and co-editor with Stephen Porges of "Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory". In this episode, we will be speaking primarily about her book "Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection", and announcing Deb's newest book - "Anchored: How to befriend your nervous system". Hope you enjoy the conversation.

Explicit Direct Access with Protectors and Exiles - Fran Booth Aug 03, 2021

Fran Booth, a social worker, is a certified IFS therapist, consultant, and trainer. A clinician for more than 40 years, her practice specialties include trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, cancer/ and other medical concerns, binge eating, and attachment injuries. She graduated from Cornell University (with honors) and Simmons School for Social Work. Early in her career, Fran supervised social work interns and medical students for the Smith College School for Social Work, Tufts Medical School, and the William James College.
Immersed in IFS since 2005, Fran served as a therapist in the seminal research study on IFS and Rheumatoid arthritis.
She recently penned a chapter titled: IFS Consultation: Fostering the Self-Led Therapist for an upcoming book on IFS and Supervision.
She has offered over 75 workshops, for a variety of training organizations, spreading the word on parts work and IFS to the global community. She was recently promoted to Co-lead trainer for the IFS Institute.

IFS Principles Applied to Group Psychotherapy with Sue Richmond Jul 24, 2021

Sue Richmond is a L3 IFS trained, Certified IFS therapist and IFS Assistant Trainer.
Sue came to the IFS world around 2001 as a result of her going back into therapy at a time where she was feeling disconnected and experienced an existential crisis.
Unbeknownst to Sue, she walked into the office of a therapist who quickly announced, “I’ve just been trained in this model called Internal Family Sytems Therapy, and it’s the only model I’m using with clients now, and I hope that’s ok with you”.
Well, the rest is history.

Sue lives in central CT with her wife and their dog Milo Thomas. Sue has an individual psychotherapy practice, an IFS consultation practice, and has expanded the use of the model by bringing IFS-informed practice into her work with psychotherapy groups. Sue is currently working on a book about bringing IFS-informed practice to groups and will be presenting a module about her work with groups to the 2021 IFS Continuity Program series.

Sue received her BA in English from Keene State College, and her MSW from the University of Connecticut. During her time in graduate school, Sue was also a member of the United States Naval Reserve and served in the Reserves for 5 years. She has presented many workshops, and has a special fondness for the Intro to IFS workshop that she presented to the United States Navy Chaplain Corps, in Hampton, VA.

She has a love for teaching, and taught social work to undergraduates as an Adjunct at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, CT.

Personally, Sue’s spiritual life has been a great influence in her own personal journey of healing, and she brings that healing into her practice with her clients.

Turning Disconnection into Intimacy with Mona Barbera Jul 03, 2021

Mona Barbera, Ph.D is a psychologist with over 35 years experience, specializing in couples therapy, couples workshops, and training psychotherapists. She has been quoted in Better Homes and Gardens, Cosmopolitan,and Mens Fitness and has appeared on Fox25 news in , NBC in New York, News8 in Washington, D.C., Peachtree TV in Atlanta, and KARE11 in Minneapolis. Her book for couples, “Bring Yourself to Love: How Couples Can Turn Disconnection into Intimacy” is the winner of the prestigious 2009 Benjamin Franklin Award in psychology/self-help, the Bronze medalist in the 2008 IPPY awards in Relationships and Sexuality, and a finalist in the 2009 Eric Hoffer Awards.Mona has written for the academic journals “The Journal of Imago Relationship Therapy” and “The Journal of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy,” and she has a chapter in “Imago Relationship Therapy: Perspectives on Theory,” by Luquet, Hannah and Hunt. She is past chair of the program committee and past board member of the New England Society for the Study and Treatment of Trauma and Dissociative Disorders. She is an Assistant Trainer for Internal Family Systems, a system of psychotherapy developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz. She lives in Rhode Island with her husband. She has private practices in Providence, RI and Middletown, RI.
To know more about Mona Barbera please go to http://www.monabarbera.com

How Ancestral Medicine informs IFS Legacy Burdens work - with Daphne Fatter Jun 25, 2021

Daphne Fatter, Ph.D. (Dallas, TX, USA) is a mid-career licensed psychologist, certified IFS therapist and approved clinical IFS consultant. She has a private practice specializing in trauma and addressing legacy burdens including the impact of oppression, marginalized identities, racism, and collective trauma. She also teaches on trauma treatment and on white race socialization in the US. She is an Ancestral Medicine Practitioner and integrates working ancestral guides with IFS. She is a student of animism and has also studied with teachers of Taoist and Mahayana and Theravada Buddhist meditation practices. She has also published professionally on mindfulness.Her ancestors are from Ireland, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, and Scandanvia. She lives on the traditional lands of the Cherokee, Comanche, Wichita and Caddo peoples.
For more information see https://www.daphnefatterphd.com

Four Types of Challenging Protectors with Chris Burris Jun 19, 2021

Chris Burris, LPC, LMFT is a Senior Lead Trainer for the IFS Institute. He has been an IFS Therapist since 1999 and is trained as a Marriage and Family Therapist. He uses mind/body approaches of therapy in alleviating traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety disorders. He works extensively with individuals and groups.

Since 1990 he has been very active with Men’s, Couples, Self Leadership Groups and Rites of Passage Programs. As the former Director of Counseling at The North Carolina School of the Arts, Chris has considerable experience with performance enhancement with Athletes, Artists, Actors, Filmmakers, Musicians, Writers, and Dancers. He is currently in Private Practice in Asheville, NC.

In addition to being a psychotherapist, Chris has trained in many nature based models with Animus Valley institute, School of Lost Borders, The Foundation for Shamanic Studies, and The Center for Conscious Eldering.

All experiences welcome: IFS and non-ordinary states with Stephanie Mitchell May 30, 2021

Stephanie Mitchell is a psychotherapist, trainer and group therapist . She specialises in working with complex trauma and experiences which often get labelled as 'mental illness'. Stephanie is interested in how healing and change occur in the human to human relationship, within spaces of safety and acceptance and outside the constructs of diagnostic labels.Stephanie's primary focus for all therapeutic work is on creating a safe space where all parts of a person are welcomed and valued, and the pace of therapeutic exploration is set by the client. Stephanie works from a deeply compassionate place that believes that all patterns of behaviour, thought or feeling come with important and valuable, hidden meanings, and that as the client and therapist work together to listen to the parts who hold these important and previously unknown meanings and offer them a space to be heard, witnessed and deeply understood, that deep change and inner transformation is stirred up. Stephanie’s initial training included 3 years of advanced studies in Transactional Analysis and she has since trained in Open Dialogue, Family Systems Therapy and Person Centred Therapy before moving over to working almost exclusively with Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS). Stephanie is trained to Level 3 in the IFS Model and has undertaken extensive supervision and personal work within the model.Believing that a therapist can only take a client as far as they themselves have travelled Stephanie has undertaken her own long journey of healing from significant childhood trauma over many years of psychotherapy and human loving.She states: “My healing work with an Internal Family Systems Therapy Practitioner has offered me a profoundly life changing experience - something that years of work with other therapy models has not offered me”.

