IFS Talks

We are excited to celebrate the launch of IFS Collected Wisdom: Conversations with Experienced Voices in Internal Family Systems a book that brings together voices, reflections, and lived experience from across the IFS community. This book was created from a desire to honor those voices, and to acknowledge that wisdom in IFS doesn’t live in one place or one person. It lives in relationship, in experience, and in the field as it evolves. Thank you for being a listener, for being part of this community,  and for continuing to explore what becomes possible when Self leads. We hope that IFS Collected Wisdom can become a companion in your IFS journey. Here is a link to the IFS Collected Wisdom book contents. The Role of Uncertainty in Mental Health with Sarah Bergenfeld and Martha Sweezy<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0p

In this episode, we explore the nature of grief through the lens of Internal Family Systems (IFS) with senior trainer Einat Bronstein. Drawing on the work of Francis Weller and other key grief theorists, we reflect on grief not as a problem to solve, but as a deeply human experience that calls for presence, witnessing, and integration. We discuss how cultural expectations and “collective burdens” shape the way grief is experienced, often leading to blocked or frozen processes. From an IFS perspective, grief is understood as a complex, non-linear experience carried by different parts of the internal system, particularly exiles. The conversation explores topics like: How IFS differs from stage-based and task-oriented models of grief - such as those of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, John Bowlby, J. William Worden, and Robert NeimeyerWhat happens internally when we experience loss, and the roles of different parts in the grieving processWhy grief may feel stuck, and how Self-led witnessing can allow transformation and healingThe connection between present grief and earlier, unresolved lossesThe role of psychoeducation, ritual, and embodied expression in supporting griefWhat it means to “integrate” a loss within the IFS framework We also reflect on common pitfalls therapists may encounter when working with grief, and the deeper wisdom that can emerge from loss, about love, attachment, and the enduring presence of those we have lost. This episode is an invitation to approach grief with curiosity, compassion, and openness, honoring it as a doorway to connection, meaning, and inner transformati

Today on IFS Talks, we’re excited to welcome Lisa Spiegel and Claire Stubbs. Lisa is the founder of Soho Parenting in New York City. She’s an author and a certified IFS therapist and consultant who has worked with children and families for over 40 years and teaches therapists around the world.  <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW97470806 BCX4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-user-drag:none;-webkit-user-select:text;caret-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.847);clear:both;color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.847);cursor:text;direction:ltr;font-family:"Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;overflow:visible;padding:0px;position:relative;text-align:start;text-decoration-line:none;text-decoration

In today’s episode,  we speak with Joanne Twombly about a powerful IFS technique commonly known as "The Fire Drill, based on Joanne's chapter called The Fire Drill: Sorting Through Countertransference with IFS."And we also announce the recent publication of  IFS Collected Wisdom:Conversations with Experienced Voices in Internal Family Systems.We are deeply grateful to all those who contributed to this project, and endorsed this volume, including Richard Schwartz, Susan  McConnell, Cece  Sykes,  Joanne Twombly,  Einat  Bronstein, Bob  Falconer, and many others. We hope the book will be a companion on your IFS journey.Here is a link to the IFS Collected Wisdom contents.

Our guest is Paul Neustadt,  a clinical social worker and IFS Senior Co-lead Trainer. Paul has worked in community mental health and the counseling program of a working-class state university as well as having been the director of a community-based counseling and prevention program. Paul sees himself as a spiritual being in a human body, on a healing journey, in this life to learn lessons, to connect with his soul, and to live in accordance with his life purpose. Part of his life purpose has been to share the gift of IFS with others. In this episode, we discuss the qualities and virtues of Self-like parts, and how to welcome, honor, and genuinely validate them in a non-shaming way that allows more Self energy to emerge.

Today we welcome Catia Vinnik.  Catia Vinnik is a neuroscientist and science communicator who has dedicated over 20 years to understanding the brain—from sensory processing and memory to molecular mechanisms underlying complex behaviors. Recently, she has translated this extensive research into practical psychoeducation tools and interactive games for therapists. Catia graduated from medical school and earned her PhD in cognitive neuroscience in Italy, during which she discovered a novel auditory illusion. She founded the "Behaving Brain" project to bridge neuroscience and psychotherapy, creating accessible tools such as Brain Coping Cards that therapists can use with their clients.  Her belief that learning should be active, shapes workshops on the neuroscience of addiction, anxiety, depression, trauma, and other therapy-related topics by using interactive educational games that clarify complex neural interactions in the client's brain and how therapy taps into these processes. Dr. Vinnik is trained in Internal Family Systems, a model she values highly for its insightful perspective on the human mind.

