Introduction to Internal Family Systems (IFS): Theory and Practice On-Demand CE Webinar for therapists, counselors, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists
 

Introduction to Internal Family Systems (IFS): Theory and Practice


To access the discount form for registering for multiple workshops or participants, please click here.

  • CE Hours Included: 6 (please see below for details)
  • Format: On-Demand Webinar (“Asynchronous”, Non-Interactive) ~ At your leisure this recorded video is to be viewed at your own pace. You may pause, rewind, and fast forward at any point during the videos. You are in complete control of how you view this workshop. It also comes with a PowerPoint and references. There is a quiz at the end to ensure viewing and required by all CE approval organizations.
  • Investment: $140 (provides lifetime access!)
  • Presented by: Alexia Rothman, Ph.D. (see bio below)
  • Date of Recording: January 8, 2027
  • Instruction Level: Introductory
  • Target Audience: Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists
  • This workshop is not yet available; by pre-registering, you will receive immediate access when it becomes available in January.

Learning Objectives:

After completing this workshop in its entirety, you will be able to:

  • Describe the origins and development of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model and the current status of empirical support for IFS.
  • Explain the basic principles and assumptions of IFS theory, including the natural multiplicity of the mind and the positive intent of all parts.
  • Identify the three major components of the psyche as outlined by IFS (parts, burdens, and the Self) and the characteristics of each.
  • Contrast Self-led and part-led functioning of the internal system and explain how each relates to psychological health, symptom development, case conceptualization, and the goals of IFS therapy.
  • Demonstrate the core IFS procedures for accessing, getting to know, and building a trusting relationship with a part.
  • Describe the IFS protocol for working with wounded, vulnerable, and traumatized parts of the internal system.

Workshop Description:

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a compassionate, respectful, non-pathologizing model of the psyche that has become one of the most widely sought-after approaches in psychotherapy today. Grounded in the understanding that the mind is naturally multiple, IFS offers a clear map of how some of our inner “parts” are wounded, how others take on protective and burdened roles in response to life experiences, and how the core Self, which is present in every person, can be accessed to lead the healing of the internal system. A growing body of research, including recent randomized controlled trials of IFS for posttraumatic stress disorder, continues to build the empirical base for the model.

This workshop provides an in-depth introduction to IFS theory and therapy. Participants will learn the origins and development of the model, its core principles and assumptions, and the three major components of the psyche as described by IFS: parts, burdens, and the Self. We will explore how the functioning of the internal system relates to mental health, how to conceptualize a wide range of clinical presentations through an IFS lens, and the foundational IFS procedures for accessing, getting to know, and building trust with a part, as well as the procedures for working with vulnerable and traumatized parts of the internal system. Through didactic instruction, video demonstration and analysis, and guided experiential practice, participants will gain familiarity with IFS techniques that can be put to use immediately in their own lives and in their work with clients, along with a balanced understanding of the model’s current empirical support, benefits, and limitations.

Workshop Agenda:

  • Origins, Development, and Empirical Status of the IFS Model (30 mins)
    • Opening meditation
    • What is IFS?
    • Development of IFS by Richard Schwartz: from family systems therapy to the “internal family”
    • Review of the state of the IFS research base
    • Strengths and limitations of the current evidence
    • Potential risks of using IFS
  • Foundational Principles and Assumptions of IFS Theory (60 mins)
    • Multiplicity of the mind versus the “mono-mind”; parts as subpersonalities
    • All parts have positive intent; parts are not their burdens
    • Exiles: wounded, vulnerable parts that carry the memories, sensations, and emotions of painful experiences
    • Impact of trauma on the protective system: how parts shift from preferred to extreme roles
    • Proactive protectors (managers): intentions, functions, and common extreme roles
    • Reactive protectors (firefighters): intentions, functions, and common extreme roles
    • Burdens
  • The Self, Blending, and Unblending (45 mins)
    • The Self and its qualities (the “8 C’s”)
    • Diversity and cultural sensitivity in IFS therapy
    • Blending and unblending, including a key unblending technique
    • Relating to others from Self
  • Case Conceptualization and the Goals of IFS Therapy (45 mins)
    • Treating a system, not a symptom: relationship of diagnosis to how parts organize
    • Assessing the system
    • Personality disorders, dissociative identity disorder, and addiction through an IFS lens
    • Goals of IFS therapy
    • Modalities: in-sight and direct access; externalization
    • Flow of an IFS session
  • Core IFS Procedures: Forming Self-to-Part Relationships (90 mins)
    • Noticing trailheads
    • Moving from story to target part and obtaining permission to work
    • The 6 F’s protocol
    • Video demonstration and analysis: working with protectors
    • Experiential exercise
  • The Healing Process: Working with Wounded, Vulnerable, and Traumatized Parts (90 mins)
    • The steps of working with exiles
    • Assessing for Self-energy versus blending once protectors grant access
    • Video demonstration and analysis: healing process with exiles
    • Integration and appreciation

Presented by: Alexia Rothman, Ph.D.