Stephanie is also a passionate advocate and activist for social and systems change towards non-pathologising and compassionate approaches to mental distress and is involved at national and international levels around mental health reform.

Dreams Work and IFS with Heloisa Garman May 22, 2021

We can find many theories about dreams. Freud called dreams “the royal road to the unconscious.” Jung believed dreams were a gateway to the “collective unconscious”. Indigenous cultures believe dreams are a way to communicate with spirits and other beings that do not live on this earth plane. For neuroscientists dreams are mostly a way for the brain to integrate experiences and reconsolidate memory. Other cultures believe there is different types of dreams: teaching dreams, in which we are taught something useful in our waking life; prediction dreams that let us know ahead of time what will happen.

Heloisa Garman is a licensed clinical psychologist, educated at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and have been in private practice for over thirty years. Heloisa was trained in family therapy at the Juvenile Research Program at the University of Illinois. Also received training in the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model . As a Brazilian American, she specialized in cross-cultural psychology. Heloisa’s doctoral dissertation was on the impact of migration on the family structure of those coming from impoverished areas seeking work in the city. Her masters thesis took place in an Indian reservation in Brazil. Heloisa has extensive experience with families, couples and individuals experiencing grief, loss, depression and anxiety. Treated families with children who suffered severe early traumas, and conducted evaluations for the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Previously affiliated with the Family Institute at Northwestern University, taught and supervised family therapy at two major universities in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Heloisa utilize dream work and mindfulness training with clients, published articles and presented workshops on dreams in conferences at the International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD).

Today Heloisa walks us through the 4 steps she practices when applying IFS to Dream work.
Hope you enjoy the episode.

Sexual Abuse through an IFS lens - revisited May 13, 2021

IFS Talks will be back soon with brand new episodes. In the meantime, we bring you an episode released April 2020, that we so much enjoyed: Sexual Abuse through an IFS lens, with Bob Falconer.

Robert Falconer has an undergraduate degree in cultural anthropology, with a focus on the history of religions.In the early 1980s he pursued his masters degree in psychology while balancing a career in construction and real estate investment.When Robert started as a therapist, he focused on the work of Milton Erickson and hypnotherapy. He then moved into working with Jack and Helen Watkins; who developed ego state therapy. In his career as a therapist, Robert spent considerable time at the Esalen Institute and decades involved in gestalt therapy. Robert has been familiar with IFS therapy for 20 years, but completely devoted himself to the model for the last 10 years.Robert was one of the first men to speak publicly about being sexually abused as a child, and for many years he worked primarily with men with a similar trauma history. Now he works with people learning IFS. Most recently Robert co-authored with Dick Schwartz a book entitled “Many Minds, One Self: evidence for a radical shift in paradigm“.
Trigger warning: this episode may contain trauma events descriptions that may be triggering for many.
Please be aware of that possibility so that you can choose not to listen to the episode. Thanks.
Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Introducing Explorations in Psychotherapy Apr 25, 2021

IFS Talks will be back with a brand new episode soon. In the meantime, we’re excited to introduce you to a new IFS Informed Podcast. Its called Explorations in Psychotherapy, and is an Internal Family Systems informed audio podcast introducing authors whose work may be of great value and interest to the psychotherapy field as to all communities and practitioners in the helping professions who may benefit from a better understanding and integration of emerging perspectives.

In this third episode of Explorations in Psychotherapy, Healing Ancestral Lineages are discussed withDaniel Foor. We hope you can find the time to enjoy this amazing conversation, that we believe so relevant in many ways for our personal and clinical lives. Many thanks for listening and subscribe this new IFS informed Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/pt/podcast/explorations-in-psychotherapy/id1490941234

Transcending Relational Trauma - Frank Anderson’s New Book Apr 16, 2021

Frank Anderson began his professional journey as a chemistry major at the University of Illinois in the pre-pharmacy program. He quickly developed a fascination with the workings of the human body and switched into a pre-medicine program. He happily entered Rush University Medical College, initially wanting to become a pediatrician due to his love of children, but switched into psychiatry after a close family member developed significant mental health symptoms. He was deeply touched by this experience and also keenly aware of the impact it had on others. During his residency program in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, he noticed that many of the clients struggling with major mental illness had also experienced significant trauma in their lives.

The pain he witnessed in others activated something deep within himself and compelled him to enter into therapy, which quickly connected him to his own trauma history. Becoming a psychiatrist at the Trauma Center in Boston under the direction of Bessel van der Kolk was a natural fit for him, where he learned more about trauma while simultaneously continuing his quest of helping others heal. He was fortunate enough to meet Dick Schwartz at a conference during this time, and his career focus instantly came into full alignment as he was able to integrate his knowledge of neuroscience and trauma treatment with Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy.

Dr. Anderson is the former chair and executive director of the Foundation for Self Leadership, an organization focusing on IFS research and the expansion of the IFS model beyond psychotherapy. He authored the chapter “Who’s Taking What? Connecting Neuroscience, Psychopharmacology and Internal Family Systems for Trauma” and coauthored the chapter “What IFS Brings to the Treatment of Trauma.” He also coauthored the book Internal Family Systems Skills Training Manual.

He is a lead trainer and program consultant for the IFS Institute, is an advisor to the International Association of Trauma Professionals (IATP), and maintains a private practice. He is passionate about teaching and enjoys providing psychotherapy consultations, as well as teaching IFS-related workshops throughout the world. To learn more, please go towww.FrankAndersonMD.com.

From EFT to IFIO with Liz Phillips Apr 03, 2021

Liz wound her way into therapy after a circuitous route through a few degrees: English, Fine Art and Education; and after a career in Communications writing. Her passion for couples work led her to a training in couples therapy two years before she was even accepted into a formal therapy school. While Liz was studying to be a therapist, she simultaneously trained in Levels one and two of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples. But it wasn’t until she bumped into IFS and IFIO that Liz felt she found her therapy home. She has completed her Level 1 in IFS and Level 2 in IFIO and has run two of her own IFIO-informed workshops to introduce the model to her Canadian community. Currently based in Toronto, Liz is a self proclaimed coffee snob and loves long winter runs along the waterfront. You can find more about Liz at her website: https://www.lizphillipstherapy.ca

The Role of IFS before and after Ketamine Assisted Treatment - with Robert Grant Mar 23, 2021

Dr. Robert M. Grant is a physician specialized in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, and HIV medicine. He has more than 30 years of experience with research and clinical practice in sexual health and pulmonary medicine. He pioneered the concept of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, for HIV prevention by leading the iPrEx trials that led to FDA approvals and transformed clinical practice globally - an achievement for which he was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012.

After a deep personal loss in 2014, he pivoted to face the challenges of human connection more directly through psychotherapy. He completed a certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research from the California Institute of Integral Studies in 2016, and trained in ketamine assisted psychotherapy at the KRIYA Institute in 2017. He is a a board member of the American Society of Ketamine Physicians.

