Presented by Frank Anderson, MD
Treating Complex PTSD with Internal Family Systems (IFS) — Transcending Trauma
Spend three days at the Gaylord National Resort, just across the Potomac from Washington, DC — or join us live online — for skills-building and personal transformation.
National Harbor, MD, just outside Washington, DC — or join live online
This is your opportunity to train with world-renowned trauma treatment expert, Dr. Frank Anderson.
Hailed as “the treatment method that all clinicians should know to treat clients effectively” by Bessel van der Kolk, author of the New York Times Best-seller The Body Keeps the Score, IFS is rapidly becoming one of the most popular and effective treatment approaches to heal emotional wounds — the wounds that prevent clients from moving forward in therapy.
Whether you’re new to IFS or you’ve been using it for years, you’ll leave revitalized with the practical insights, strategies, and interventions you need to effectively treat complex trauma with IFS.
What you’ll get when you register now…
- Learn IFS from Trauma Expert Dr. Frank Anderson
- Take Time to Relax and Rejuvenate at the Beautiful Gaylord Resort
- Explore Washington, DC During Free Afternoons — Just Across the River
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Coffee and Tea Service Included
- Earn up to 14.25 CE Hours
- Can’t Attend? Virtual Option Also Available
Register today and we’ll see you just outside Washington, DC, or online!
October 26–28, 2026
$299.99
Yes, I’ll see you live online!- 3 Days LIVE ONLINE Training with Frank Anderson, M.D.
- Join from your home or office
- Earn up to 14.25 CE Hours
- Archive Recording Available for 30 Days
$449.99
Yes, I’ll see you in person!- 3 Days LIVE Training with Frank Anderson, M.D.
- Breakfast, Lunch and Coffee/Tea Included!
- Earn up to 14.25 CE Hours
- Archive Recording Available for 30 Days
$299.99
Yes, send me the recordings!- The complete 3-day retreat, recorded
- Watch on your own schedule
- Earn up to 14.25 self-study CE Hours*
*Recording Package: CE details available 4-6 weeks after the event. Self-study CE hours and approvals may vary from live event. Content will be accessible for 12 months after the product becomes available.
This product is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with the IFS Institute and does not qualify for IFS Institute credits or certification.
Retreat Schedule
All times are U.S. Eastern Standard Time
*There will be a 15 minute break approximately halfway through each CE training session
What you’ll cover over three days
Working with Various Types of Trauma
- CPTSD and IFS
- Trauma Types Defined
- IFS Theoretical Model Overview
- IFS and Phase Oriented Treatment
- Integrate IFS into Your Treatment Approach
- Identifying a Part Meditation Exercise
- Risks and Limitations
Getting Started with IFS in Your Practice
- Identifying and Separating Target Parts
- Using Self-Energy and Accessing Internal Wisdom
- Befriending, Finding the Job, and Finding the Fear
- Beyond the 6 F’s
- Direct Access of a Part Video Demonstration
- Empathy and Compassion Experiential Exercise
What You Need to Know as a Therapist
- Fear Circuitry and PTSD
- Implicit and Explicit Memory
- Hormones and Other Chemical Factors
- Anatomical Factors
- Extreme Reactions and the Autonomic Nervous System
- How Neuroscience Informs Therapeutic Decisions
The Role of IFS in Treating Attachment and Relational Wounds
- The Stages and Styles of Attachment
- Attachment and Preverbal Trauma
- IFS as Internal Attachment Work
- Common Reactions to Trauma
- Vulnerability
- Shame Cycles Associated with Trauma
- Substance Use as Protection
Master the Key Factors in a Trauma Treatment System
- Systems, Severe Trauma, and Polarities
- Traumatic Feelings and Loss
- Therapists’ Parts
- Common Comorbidities
- Medications and Trauma
- Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy
- Identifying Therapists’ Parts Exercise
Stay on Target Using IFS with the Most Extreme Parts
- Dealing with Dissociation
- Dissociation as a Spectrum
- Conflict Between Parts
- Therapist Parts
- Meditation – Therapist Parts
Self as the Ultimate Corrective Experience
- The Order of Healing
- Features of Treating Emotional Wounds
- Common Roadblocks
- Forgiveness
- Confrontation
- Trauma Memories
- Integrating Spirituality
- The Unburdening Process Video Demonstration
By the end of this retreat, you’ll be able to:
- 1Explain the theoretical model of IFS and the concept of parts related to trauma treatment applications.
- 2Identify different symptoms and characteristics of trauma and CPTSD in order to inform an IFS-based treatment plan.
- 3Integrate IFS into your current therapeutic interventions to improve trauma treatment outcomes.
- 4Recognize the risks and limitations of using IFS in trauma treatment.
- 5Apply techniques for identifying and separating target parts in your clients.
- 6Propose how to work with protective parts from an IFS perspective for assessment and treatment planning.
- 7Relate how self-energy, internal wisdom, empathy and compassion impact treatment outcomes.
- 8Understand how the neuroscience of trauma and dissociation affects your clients and use that knowledge to inform therapeutic decisions.
- 9Determine how to work with implicit and explicit trauma memories in clients.