Dr. Alexia Rothman is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Atlanta, GA, since 2004. She is a Lead Trainer for the IFS Institute, a Certified Internal Family Systems therapist, an international speaker and educator on the IFS model, and an IFSI-approved professional consultant. Dr. Rothman offers workshops and retreats on the IFS model throughout the U.S. and internationally. She co-hosts the IFS-based podcast, IFS Talks, has published a book chapter on the integration of IFS and Polyvagal Theory, and is co-author of the book IFS Collected Wisdom: Conversations with Experienced Voices in Internal Family Systems.

Dr. Rothman is a United States Presidential Scholar who graduated summa cum laude from Emory University as a Robert W. Woodruff Scholar. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she was an Edwin W. Pauley Fellow and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. She has held adjunct faculty positions at Emory University and Agnes Scott College.

6 "Asynchronous" CE Hours Included - Details by License Type Below:

  • PSYCHOLOGISTS: The Knowledge Tree, A Summit Professional Education Company is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Knowledge Tree, A Summit Professional Education Company maintains responsibility for this program and its content. For more detailed information on the current CE ruling in Georgia, or if you are licensed in another state or country, please click here.
  • COUNSELORS: The Knowledge Tree, A Summit Professional Education Company has been approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP), ACEP No. 7153. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The Knowledge Tree, A Summit Professional Education Company is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
    • GA: Counselors in GA will receive 6 Core Hours for completing this course. Please click here for more detailed information.
  • SOCIAL WORKERS: The Knowledge Tree, a Summit Professional Education Company, provider #2470, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 1/14/2026-1/14/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 6 clinical continuing education credits.
    • GA: Social Workers in GA will receive 6 Core Hours for completing this course. Please click here for more detailed information.
  • MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPISTS: TKT has applied for approval for this workshop through the Georgia Association for Marriage & Family Therapy (GAMFT). If you are licensed in another state or country, please click here for more detailed information.

Registration: To register for individual workshops, we recommend purchasing the course directly on the workshop's page on our website. If you would like to register for multiple workshops at once and receive our multi-workshop discount (detailed below), you may either complete the Multi-Workshop Registration Form (available HERE) and email it to our Customer Service Team at theknowledgetree@summit.zendesk.com or call them at 404-913-2005 to register over the phone. Workshops worth fewer than 3 CE hours are not eligible for the multi-workshop discount and are therefore not listed on the registration form. Workshop registration for live webinars is open until the time the workshop begins, unless otherwise specified.

Multi-Workshop Discount: There is a 10% discount when registering for two workshops, a 15% discount when registering for three or four workshops, and a 20% discount when registering for five or more workshops. To receive this discount, you must use the Multi-Workshop Registration Form (available HERE). The discount only applies to courses purchased in the same transaction; the discount cannot be applied to courses purchased directly on our website, and cannot be applied retroactively to courses previously purchased. As stated above, courses worth fewer than 3 CE hours are NOT eligible for the multi-workshop discount and are therefore not listed on the registration form.

Refund/Cancellation Policy: If you can no longer attend a workshop you have registered for, you can either receive a credit for another workshop or receive a refund if you are within the refund policy period. Refunds will be given for cancellations received at least five days prior to the workshop. More information about refund/cancellation can be found here.

Attendance Policy: 100% attendance, completion of a course evaluation and passing a post-test with a score of 70% or higher (you will have 2 retake opportunities) is required at any asynchronous CE program in order to receive credit for that CE program. No partial credit is given. Certificates of completion will be available in each attendee’s account once these completion requirements have been met.

ADA Requests: We will make every effort to accommodate any reasonable ADA request. Please call or email us at least two weeks prior to the event. Payment and registration are required to fulfill an ADA request.

No Conflict Policy: Neither The Knowledge Tree nor its speakers have received any commercial support for this program or its contents and will not receive any commercial support prior to or during this program. 

System Requirements: Live Interactive Webinars are facilitated via Zoom. System requirements for the Zoom platform are linked at our FAQ page.

We are an approved vendor for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for easy reimbursement of educational expenses for VA employees.


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For information about our Continuing Education Workshops, please contact our Customer Service team at:

404.913.2005

theknowledgetree@summit.zendesk.com

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The Knowledge Tree, a Summit Professional Education Company, offers courses that provide continuing education hours as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and holds Approved Continuing Education Provider/Sponsor status with professional organizations including APA and NBCC. Each licensee should check our detailed CE information page and ensure courses taken meet their specific state board requirements.