He has trained in psychotherapy modalities including Internal Family Systems (as a fully certified IFS Therapist) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. He has provided ketamine assisted psychotherapy in San Francisco since late 2017. He serves as an investigator for an FDA-approved MDMA trial at UCSF and has assisted for FDA-approved psilocybin trials for people living with HIV.

Toni Herbine-Blank on IFIO and the new IFS Couple Therapy Skills Manual Mar 04, 2021

Toni Herbine-Blank, MS, RN, C-SP, is a Clinical Specialist Psychotherapist and Senior Trainer for the IFS Institute.

Toni was trained in Family Therapy at the University of Pennsylvania where she earned both her RN and advanced practice degree in Psychiatric Nursing. She began training students in Internal Family Systems Therapy in 2004 and since has been instrumental in designing programs and writing curricula for Levels 1 and 2 IFS training programs.

Toni has been in private practice since 1996 specializing in the treatment of couples and individuals. In 2009, after designing a training for IFS therapists to apply the model to couples therapy, Toni offered the first Intimacy from the Inside Out© Training Program in Boston, Massachusetts. Since then the program has been received with great enthusiasm across the United States.

Toni has authored, with Martha Sweezy, a brand new manual on couple therapy called "Internal Family Systems Couple Therapy Skills Manual: Healing Relationships with Intimacy from the Inside Out" (Pesi-2021). She also co-authored "Intimacy from the Inside Out: Courage and Compassion in Couple Therapy (Routledge-2015) with Donna Kerperlman and Martha Sweezy.

Toni's passion is in guiding therapists to become courageous, clear and confident. She has a reputation for being a creative, lively, and fiercely compassionate trainer. Toni currently lives in Durango, Colorado with her husband Jordan. They enjoy the magnificent outdoors whenever possible accompanied by their horses and dogs.

If you want to learn more about IFIO trainings here IFIO website:https://www.toniherbineblank.com

The Therapeutic Dose of Empathy in IFS with Alexia Rothman Feb 27, 2021

Dr. Alexia Rothman is a licensed psychologist and Certified IFS therapist in private practice in Atlanta, GA. She is a United States Presidential Scholar who completed her doctoral work in Clinical Psychology in 2003 at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. She has formerly held adjunct professor positions in the Psychology Departments of Emory University and Agnes Scott College. Dr. Rothman was drawn to the IFS model through her therapeutic work with trauma survivors, and she began her formal training in the IFS model in 2011. Over the past 11 years, Dr. Rothman has served as a Program Assistant for many Level 1, 2, and 3 experiential IFS trainings. In 2016, Dr. Rothman combined her passion for psychotherapy and her love of teaching and began offering full-day workshops to introduce the IFS model to clinicians. She now regularly teaches both introductory and more advanced IFS workshops throughout the United States and abroad, and she serves as an IFS consultant, helping clinicians to deepen their knowledge of the IFS model while working with their own systems to facilitate maximal access to Self-energy in their professional and personal lives. Dr. Rothman is married to an IFS therapist and is the mother of two human children and three Tonkinese cats.
You can find more about Dr. Alexia at her website https://dralexiarothman.com
You can find the piece on therapeutic dose of empathy in IFS at minute 23:33

A Talk with Robert Fox on OCD type Parts Feb 20, 2021

Robert Fox, a therapist in Woburn, Massachusetts, also wishes more people knew about IFS. Diagnosed with obsessive- compulsive disorder at age 21 after a lifetime of unusual compulsions, Robert spent 23 years receiving the standard care: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure response prevention (ERP).

Neither had much effect, especially ERP, which involved repeatedly exposing himself to things he was anxious about in the hopes of gradually habituating to them. “When you think about it, it’s a very painful method of therapy,” he says.

Robert discovered IFS in 2008. Before, he had always been encouraged to think of his compulsions as meaningless pathologies. Now, for the first time, they began making sense to him as the behavior of protectors who were trying to manage the underlying shame and fear of exiles.
( Inside the Revolutionary Treatment That Could Change Psychotherapy Forever- July 21,2020. Elemental)
https://ifs-institute.com/news-events/news/inside-revolutionary-treatment-could-change-psychotherapy-forever?fbclid=IwAR22YRA54fyeqBbMxMgj9KC6pZvl_fsYO_TJLaO8z82scMs7gS-xqnMa0ek

For more info about Robert Fox please visit: https://www.jobstresssolutions.com

Becoming a sucessful Program Assistant: A Talk with Lead Trainer Rina Dubin Feb 17, 2021

Rina Dubin, Ed.D, LPC, is a certified IFS therapist and IFS trainer in private practice in Newton, MA. Her involvement with the IFS community began in 2004, and loves being part of the healing process which has allowed IFS to become a centerpiece in her work. She has been affiliated with Internal Family Systems of New England (IFSNE) since its beginning in 2009 (until 2018), and as a member of the steering committee, she has been thrilled with the accelerating growth of IFS in the greater New England area. Rina has a broad background in trauma, and offers supervision and consultation.

Self-led Eating during Stressful Times - with Jeanne Catanzaro Jan 30, 2021

Today, on IFS Talks we welcome back Jeanne Catanzaro PhD. Jeanne is a licensed clinical psychologist with 25 years experience in treating eating and trauma-related issues. She’s written articles about IFS and eating disorders and is dedicated to helping people develop self-led relationships with food and their bodies. Jeanne is a certified IFS therapist in private practice in Brookline, Massachusetts and she’s the Vice Chair of the executive committee for the IFS Institute.

We hope you enjoy this episode as we did.
In case you know of someone's work that would fit in our podcast, please let us know through this form:
https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks/interview-request-suggestion

Our Relational Lives - with Terry Real Jan 22, 2021

Terry Real is the bestselling author of I Don’t Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression, the straight-talking How Can I Get Through to You? Reconnecting Men and Women, and most recently The New Rules of Marriage: What You Need to Make Love Work. Terry knows how to lead couples on a step-by-step journey to greater intimacy—and greater personal fulfillment.

He founded the Relational Life Institute, offering workshops for couples, individuals, and parents as well as a professional training program for clinicians.Terry’s work, with its rigorous commonsense approach, speaks to both men and women. A proponent of “full-throttle marriage,” Terry has been called “the most innovative voice in thinking about and treating men and their relationships in the world today.”
To receive Terry's interview with Carol Gilligan - "In a Different Voice" - text to 415-813-1025 and leave your email adress.
To receive notifications on Terry's workshops and trainings go to https://terryreal.com

Sexuality through IFS Lens with Patricia Rich Jan 10, 2021

Patricia Rich, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified IFS Therapist and AASECT Certified Sex Therapist and Supervisor. She fell in love with IFS in 2011 and has since completed Level 3, served as a Program Assistant and offered IFS workshops. She founded The Relating Well Center, LLC, a relationship and sexuality focused private practice in the Philadelphia area.

