2-Day Intensive Internal Family Systems Therapy Basic Training
Foundational IFS Skills and Techniques for Trauma Treatment
- Speaker:
- Candice Richardson Dickens, LCPC-S, LCADC, NCC, MA, CCTP
- Duration:
- Two Full Days
- Product Code:
- LWC151058
- Brochure Code:
- PWZ96840
- Media Type:
- Live Webinar - Also available: Digital Seminar
Description
Learn to use IFS therapy skills and tools in Just 2 Days with PESI
- Comprehensive instruction with materials
- Includes case examples and demonstrations
- Guided practice sessions
- No previous IFS experience required
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is one of today’s most sought-after, non-pathologizing approaches to therapy.
Because the IFS lens shifts the focus from symptom management and gives you tools to work with what’s driving those symptoms – the parts of themselves that formed to help them survive.
In this live 2-day training, Candice Dickens, LCPC will walk you through the foundational skills of IFS in a way that’s clear, engaging, and easy to put into practice.
You’ll learn to recognize and work with your client’s parts – each with its own thoughts, feelings, and strategies – while strengthening the self, the natural core of calm, curiosity, and compassion that fosters healing.
Through step-by-step training, real-life case examples, demonstrations, and guided practice, you’ll discover how to:
- Quickly earn the trust of protective parts and create the safety for deeper work
- Use the 6F’s to get to know parts without overwhelming your client
- Reduce the intensity of anxious, critical, or reactive parts
- Begin safe, introductory work with exiles and the unburdening process
- Integrate IFS with approaches like EMDR, CBT, and somatic techniques
Whether you’re brand-new to IFS or looking to strengthen your skills, you’ll leave this training with practical IFS tools you can use immediately, and a clear sense of how to pace sessions for safety and success.
Experience for yourself why IFS is changing the way thousands of therapists practice – and why it can transform your work, too.
Register today.
This event is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with the IFS Institute and does not qualify for IFS Institute credits or certification.
Credit
Speaker
Candice Richardson Dickens, LCPC-S, LCADC, NCC, MA, CCTP Related seminars and products
Cra counseling & consulting agency
Candice R. Dickens, LCPC-S, LCADC, NCC, MA, CCTP, is a licensed clinical professional counselor supervisor, licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor, national certified counselor, and certified clinical trauma professional with over 35 years of clinical experience. She is the founder and clinical director of CRA Counseling & Consulting Agency in Ellicott City, Maryland, where she specializes in treating complex trauma, anxiety disorders, depression, marital conflict, and substance use among high-achieving adults and couples. She’s trained in multiple evidence-based modalities including Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Brainspotting, and Imago Relationship Therapy. Her clinical approach integrates culturally sensitive, trauma-informed techniques with somatic and mind-body practices, including trauma-informed yoga, Yoga Nidra, breathwork, and meditation.
A dedicated community organizer and professional leader, Ms. Dickens serves on the executive board of the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and is a national workshop proposal reviewer for the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). She is an active scholar and educator whose work centers on intersectional, narrative-driven approaches to counselor education, with a particular focus on amplifying the experiences of neurodivergent black women in graduate education. She is also a popular speaker and has been featured at major conferences such as NAADAC National Conference, Black Mental Health Alliance Conference, Psychotherapy Networker, and Boston University School of Social Work.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Candice Richardson Dickens has employment relationships with ACENTRA Health, Echelon Community Services, and CRA Counseling & Consulting Agency. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Candice Richardson Dickens an executive board member for The Night of Peace Shelter and is a member of the Maryland Association of Imago Therapists.
Additional Info
Access Period for Live WebcastYou will have access for 90 days after the program for review. For live CE credit, you must watch the live webcast in its entirety at its scheduled time and complete the CE quiz and evaluation within one week. Please note that this requirement may vary by credit type. Please see detailed credit information for specific requirements for each credit type.
Webcast Schedule
Please note: There will be a 70-minute lunch and two 15-minute breaks; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Lunch and break times will be announced by the speaker and at their discretion. A more detailed schedule is available upon request.
Questions?
Visit our FAQ page at www.pesi.com/faq or contact us at www.pesi.com/info
Please Note
This product is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with the IFS Institute and does not qualify for IFS Institute credits or certification.
Objectives
- Identify the key internal “parts” conceptualized in IFS.
- Define the concept of the Self and its role in the IFS model.
- Analyze the current research, including research gaps and limitations, in the evidence supporting the use of the IFS model.
- Examine the potential risks and contraindications associated with using the IFS model.
- Identify how neuroscience, neurobiology, and polyvagal theory inform the IFS framework.
- Define the concept of a “burdened” internal system and how IFS conceptualizes a client’s response to trauma.
- Utilize mapping techniques to externalize relational dynamics of the internal system
- Examine the impacts of intergenerational trauma, known as legacy burdens in the IFS model, on clients’ internal systems.
- Use IFS strategies to obtain protector permission to go to exiled parts to heal trauma wounds and release burdens.
- Select appropriate unblending interventions for specific Part types.
- Integrate polarized parts to promote internal harmony and Self-leadership.
- Evaluate the compatibility of IFS therapy with adjunctive approaches like EMDR and somatic therapy.
Outline
Day 1 – Foundations & The Protective System
Core Concepts & Foundations
- Overview of IFS as a non-pathologizing, parts-based model
- Goals of IFS in therapy
- Therapist self-awareness (therapist’s own parts in the room)
- Research, risks and treatment limitations
The Internal System
- Parts categories: Managers, firefighters, exiles
- Self & the 8 C’s qualities
- Mapping client systems & “parts director” mindset
Protective Roles & Development
- How protectors form
- The protective system as adaptive survival
- Experiential exercise – Parts mapping/journaling
Getting to Know Managers, Firefighters, and Protectors
- Traits, intentions, and common burdens
- Interviewing managers, firefighters, and protectors (demos)
- Building trust & permission
- Common protector fears and how to address them
Skill Practice – Accessing Parts
- Trailheads
- Direct access
- In-sight
- Externalizing methods
Day 2 – The 6F’s, Exiles & Introduction to Unburdening
Core Skills for Protector Work
- Unblending
- Differentiating self from parts & self-like parts
- Language for inviting space from blended parts
The 6F’s Process
- Find, Focus, Flesh Out, Feel Toward, Befriend Fears
- Demo
Permission from Protectors
- Using the 6F’s to gain access to exiles safely
Working with Exiles & Intro to Unburdening
- The exile role
- How exiles hold burdens (personal & legacy)
- Cultural, intergenerational, and epigenic burdens
Noticing and Meeting Exiles
- Contracting for no overwhelm
- Self-to-part connection & witnessing
Introduction to the Unburdening Process
- Six steps: trust, witnessing, retrieval/do-over, releasing, reclaiming qualities, integration
- Emphasis on readiness & pacing
Integrating with Other Modalities, Experiential Practice and More
- Integrating IFS with EMDR, CBT, somatics and other modalities
- Embodying exiles exercise
- Body mapping or guided imagery for exile connection
- Closing & integration
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Psychologists
- Addiction Counselors
- Registered Psychotherapists
- Nurse Practitioners
- Physicians
- Others in caring profession
Reviews
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