IFS Model Official Training     

Founded by Richard Schwartz, PhD., the Internal Family Systems model (IFS), is a cutting-edge psychotherapy approach that offers therapists a non-pathological conceptual framework for understanding the human psyche.

IFS respectfully guides people toward lasting and profound transformation. It applies family systems principles, compassion-based self-inquiry, and experiential techniques to work with inner parts of the person. It is widely used internationally in the treatment of trauma and severe diagnoses, as well as a wide variety of psychological issues and non-clinical applications such as business consulting and mediation practice. IFS offers therapists a way to make their practice more enjoyable and effective, and less effortful. It also helps them find and heal parts of themselves as humans and clinicians dedicated to their own healing and growth.

Level 3

In Level 3 training you will work intensively with fellow advanced practitioners to further develop your knowledge of IFS and hone your skills with its techniques, focusing on the Therapist’s internal relationships.

In these trainings you will immerse yourself in the Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) model of psychotherapy. IFS Institute’s Senior Lead Trainers will offer the IFS Institute’s Level One training over 12 days either online or (when post-COVID conditions allow) over the course of 2 week-long trainings, in retreat-styled workshops; these in-person trainings may be residential or non-residential (day-only) settings. Two teleconference group call events (up to 2 hours) may be programmed on weekends between the formal weeks of group learning.

These courses are designed for professionals (therapists, psychologists, counsellors, somatic therapists and body workers, mental health nurses, expressive arts therapists, and social workers) as well as those mental health professionals committed to their self-development. Participants will learn deeply the fundamental IFS concepts and techniques in order to apply them to their professional and personal lives. The format of the Training involves didactic learning as well as a wide range of experiential processes designed to help participants deepen their understanding of IFS – learning by doing as therapist, client, and observer-witness.

One of the most important experiential aspects of the training involves daily opportunities to practise using IFS skills with each other, supported by more-experienced practitioners in high support ratios (usually one-to-three), as well as in medium and large group work. In this way, participants learn by both doing, observing, and receiving the work. Learning objectives covered in this retreat style learning curriculum are overviewed here.

The experience of recent participants strongly recommend reducing other client loads and parallel training in order to get maximum value and absorb the experiential learning available. We respect the commitment required to engage in these intensive days, and recommend you do allow additional downtime for processing and reflection. Please do not fill the hours of your day (e.g. with clients around the training hours), as previous participants have repeatedly fed-back that doing this diminished their learning and exhausted them.

To receive the certificate of attendance you must attend a minimum 84 hours, including BOTH weeks of training and the weekend teleconferences (usually a 2-hour block on a weekend). For requirements to be certified as either an IFS Therapist or an IFS Practitioner see the US website. Note the Certification requires attending the Level 1 training plus additional client hours, PD, and supervision hours.

SAMHSA has added IFS to the US National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices rating it as “effective for improving general functioning and well-being,” and “promising for each of: improving phobia, panic, and generalized anxiety disorders and symptoms; physical health conditions and symptoms; personal resilience/self-concept; and depression and depressive symptoms.”