When Patty first became interested in IFS, she thought it would be useful in the treatment of sexual dysfunction. Then, as she learned the model she got curious about how sexuality “lives” in the internal system. Now she believes that IFS is not only extremely useful in the healing of sexual dysfunction and trauma, but also for navigating today’s complex landscape of sexuality in a Self-Led way . She brought her insights to the IFS Annual Conference first as a half day session and then as a full day Pre-Conference workshop. She just completed teaching a four month module on Self-Led Sexuality for the IFS Institute’s Online Continuity Program.
Learn more about her offerings at www.relatingwellcenter.com or by joining her private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/596713994339227

A Meditation on Legacies - with Osnat Arbel Jan 04, 2021

This is a Meditation on Legacies, with Osnat Arbel.
Its called "Legacy Meditation - Our Burdens an Heirlooms".
It will take you about 17 minutes.
Hoping you can find the time and moment to enjoy it.

Legacy Burdens and Heirlooms: a Talk with Osnat Arbel Jan 03, 2021

Osnat Arbel grew up in Israel. She began her journey in the helping profession during her military service as a social work officer and by now has over 3 decades of experience in psychotherapy.
Ossi has completed her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy, at the University of Northern Colorado, focusing on mindfulness and existential/humanistic therapy approaches.
She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and an AAMFT Clinical Fellow & Approved Supervisor. She is also a Certified Marriage and Family Therapist & a Supervisor at the Israeli Association for MFT.
Her passion and calling is in teaching, supervising, and mentoring therapists-in-training both in the academia world in Israel and the US and now mostly through training participants in the IFS model.
Ossi is a Certified IFS Therapist and Supervisor, and a Senior Lead Trainer for the IFS Institute. She is the co founder and co director of the Israeli institute for IFS.
She brings her passion and enthusiasm to leading and facilitating Level 1 and Level 2 trainings, workshops, and seminars. Altogether, she has been teaching, training, supervising and mentoring hundreds of students in Israel and around the world and has been dedicating her professional and personal growth to the IFS model.

Ossi is also offering a "Legacy Meditation - Our Burdens an Heirlooms". Thanks much Ossi!

A Talk with Lead Trainer Paul Ginter Dec 23, 2020

Paul Ginter is a licensed psychologist who serves as the Clinical Director for IFS Telehealth Collective, bringing more than 30 years of experience in Internal Family Systems. Working closely with IFS developer Richard Schwartz, Paul is an IFS Senior Lead Trainer for over 15 years, who has traveled the globe training professionals on nearly every continent, China and Bali as well.
In addition to IFS, Paul facilitates mindfulness meditation courses for businesses, conferences and clinical groups. Based in Kalamazoo, MI, Paul is also co-founder of the Center for Psychotherapy and Wellness and previously served as the Organizational Learning Officer at Fetzer Institute, a philanthropic privately operated foundation.

Paul also has this new project called IFS Telehealth Collective (IFS-TC) - an online IFS supportive community and group practice that you can find at this website:
https://www.ifstelehealthcollective.com/careers

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Shaming and Shamed: a Talk with Martha Sweezy Dec 12, 2020

Martha Sweezy grew up in Cambridge, MA. Her mother, Nancy Sweezy, was instrumental at the legendary folk music venue Club 47, revived and managed Jugtown Pottery in North Carolina, founded Refugee Arts Group to work with refugees from Southeast Asia and was finally awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the NEA for her work in traditional arts.
Her father, Paul Sweezy, the founder of Monthly Review magazine and press and the author of numerous books, most famously Monopoly Capital written with Paul Baran, was known around the world as the “dean of American Marxists.”

Martha is an assistant professor, part time, in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a consultant at Cambridge Health Alliance and a psychotherapist in private practice in Northampton, MA.

After using psychodynamics, DBT and EMDR with severely traumatized individuals in community mental health for more than 18 years, she discovered internal family systems therapy (IFS) and became fascinated with the response of clients, not to mention with her own experience (IFS training is experiential). When she had gone through all the levels of training on offer she began to write about her clinical experiences and published two articles on IFS in peer reviewed journals. Then, with Ellen Ziskind, she invited some master IFS clinicians to articulate their applications of the model and published two co-edited volumes.

Martha also teamed up with Toni Herbine-Blank and Donna Kerpelman to write a book on IFS couple therapy entitled Intimacy from the Inside Out: Courage and Compassion in Couple Therapy. More recently she co-authored a manual on IFS with Frank Anderson and Richard Schwartz, and co-authored a 2nd edition of Dr. Schwartz’s first book on IFS, Internal Family Systems Therapy, 2nd edition, which includes over 70% new material. She remains as impressed and charmed by IFS today as she was when she first saw a video of Dr. Schwartz in session in 2006.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

MDMA Assisted Therapy with Michael Mithoefer Dec 03, 2020

Michael Mithoefer, MD is a Clinical Investigator and acting Medical Director of MAPS Public Benefit Corporation. He and his wife, Annie, completed the first phase 2 clinical trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD in 2009 and a subsequent study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD in military veterans, firefighters and police officers. They are now supervising therapists in the ongoing MAPS Phase 3 trials of MDMA-assisted Psychotheapy for PTSD, leading trainings in MDMA- assisted psychotherapy for therapists interested in working on clinical trials, and providing FDA-approved MDMA sessions for research therapists. He is Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina, is a Grof certified Holotropic Breathwork Practitioner, has been a Certified Internal Family Systems Therapist, and has been board certified in Psychiatry, Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Integrating IFS and 12 steps, with Robert Falconer Nov 29, 2020

Robert Falconer has an undergraduate degree in cultural anthropology, with a focus on the history of religions.In the early 1980s he pursued his masters degree in psychology while balancing a career in construction and real estate investment.When Robert started as a therapist, he focused on the work of Milton Erickson and hypnotherapy. He then moved into working with Jack and Helen Watkins; who developed ego state therapy. In his career as a therapist, Robert spent considerable time at the Esalen Institute and decades involved in gestalt therapy. Robert has been familiar with IFS therapy for 20 years, but completely devoted himself to the model for the last 10 years. Most recently Robert co-authored with Dick Schwartz a book entitled “Many Minds, One Self:evidence for a radical shift in paradigm“

In this episode, based in his long experience with addictions, Bob integrates IFS and 12 steps approach.
You can know more about Bob and his activities at his website - https://robertfalconer.us

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Janina Fisher's Perspective on Trauma and IFS Nov 28, 2020

Janina Fisher, PhD is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and Instructor at the Trauma Center, an outpatient clinic and research center founded by Bessel van der Kolk. Known for her expertise as both a therapist and consultant, she is also past president of the New England Society for the Treatment of Trauma and Dissociation, an EMDR International Association Credit Provider, a faculty member of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, and a former Instructor, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Fisher has been an invited speaker at the Cape Cod Institute, Harvard Medical School Conference Series, the EMDR International Association Annual Conference, University of Wisconsin, University of Westminster in London, the Psychotraumatology Institute of Europe, and the Esalen Institute. Dr. Fisher lectures and teaches nationally and internationally on topics related to the integration of research and treatment and how to introduce these newer trauma treatment paradigms in traditional therapeutic approaches.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

An IFS Journey with Michelle Glass Nov 18, 2020

Michelle Glass is a level three Certified IFS Practitioner, Alternative Counselor*, and SoulCollage® Facilitator in Eugene, Oregon. She is the author of the well-received book, Daily Parts Meditation Practice©: A Journey of Embodied Integration for Clients and Therapists and provides DPMP workshops at the Annual IFS Conference and around the world, as well as offers support for those wanting to work with the tools of the DPMP process.

