IFS Talks

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 probneus@gmail.com

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!