Advanced IFS Course
Advanced IFS: How to Work with: Inner Critic/ Inner Champion, Polarized Parts, Legacy Burdens, Case Consultation
This class will expand on the Internal Family Systems (IFS) Course and provide opportunities for Case Consultation. Those with equivalent previous knowledge or experience of IFS are welcome.
This course will explore the following IFS concepts:
The Inner Critic is a protector that tries to control our behavior by reminding us of all of our negative traits and failings. Most clients have them and they can be one of the most challenging parts to work with. The Critic is experienced as a nattering voice in our heads, that can evoke feelings of shame and deflation and cause us to feel unworthy and dejected. Ultimately, it is trying to help us achieve what we want: connection, acceptance, and self-esteem; but, paradoxically, its efforts do the opposite.
The Inner Champion, on the other hand, is a set of capacities of the Self that is an antidote to the Inner Critic. It supports self-acceptance and self-esteem. The four aspects of the Inner Champion are: Strength, Self-Compassion, Perspective and Guidance, and looking at the Kernel of Truth.
Polarized Parts: Many parts present in pairs: two parts that are polarized with each other and invested in protecting by maintaining opposing positions. There are three basic strategies in working with polarization.
Legacy Burdens: are passed down through the generations. They result from the experiences of a family line over lifetimes. These burdens affect our views of the world, our expectations for ourselves, our level of reactivity, and our responses to stress. They impact our feelings of personal worth, value, and possibility.
The 6-week live online program, via zoom, will consist of guided meditations, class lectures, IFS demonstrations, and opportunities for individualized feedback and case consultation.
The course will be taught by videoconference, so we can see each other, which enhances the group connection, making it safe for you to be open and vulnerable in class. Each class is recorded, so you can watch the recording of any class you miss.
Between sessions, participants are required to read the text below, and participate in a 30 minute - 1 hour weekly practice session in order to practice skills.
The texts for the course are Freedom from Your Inner Critic: A Self-Therapy Approach by Bonnie Weiss and Jay Earley and Resolving Inner Conflict: Working Through Polarization Using Internal Family Systems Therapy by Jay Earley.
Upcoming Advanced IFS Courses
December 2024 with Bonnie Weiss LCSW
Dates and Times:
US dates Wednesdays 4:00-6:00pm PST:
December 4, December 11, December 18, January 8, January 15, and January 22.
Advanced IFS Course - December 2024 Requisites & Registration
Course Logistics
- There are two requirements for participation in the IFS Basic Course - 1) that you complete a Safety Questionnaire, and 2) sign a disclaimer. These two documents will be part of your registration process.
- These IFS Basic classes are limited to 20 or 24 participants.
- Classes will meet weekly, online, on Zoom, for 2 hours; Classes will meet weekly, online, on Zoom, for 2 hours; see course descriptions for details on each one.
- Tuition for the IFS Basic Course is $400 USD.
- All course materials, including videos of each session, will be available to registered students on a dedicated IFS Basic homepage.
- The course is experiential, including group discussion and exercises, as well as sessions with volunteers from the class demonstrating IFS methods.
- Between classes, learners will meet in pairs to practice assigned homework and the IFS processes taught in class.