Having over 15 years of experience with the IFS Model and learning it first from the inside out, Michelle brings a palpable nature of a Self-led / mostly-unburdened system to the world. Becoming acquainted with her parts through healing from a childhood of complex trauma, she like Dick, is “a crusader for the personhood of parts.” Her IFS healing journey and Dick’s interest in her tools birthed the DPMP process.

She loves bringing the gifts of intimately knowing her own system to facilitate others, especially therapists and practitioners, in doing so. Her private practice the Listener, LLC, has always been online enabling her to see clients around the world and she maintains a lengthy waitlist. Additionally, Michelle is the editor of the Foundation for Self Leadership's magazine, OUTLOOK.

She has greatly enjoyed expanding her world-wide circle of colleagues and friends through these positions. She is currently on a writing sabbatical to complete her next book which will take readers through a felt sense of a highly-blended system with little access to Self to that of a mostly-unburdened Self-led system.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Self Led Parenting with Frank Anderson Nov 15, 2020

Frank Anderson, MD, completed his residency and was a clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is both a psychiatrist and psychotherapist and specializes in the treatment of trauma and dissociation. He is passionate about teaching brain-based psychotherapy and integrating current neuroscience knowledge with the IFS model of therapy. Dr. Anderson is a lead trainer at the IFS Institute with Richard Schwartz and maintains a long affiliation with, and trains for, Bessel van der Kolk’s Trauma Center. He serves as an advisor to the International Association of Trauma Professionals (IATP) and was the former chair and director of the Foundation for Self-Leadership. Dr. Anderson has lectured extensively on the neurobiology of PTSD and dissociation. He co-authored the Internal Family Systems Skills Training Manual. Dr. Anderson maintains a private practice in Concord, MA, and is one of the most respected and internationally-known Internal Family Systems lead trainers available.

In this episode Frank shares how becoming a father brought him into the IFS model, and many more ideas and perspectives on parenting while putting together a parenting curriculum through IFS lens.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Befriending your Inner Critic with Chris Burris Oct 30, 2020

Chris Burris, LPC, LMFT, is a IFS Senior Lead Trainer for the IFS Institute. He has been an IFS Therapist since 1999 and is trained as a Marriage and Family Therapist. He utilizes mind/body approaches of therapy in alleviating traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety disorders. He has worked extensively with couples, families, teenagers, and children. He is currently in Private Practice in Asheville North Carolina.
In this episode Chris shares aspects of his journey as a therapist, and some of his special interest as an IFS therapist and lead trainer. A special focus on befriending your inner critic emerged.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

An IFS and Polyvagal integration with Ruth Culver Oct 24, 2020

Ruth Culver is an Internal Family Systems Therapist based in Brighton, UK. Ruth says it felt like ‘coming home’ when she came across IFS a few years ago, and the model is now at the core of all her work. She loves facilitating groups and has adapted two somatic processes - Constellations, and Intuitive Drawing - to fully incorporate all the steps of IFS. Her infographic called ‘The Survive/Thrive Spiral’ - which maps Polyvagal Theory alongside Internal Family Systems - went viral earlier this year. She presented her work at the 2019 London Trauma Conference and the 2020 Online Embodiment Conference, and is currently writing a paper for a new Complex Trauma Journal.
In this episode Ruth help us to understand the Survival/Thrive Spiral, based on the PDF chart she is happy to share at her website http://calmheart.co.uk

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Somatic IFS: Susan McConnell new Book Oct 15, 2020

Susan is a Lead Trainer for IFS Institute since the early days, and helped Richard Schwartz to develop the model all along the way. Susan just published a book on Somatic Internal Family Systems Therapy: Awareness, Breath, Resonance, Movement and Touch in Practice - North Atlantic Books.
In this episode we welcome back Susan and check in with her on this pandemic tough days. Then we dive in Susan's new book: writing process, main ideas and practices.
For more on this Podcast, and to get episodes transcriptions, please visit our website:
https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

The UK IFS Open Space: a talk with Liz Martins Sep 12, 2020

After a career in social work management, Liz became interested in alternative approaches to leadership and organisational change, working as an independent consultant and facilitator for public services.
She particularly engaged with participatory approaches based on ideas around systems theory, including Open Space Technology.

In 2008, Liz trained in psychosynthesis, a model that has many similarities with IFS, not least the idea of sub-personalities and a core self, within a spiritual context. She qualified as a therapist and set up in private practice, with an emphasis on working with trauma. She trained in other (Therapeutic ) modalities including EMDR and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, but since discovering IFS a few years later this has been her map for understanding and navigating the world, inside and out.

Liz is an experienced IFS therapist and has been a PA many times. Her travels with IFS over the last few years have taken her to cities Madrid, Copenhagen, South Korea and Bali, as well as to the IFS conference in Denver. Currently she is working as ‘lead PA’ on online L1 and L2 trainings internationally.

Alongside her therapy practice, Liz continues to work from time to time as an Open Space facilitator. With colleagues, in 2018 she organised the first Open Space weekend for the IFS community in the UK. This has now become an annual event and next year’s will be the fourth.

In between all this, she continues - and enjoys - her private practice as an IFS therapist and supervisor, based at her home in Bath in the UK.

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Our Journeys as Therapists: a Talk with Cece Sykes Aug 24, 2020

In this episode focused on our journeys as therapists and counselors, we welcome back Cece Sykes. Cece has over 40 years of experience of clinical work with individuals, couples and families, specializing in recovery from trauma and addictive processes. She is a Senior Trainer of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and travels internationally teaching, lecturing and consulting. Cece also developed workshop retreat as part of an ongoing worldwide project to explore the personal narratives of therapists and the impact on their work.