- 10Comment on how the role of attachment and relational trauma from an IFS perspective informs clinical treatment interventions.
- 11Characterize common reactions to trauma such as vulnerability, shame cycles, and substance use in the context of case conceptualization.
- 12Examine the use of medications and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in conjunction with IFS interventions for trauma treatment.
- 13Utilize IFS-based techniques to identify and manage dissociative symptoms in clients.
- 14Outline the order of progression and common roadblocks encountered during trauma treatment.
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 has lectured extensively on the Neurobiology of PTSD and Dissociation and wrote the chapter “Who’s Taking What? Connecting Neuroscience, Psychopharmacology, and Internal Family Systems for Trauma” in Internal Family Systems Therapy – New Dimensions. He co-authored a chapter on “What IFS Brings to Trauma Treatment” in Innovations and Elaborations in Internal Family Systems Therapy and recently co-authored Internal Family Systems Skills Training Manual.
His most recent book, entitled Transcending Trauma: Healing Complex PTSD with Internal Family Systems, was released on May 19, 2021.
Embark on an unparalleled getaway at Gaylord National Resort, a premier National Harbor resort just minutes from Washington, DC. Nestled on the banks of the Potomac River, this resort in National Harbor, Maryland invites you to experience a year-round oasis with a 72-degree climate inside its stunning 19-story indoor garden atrium. Immerse yourself in this exceptional hotel in National Harbor, where opulence meets world-class service and diverse dining options.
Massage therapy and treatments from Relâche Spa’s wellness team.
Complimentary daily yoga class designed for all experience levels.
Walk, run and enjoy the scenic waterfront paths of National Harbor.
Soar 180 feet above the Potomac River.
Hop on, hop off with an Old Town Trolley tour of the Capital region.
201 Waterfront St
National Harbor, Maryland 20745
Want to stay on site? Attendees are welcome to stay at the Gaylord National Resort. Please call the hotel directly to book your room.
Call the Gaylord: (301) 965-4000Training wraps up by early afternoon each day, so the rest is yours. The monuments, museums, and history of the nation’s capital are just a short drive or water taxi ride away — or stay in and unwind at the resort.
Walk from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol past the landmarks you know by heart.
World-class museums, most of them free, all within a few blocks.
Tour the seat of Congress and the Library of Congress next door.
Stroll cobblestone streets lined with shops and waterfront dining, a quick water taxi ride away.
Who Should Attend?
Whether you are an experienced IFS therapist, a novice, or someone without any IFS training, this retreat will increase your clinical sophistication and confidence with IFS so you can treat the most complex traumas more effectively than ever before.
The target audience includes:
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Therapists
- Addiction Counselors
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Case Managers
- Mental Health Professionals
YES! The training is LIVE, and you’ll be able to ask the presenter questions.
Yes! This is designed to be an excellent introduction to the ways therapists are incorporating IFS therapy into their current practices and models they already use. You’ll also be given the resources to know where to go and how to dive deeper into any of these methods if you’d like to go further after this training is done.
Yes! Whether you are new to IFS or a seasoned practitioner, this is designed to be an excellent refresher and skill enhancer to the ways you are incorporating IFS therapy into your current practice. You’ll also be given the resources to know where to go and how to dive deeper into any of these methods if you’d like to go further after this training is done.
Every registrant gets complete unlimited replay access to the recording of the event for 90 days in your portal.
This event is eligible for up to 14.25 live CE hours, depending on your individual board. We’ve worked hard to make sure as many licensed mental health professionals as possible are covered by this amazing training program.
October 26–28, 2026
There will be a 60-minute lunch for days 1 and 2 and a 15-minute break in the morning for all three days. Our event ends on day 3 at 1 pm and lunch is on your own. Lunch and break times will be announced by the speaker and at their discretion. Please see our detailed schedule on this page for more information.
From purchase date until September 25, 2026: Cancellation results in a full refund less a $100 administrative fee.
From September 26, 2026 until October 26, 2026: Cancellation results in a 50% penalty of the total purchase amount.
No cancellation refunds will be issued after October 26, 2026.
Yes! We’re confident you’ll find this learning experience to be all that’s promised and more than you expected. However, if you’re not completely satisfied, give us a call at 800-844-8260 and we will honor our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.
October 26–28, 2026
$299.99
Yes, I’ll see you live online!- 3 Days LIVE ONLINE Training with Frank Anderson, M.D.
- Join from your home or office
- Earn up to 14.25 CE Hours
- Archive Recording Available for 30 Days
$449.99
Yes, I’ll see you in person!- 3 Days LIVE Training with Frank Anderson, M.D.
- Breakfast, Lunch and Coffee/Tea Included!
- Earn up to 14.25 CE Hours
- Archive Recording Available for 30 Days
$299.99
Yes, send me the recordings!- The complete 3-day retreat, recorded
- Watch on your own schedule
- Earn up to 14.25 self-study CE Hours*
*Recording Package: CE details available 4-6 weeks after the event. Self-study CE hours and approvals may vary from live event. Content will be accessible for 12 months after the product becomes available.
This product is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with the IFS Institute and does not qualify for IFS Institute credits or certification.