This episode is a recording of an open Q&A session with Martha Sweezy. Trigger warning:All questions were submitted by participants and focused primarily on Martha’s area of expertise: shame and guilt. Please note that Martha Sweezy makes political comments in this episode.

Today we are welcoming back Cece Sykes. Cece 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 addictive processes appears in IFS: Innovations & Elaborations. She is a co-author of the book, Treating Addictive Processes with Internal Family Systems Therapy, published in 2023. 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 the Chicago area.  Today, we will be speaking with her about the Nature and Healing of Exiles in IFS therapy.

Paul Neustadt is an IFS Senior Co-Lead Trainer. He has taught workshops on The Gifts of our Exiles, The Power of Presence in IFS; Self Led Parenting; and a number of other topics. He teaches a monthly seminar for level 1 graduates focused on integrating the skills learned in level 1 that begins in October. In his private practice he now focuses on providing individual and group consultation to IFS therapists. 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.  Natalie Thomas is a Registered Psychotherapist and IFS therapist in private practice and a Professor of Philosophy, specializing in animal and environmental ethics. She has presented and led workshops on the application of IFS for those experiencing climate distress, and on ways IFS can inform ecotherapy and nature-based therapies. She also holds monthly climate cafes and trains others to facilitate these, using an IFS lens. She is a Regional Coordinator for the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America, and her current research is focused on the creation of an IFS-informed approach to climate-aware therapy. Parts & Self has published two of her pieces on IFS and animals, and IFS and climate distress. Additionally, she has also been featured in an episode of ‘The One Inside’ which focused on IFS, Self and our connection to nature, and has presented at the latest IFS Conference on IFS, climate distress and ecotherapy. Her private practice specializes in the use of IFS for those suffering from trauma, grief and climate distress, and she also offers workshops, retreats and trainings in these areas. Here a link to Natalie's website and Climate Cafes

In this episode, we welcome Ana Morante, Ann-Katrin Bockmann, and Mary Petro to discuss the topic of Self-led motherhood. They will be sharing several important projects that integrate IFS principles and techniques to help support mothers around the world, including those at various stages of their motherhood journey and those who are parenting under extremely challenging conditions, such as poverty and life in war-torn regions. Here is a link to the project’s website,  for those interested in joining this project.

Today we will be speaking with Joanne about the second edition of her book, Trauma and Dissociation Informed Internal Family Systems: How to Successfully Treat Complex PTSD and Dissociative Disorders, and asking Joanne some follow-up questions to the interview we did with her two years ago, in November 2022. We find this conversation very interesting and valuable for those using IFS with clients with severe complex trauma. We hope you enjoy it and find it useful.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 [email protected]

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.

IFS Talks will be back soon with a brand new episode.  In the meantime, we’re excited to introduce you to a new IFS Podcast: IFS Masters, an Internal Family Systems audio podcast offering a different format.      In this second episode of IFS Masters,  "Living and Teaching IFS" is shared and discussed.        Cece Sykes is a consultant and senior trainer with the Internal Family Systems Institutewhere she specializes in trauma and addiction and educates therapists around the world on how to apply the IFS model to addictive processes. Cece's new book IFS Therapy for Addictions was just released. Additionally, she is exploring how psychotherapy affects the therapist’s life. Toni Herbine-Blank has been an IFS trainer since 2004 and has been instrumental in designing programs and writing curricula for IFS trainings. Toni is the developer of Intimacy from the Inside Out, an IFS-based couples therapy program in which she trains therapists and offers retreats around the world.      We hope you can find the time to enjoy this conversation among this two seasoned and renowned Lead Trainers, that we believe  helpful in many ways both to our personal and clinical lives.      So please welcome and Follow this new and free IFS Podcast pressing this link IFS Masters   or copy and paste this one:  https://podcasts.apple.com/pt/podcast/ifs-masters/id1663565953?i=1000603449820

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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:[email protected]@gmail.comhttps://www.emmaredfern.co.uk

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.

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

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.

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/

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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