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Healing our Relationships with Food and Body:  A Talk with Jeanne Catanzaro Aug 14, 2020

Jeanne Catanzaro, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist with 25 years’ experience in treating eating and trauma related issues. She has written articles about IFS and eating disorders, and is dedicated to helping people develop Self-led relationships with food and their bodies.
Jeanne is a certified IFS therapist in private practice in Brookline, Massachusetts, and is Vice Chair of the executive committee for the IFS Institute.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

A recovery journey: a talk with Mary Kruger Aug 04, 2020

In this episode we are welcoming back Mary Kruger, an AAMFT supervisor and an IFS Lead Trainer. Mary is the founder of Rimmon Pond Counseling, an IFS-based private practice located in New Haven, Connecticut; specializing in addictions, eating disorders, and trauma for over 25 years. Mary incorporates IFS with her own penchant for the experience, and has developed a variety of creative ways to work with parts and access Self-energy in individual, relational, and group contexts. She enjoys sharing her experience in teaching and consulting on a national level. Mary is noted for her humor, creativity, passion, and love of dancing and people. She also offers private therapy, consultations and workshops.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Polyvagal meets IFS: A Talk with Deb Dana Jul 25, 2020

Deb Dana is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, specialized in treating complex traumatic stress and lectures internationally on the ways Polyvagal Theory informs clinical interactions with trauma survivors. She is the consulting to the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium in the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University and the developer of the Rhythm of Regulation clinical training series. Deb is trained in Internal Family Systems and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and completed the Certificate Program in Traumatic Stress Studies at the Trauma Center. Deb is the author of The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy (Norton, 2018), Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection (from Norton) and co-editor with Stephen Porges, of Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory (Norton, 2018).

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The Therapeutic Relationship in IFS: a Talk with Einat Bronstein Jul 11, 2020

In this episode Einat Bronstein, a Lead Trainer for IFS-I, and co-founder and co-director of the Israeli Institute of IFS, shares her journey with IFS since the early nineties. With a Law degree at Tel Aviv University, Israel, and Masters in Clinical Social Work at Washington University in St Louis, MO, USA, Einat studied with Dick Schwartz and practiced IFS from its early years in Chicago. She graduated from Level 1, 2 and 3 IFS trainings; an International Lead Trainer, an IFS supervisor and a Certified IFS Therapist with over 25 years of clinical experience in private practice. Einat taught Couples Therapy for 8 years in Tel Aviv university, she is married, and has 4 kids. The role of the Therapeutic Relationship in IFS end out being a topic in this conversation.

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Intimacy from the Inside Out: working with couples and relationships Jun 14, 2020

In this episode Kate Lingren helps us to understand how IFIO approaches communication and negative cycles both in couples and relationships.

IFIO is a relationship therapy born out of a desire to carry the concepts of IFS into a relational setting and to use the intimate relationship itself as a vehicle for growth and healing of the individual, as well as the couple.
You can find more on this model at Toni Herbine-Blank website (https://www.toniherbineblank.com)

You can learn more reading:
Self in Relationship: An Introduction to IFS Couple Therapy, in Internal Family Systems Therapy: New Dimensions, edited by Martha Sweezy and Ellen L. Ziskind, Routledge, NY 2013; and IFIO: Courage and Compassion in Couple Therapy, by Toni Herbine-Blank, with co-authors Donna M. Kerpelman and Martha Sweezy 2016.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Anxiety, Depression and Shame. A Talk with Michael Elkin Jun 03, 2020

Mike Elkin is an IFS senior Lead trainer who has been involved with the model since 1995. He has been a popular presenter, conducting scores of trainings and workshops throughout the US and Europe and has taught level one trainings in Boston every year since 2003. He was a pioneer in applying hypnotic and strategic approaches to addiction treatment and has integrated those tools into IFS treatment. He is the author of, “Families Under the Influence” and several articles.

Michael has a private practice in marriage, family, and individual psychotherapy, and he is very focused on training therapists in the Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy model, which Michael believe is the most flexible, powerful, and humane tool for healing available. It enables people to use their spiritual resources without getting into religeon or metaphysics.

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Noticing the Gifts of an Exile. A Meditation May 28, 2020

This is a Meditation with Paul Neustadt, on Noticing the Gifts of an Exile.
It will take you about 13 minutes.

The Gifts of our Exiles: a Talk with Paul Neustadt May 23, 2020

In this Episode Paul Neustadt help us recognize the true nature of our exiles, differentiating them from their burdens, and identifying their natural qualities and Gifts, hiden behind experiences of neglet and abuse. Paul suggests some tools to find and reflect back this qualities and gifts, and shares some personal stories to ilustrate this inner processes. Paul also offers a Meditation and a writing exercise.

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A Talk with Richard Schwartz Apr 29, 2020

This is an episode with Richard Schwartz, author and founder of this amazing and unique Psychotherapy Model. Internal Family Systems is for many a Metamodel, a model of the Mind, a Map and a Path to our lives, a new Paradigm, a Social Mouvement. Please welcome Dick Schwartz.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Sexual Abuse through an IFS lens with Bob Falconer Apr 16, 2020

Robert Falconer has an undergraduate degree in cultural anthropology, with a focus on the history of religions.In the early 1980s he pursued his masters degree in psychology while balancing a career in construction and real estate investment.When Robert started as a therapist, he focused on the work of Milton Erickson and hypnotherapy. He then moved into working with Jack and Helen Watkins; who developed ego state therapy. In his career as a therapist, Robert spent considerable time at the Esalen Institute and decades involved in gestalt therapy. Robert has been familiar with IFS therapy for 20 years, but completely devoted himself to the model for the last 10 years.

Robert was one of the first men to speak publicly about being sexually abused as a child, and for many years he worked primarily with men with a similar trauma history. Now he works with people learning IFS. Most recently Robert co-authored with Dick Schwartz a book entitled “Many Minds, One Self:evidence for a radical shift in paradigm“

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

All Parts are Welcome: a Talk with an IFS Client Apr 04, 2020

Our guest for this episode is a young woman in her thirties, sharing her life as well as a research job with a kind and loving partner, with whom she feels connected and safe.However, eighteen months ago, this young woman started seeing a therapist. Back then, Mary was struggling with extreme perfectionist and demanding parts, that could exaust her, trigger anxious and depressed parts, that very often exiled Mary in her bedroom, for days.Today we ask Mary to share her journey in internal family systems therapy.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Diversity and Inclusion; Biases in Pandemic Times: a talk with Kate Lingren Mar 30, 2020

Kate Lingren is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in private practice with over 30 years of experience. She is a Certified IFS therapist and on the faculty of Intimacy From the Inside Out (using IFS in couples work) as a Lead Trainer.
She is also on the faculty of Boston College School of Social Work, where she teaches a class on IFS. Most recently she has been on a quest to discover, welcome and heal her parts that hold both explicit and implicit biases in an effort to more fully embody her true Self.
Kate lives and practices in the Boston area and in Martha’s Vineyard.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Adult Health and IFS: a Talk with Nancy Sowell Mar 13, 2020

Nancy Sowell is an IFS Senior Trainer, consultant, and therapist who teaches frequently in Europe and the US. She is a teaching associate at Harvard Medical School where she has been a clinical supervisor for over 20 years. She has pursued training from many therapeutic schools of thought and in various therapeutic techniques, such as IFS, hypnosis, biofeedback, EMDR and mindfulness meditation. She integrates mindful awareness of the body, emotions, thoughts, and deeply held beliefs, as they influence our mood, vitality, behavior, relationships and health. Nancy is the co-creator of the IFS program and research study with rheumatoid arthritis patients that enabled IFS to be certified as an evidence-based program and practice.

In this Talk, Nancy's chapter The Internal Family System and Adult Health: Changing the Course of Chronic Illness, on Internal Family Systems Therapy: New Dimensionsis under analysis.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Celebrating the Unburdened System: a Talk with Mariel Pastor Feb 19, 2020

Mariel Pastor is a Lead Trainer who began her IFS journey back in 1998. She trains across the United States and internationally and is widely known for her clarity, warmth, and humor.Mariel recently wrote and edited the new Level 1 training manual, and has created advanced workshops designed around the Unburdened Internal System mandala. Prior to becoming a psychotherapist she worked in the entertainment industry in Hollywood. Her love of working with artists has inspired her most recent project called Character Mapping - a psychological toolbox for actors, writers, and directors to build deeper characters and to find them selves. In her private practice she works primarily with individual adults and provides consultation for other therapists.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

The Spiritual Practice of Self-leadership Feb 09, 2020

In this episode Derek Scott describes how Self-leadership is a Spiritual Practice. The conversation includes a consideration of how all major world religions have at their core the desire for Peace; the calm of Self; and how Love may be considered synonymous with the term God.

In discussing the Self quality of joy, he draws on sacred music from different traditions to exemplify their commonalities and articulates how Self seeks to connect with the “Self-energy”, the happiness of the parts.

He describes the “miraculous” nature of Self from a part’s perspective and in consideration of the differences between Spirituality and religion clarifies how Spiritual teachers were mystics with direct experiences of the transpersonal. Religions then emerged around these teachers as structures with prescribed behaviours on how to be more Spiritual.

Ironically these man-made “shoulding” managers bring shame into the system, reinforcing the exiles beliefs and often resulting in parts that need to “try harder to be ‘good’”. This unsatisfying state of affairs that has religion(s) determining that we are somehow unworthy may account for why many seekers are following paths using Ayahuasca, MDMA, Ketamine, Psilocybin and other medicines in order to connect with their own direct apprehension of Love or God or The All.

In asking, “What’s Right with Us?” Derek describes the evolution of the Western psychological view of the personality; from behaviourism through the cognitive revolution to Maslow’s Humanistic 3rd force psychology to our current Transpersonal 4th force understanding of the psychospiritual nature of being.

He suggests we may all be tender souls manifesting through the human experience. And posits that perhaps we were given our parts to learn how to love them. As we learn that there is more Peace inside; and therefore more love and Compassion becomes available both for those in the inside world, and our fellow human systems in the outside world.

He leaves us with the radical notion that if Self does not die, the more we can identify as Self-led, the more we can perhaps embrace our eternal nature.

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IFS Talk with Derek Scott on Self-led Grieving Jan 04, 2020

Derek Scott is a certified IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapist with an international online practice based near Toronto, Canada. He is the founder of IFSCA– an organization dedicated to bringing awareness of the IFS model to counsellors and therapists in Canada and beyond.Through IFSCA he offers courses teaching the IFS model online and in person at his retreat centre, Namaskar.Derek has worked in the field of counselling/therapy for over 35 years, including 15 working exclusively as an IFS therapist and for 18 years as an AIDS counsellor specializing in multiple losses. He is a popular guest lecturer in the department of Thanatology at the University of Western Ontario and has presented at numerous national and international conferences.Derek also has a YouTube channel dedicated to IFS, featuring over 40 free videos;It has 5,000 subscribers and has had 400,000 views.Derek can be reached at www.IFSCA.ca

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

IFS Talk with Larry Rosenberg on Welcoming Erotic Parts Dec 21, 2019

Lawrence Rosenberg is a psychologist in Cambridge, Massachusetts with a therapy and consultation practice for individuals and couples. Lawrence is a supervisor at Cambridge Health Alliance and an Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School.He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 1989 from Yale University, where being introduced to psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral models established his outlook as an integrative therapist.
During his internship and subsequent trainings, he incorporated trauma-informed, hypnosis and behavioral medicine perspectives.Today, IFS is the primary lens through which Larry views the world and he loves teaching it. He is on the staff of Toni Herbine-Blank’s couples therapy program, Intimacy from the Inside Out, and assists annually at Richard Schwartz and Sarah Stewart’s IFS workshop at Kripalu in western Massachusetts.He is particularly enthusiastic about sexuality and LGBTQ experiences.
Outside of professional life, Larry takes delight in the arts (film, theatre, museums), travel, dancing, exercise, and baking desserts.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

IFS Talk with Frank Anderson on Trauma and Neurosciences Dec 09, 2019

Frank Anderson began his journey by earning his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1985, followed by his M.D. from Rush University Medical School in 1989. He completed his residency in psychiatry at Harver Medical School.After graduation, he stayed on as a clinical instructor at Harvard working as a staff psychiatrist at the Trauma Center at the Justice Resource Institute, under the direction of Bessel van der Kolk.In 1994, Frank launched his private practice, centered on the treatment of trauma,including single-incident trauma, complex trauma, dissociative identity disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Frank also specializes in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders(ASD), lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) issues.Frank’s professional focus expanded in 2004 after he met his mentor and friend Richard Schwarz, Ph.D. From there, Frank learned to integrate IFS into his passion for psychopharmacology,neurobiology and trauma therapy. He teaches IFS, Trauma and Neuroscience,a five-day intensive training for therapists.Frank is the former chairman of the Foundation for Self Leadership, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing IFS via research, scholarships and outreach.Frank continues to provide consultation, individual therapy and couples therapy at his office in Concord, Mass. Additionally, he maintains an active career as a speaker, teacher, consultant, writer and researcher often conducting seminars, workshops and training programs. He also remains affiliated with the IFS Institute and Trauma Center at the Justice Resource Institute.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

IFS Talk with Paul Neustadt on Self Led Parenting Nov 26, 2019

Paul Neustadt, MSS, LICSW, is a senior IFS Co-Lead Trainer and AAMFT Approved Supervisor.In his private practice he specializes in couples therapy, parent coaching, and IFS consultation. He co-leads a monthly seminar for level 1 graduates focused on integrating the skills learned in level 1. He has led workshops on:

-Self Led Parenting
-the Therapeutic Relationship in IFS
-Direct Access: An Essential Skill of IFS
-IFS and Climate Change
-The Power of Presence in IFS Therapy: Transforming our Reactivity to Challenging Clients and Deepening our Capacity to be Present and Attuned
-The Gifts of Our Exiles

For 17 years he was director of a community counseling and prevention program for children, adolescents, and their families. Paul has also worked in a college counseling center and community mental health center, and taught couples and family therapy in a family therapy institute and two graduate programs. As an IFS trainer, Paul creates a safe, accepting atmosphere, attends thoughtfully to group process, and ensures that all parts are welcome. He is known for his clear, down to earth, and open-hearted manner. Paul has also authored a chapter called From Reactive to Self Led Parenting in Martha Sweezy and Ellen Ziskind Innovations and Elaborations in IFS - 2017

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Talk with Arthur Mones on IFS as a Metamodel of Therapy Nov 21, 2019

Dr. Arthur Mones is a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology who works with children, teens, adults, couples and families.He is an Approved Supervisor for the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy -licensed in New York and Massachusetts,Certifïed Internal Family Systems Therapist. Dr Mones is on the faculty of the Adelphi University Derner Institute Postgraduate Training Program in Couples Therapy. Art was Coordinator of Marriage and Family Therapy Training in the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at St. John’s University for 18 years. He also was a faculty member of the Long Island Institute for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. Prior to that he served as Director of Psychological Services at Peninsula Counseling Center on Long Island. Art has maintained a private practice for over three decades. He has presented workshops in his areas of specialization on a local and national level. In addition, Dr. Mones currently offers monthly professional consultation groups, teaching and supervising colleagues as they explore the essence of healing in psychotherapy.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

IFS Talk with Ann Sinko on the role of Legacy Burdens on Anxiety, Depression and Shame Nov 20, 2019

Ann L. Sinko, LMFT has 30 years of clinical experience and is licensed marriage and family therapist in Connecticut. She is in private practice and has been teaching as a adjunct Professor in the Marriage and family therapy program at Central CT State University for 25 years.Ann has integrated IFS theory and technique in all facets of her creative work with families, couples, individuals and groups. She has a background in gestalt therapy and uses sandtray therapy in her work with client. Ann conducts continuing education workshops on Legacy Burdens and creative externalization of parts. She brings her down to earth, concrete style along with a sense of humor to her teaching and training , and has been a IFS lead Trainer since 2007.Ann has also authored a chapter on Legacy Burdens in Martha Sweezy and Ellen Ziskind “Innovations and Elaborations in IFS - 2017.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Talk with Martha Sweezy on Shame and Guilt as central for IFS Work Nov 12, 2019

Martha Sweezy, PhD, is Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, Program Consultant and Supervisor at Cambridge Health Alliance, and former Assistant Director and Director of Training for the Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program at Cambridge Health Alliance.Martha Sweezy has published several books on IFS therapy, and has authored articles and chapters like:
The Teenager’s Confession: Regulating Shame in Internal Family Systems Therapy, AJP,2011.
Emotional Cannibalism: Shame in Action - in innovations and elaborations - 2013
Getting Unstuck (with Pam krause and Lawrence Rosenberg) - 2017
What IFS Offers to the treatment of trauma (with Frank Anderson) - 2017
Martha Sweezy is also responsible for Titles like:
1. Internal Family Systems New Dimensions (with Ellen Ziskind)- Routledge 2013
2. Intimacy from the Inside Out: Courage and Compassion in Couple Therapy with Toni Herbine-Blank and Donna M. Kerpelman - Routledge, 2015
3. Innovations and Elaborations in Internal Family Systems Therapy, with Ellen Ziskind - 2017 by routledge.
4. Internal Family Systems Skills Training Manual: Trauma-Informed Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, PTSD and Substance Abuse, with Frank Anderson and Richard Schwartz - 2017 by Pesi.
5. and more recently the Internal Family Systems Therapy Second Edition - with Dick Schwartz 2019 by Guilford.

Martha has a therapy and consultation practice in Northampton, Massachusetts, and has a particular interest in how shame and guilt affect human behavior.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Talk with Lisa Spiegel on Bringing IFS to Children and Parenting Oct 23, 2019

This is an IFS Talks with Lisa Spiegel. Lisa Spiegel received her BA from Vassar College, and has a Master's degree in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University. From her three decades of working with adults and children she has developed an approach that draws from an eclectic array of disciplines - talk therapy, yoga and mindfulness, and parent coaching. Lisa is a certified Internal Family Systems therapist, LifeForce Yoga practitioner, and a couples counselor from the Relational Life Institute.In addition to her clinical work, she founded and maintains Soho Parenting's New Orleans Project and is a published author.
In this Episode Lisa shares about her journey as a Psychotherapist for more than three decades helping children, adolescents and their parents at the Soho Project in New York. Lisa also shares how Internal Family Systems impacted her clinical and personal life.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Talk with Pam Krause on IFS with Children and Adolescents Oct 17, 2019

This is an IFS Talks with Pam Krause. Pam Krause is a Senior Lead Trainer for the Center for Self-leadership and has been leading Level 1 and Level 2 trainings since 2005. Pam adapted the IFS model for use with children and adolescents and has created both onsite and online trainings on the topic. Ana Gomez and Pam co-authored the chapter EMDR Therapy and the Use of Internal Family Systems Strategies with Children in EMDR Therapy and Adjunct Approaches with Children. Pam authored a chapter on IFS with Children and Adolescents in Internal Family Systems Therapy: New Dimensions, and also co-authored a chapter called Getting Unstuck, in the 2017 book “innovations and elaborations in IFS” - addressing occasional ruptures and impasses in our work in IFS. Pam also has a private practice in Mechanicsburg, PA.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

IFS Talk with Mary Kruger on Addictions and Eating Disorders Oct 04, 2019

This is an IFS Talks with Mary Kruger.Mary Kruger, MS, LMFT, is an AAMFT supervisor and an IFS Lead Trainer. She is the founder of Rimmon Pond Counseling, an IFS-based private practice located in New Haven, Connecticut, specializing in addictions, eating disorders, and trauma for over 25 years. Mary incorporates IFS with her own penchant for the experience, and has developed a variety of creative ways to work with parts and access Self-energy in individual, relational, and group contexts. She enjoys sharing her experience in teaching and consulting on a national level. Mary is noted for her humor, creativity, passion, and love of dancing and people. She also offers private therapy, consultations and workshops.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Talk with Susan McConnell on Embodying IFS Sep 23, 2019

This is an IFS Talks with Susan McConnell. Susan has taught IFS throughout the US and in Europe since 1997. Her involvement as Senior Trainer with the Center includes developing training curricula, training IFS training staff, and designing and leading somatic psychotherapy retreats and seminars. In her private practice in Chicago, Susan specializes in recovering the wholeness of body, mind and spirit, drawing from her bodywork and movement experience and her Buddhist practice. She brings commitment and passion to her work and her play with her partner and her dogs along Lake Michigan shores.
Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

Talk with Cece Sykes on Bringing IFS into Extreme Parts Sep 21, 2019

This is an IFS Talk with Cece Sykes, an IFS Senior Trainer, US and international. She has Contributed to Levels 1 and 2 IFS training manuals and teaches L1 as well as L2 Trauma and Addiction. Cece has over thirty years of clinical experience working with individuals, couples and families, specializing in work with the effects of trauma and addiction. Her chapter on compassionate approaches to addictive process appears in IFS: Innovations and Elaborations. Cece also has special interests in spiritual practices intersecting with therapy and in the impact of psychotherapy upon the life of the therapist and she lectures, consults and leads workshops on all of these topics. Cece lives and works in the city of Chicago.

Podcast Feedback and Interview Request welcome at https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks

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