Therapists:
If you want to learn an innovative, evidence-based therapy approach that therapists rave about, this course is for you.
The course is taught by Colleen West, a Trauma-Informed Certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapist and Approved Consultant.
This course has 13 hours of content.
IFS has rapidly become an approach that therapists have been flocking to. If you’re unfamiliar with the modality, you may wonder what all the fuss is about.
Here’s the scoop on some of the many reasons IFS has become so popular:
Before experiencing IFS, the therapy that I did worked for a while, but eventually, I’d regress. After only 5 IFS sessions, I made significant changes that have stuck with me. Needless to say, I was thrilled to take the IFS course. It was amazing! I learned so much.
IFS is like learning a new language – it molds your brain in a way that, for me, has been permanent.
The course was well organized. The concepts were clearly stated, and the information was rich. Colleen’s presentation of the theory, followed by examples and a live demonstration, was helpful. This enabled me to integrate the lessons much better than I would have otherwise.
I also found the additional interviews very useful. Living in Northern Ireland, I didn’t realize how much our historical conflict still impacts everyone and how it has caused transgenerational trauma. The interview on neurodiversity was also beneficial, especially in relation to adapting IFS for neurodiverse clients.
Even when I’m not using IFS with clients, I’ll be listening for clients’ parts to better understand them. IFS is now embedded in my way of thinking.
I was so excited about the course that I shared my enthusiasm with my classmates. Many are now eager to take the course.
Thank you so much for this excellent training!
Integrative Counsellor
Craigavon, Northern Ireland
Colleen West is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 20 years of experience helping clients overcome simple and complex trauma.
As an IFS Certified Therapist and Approved Consultant, she devotes herself to training and mentoring psychotherapists and writing. Colleen integrates family systems, attachment theory, sensorimotor, and EMDR therapies into her trainings and consultations.
Colleen is the author of We All Have Parts: An Illustrated Guide to Healing Preverbal Trauma and The IFS Flip Chart.
The course was in-depth and rich with helpful tools and strategies. Colleen teaches in a beautiful way. The pace and flow made it easy to understand.
The somatic exercises and the way the course integrated trauma, families, and inner-child work really stood out to me. IFS is a valuable tool that I can use with my clients, especially with adults who have experienced significant trauma.
This course has challenged me and expanded my self-awareness and ways of thinking in ways I hadn’t anticipated. I am thinking more about my clients’ parts in sessions and am considering how I can incorporate IFS into my way of working.
I am enriched by the course and feel honored and blessed to have learned the Internal Family Systems model.
Thank you.
Mental Health Therapist, Kelowna, BC
This course was well done – it was easy to digest and understand. The demonstrations were particularly helpful. It is clear that Colleen is an expert in IFS and passionate about it.
I can see how to apply what I learned to the clients I currently work with in therapy.
I love the simple framework of IFS and the idea that there are no “bad” parts within a person. All parts serve a protective function.
I also appreciate the emphasis on the therapist’s role and the importance of being aware of one’s own parts when working with clients.
I now think of my client’s parts as I listen to them, even when not actively using IFS.
I found the course very useful – thank you!
Licensed Professional Counselor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Module 1 covers the origins of IFS and its foundational principles. You’ll discover how IFS views the multiplicity of the psyche, its parts, and its perspective on healing.
In this module, Colleen dives deeper into the concepts of IFS and how one’s parts play a protective role in the individual. She discusses the “burdens” one carries within their parts and the “unburdening” process. Finally, Colleen explains IFS’s concept and role of “Self,” which is the core essence of the individual.
In Module 3, Colleen conducts a live session with a therapist volunteer regarding her challenges around boundary setting, needing to protect herself, and feeling the need to meet others’ expectations.
Throughout the demonstration, various techniques are utilized, encouraging dialogue between the volunteer client and her parts. The client feels various emotions during the session, from tenderness and frustration to sadness and pride, as she engages with her parts and begins the healing process.
In this module, Colleen explains the unique role of therapists in IFS. She discusses the importance of the therapist connecting with their own “Self-energy,” increasing awareness of their parts to interact with clients without an agenda.
Colleen shares several exercises the therapist can use to avoid or detangle themselves from triggers during the therapy session.
In this module, you’ll also be led through an experiential exercise regarding your role as a therapist when practicing IFS.
In Module 5, you’ll learn IFS’s perspective on psychological issues and how vastly different this view is from the DSM-5.
Colleen explains how dissociation is seen in IFS. The concept of “polarizations” (conflicts between parts) is introduced, and how these can create a range of psychological and physical symptoms.
Colleen further discusses how to help clients release the “burdens” carried by their “exiled” parts.
In Module 6, Colleen works with a therapist volunteer who experienced a recent flood in her clinic.
The individual expressed feelings of overwhelming panic and helplessness.
Through Colleen’s facilitation, the individual comes to recognize, accept, and negotiate with her parts, leading to a significant shift in their roles and perceptions. The session created a profound internal change towards self-healing and resilience.
Module 7 outlines 2 main ways therapists can easily incorporate IFS when using other therapeutic approaches.
Colleen explains how using these techniques can enhance your work with your clients, potentially bringing about better outcomes.
You’ll also be led through an experiential exercise where you get in touch with your pro-active, “manager” part and the role this plays as a therapist.
In Module 8, Colleen shares how addictive and compulsive behaviors are viewed with IFS and how to work with them within the IFS model.
Colleen also leads you through an experiential exercise where a part of you engages in self-soothing behavior.
In Module 9, Colleen conducts a demonstration with a therapist volunteer who explores her reactions to clients who demand quick solutions or exhibit defensive behavior in couples therapy.
Colleen guides the therapist through identifying and interacting with her inner parts that feel torn between meeting clients’ demands and maintaining therapeutic integrity.
Through the session, the volunteer learns to manage these parts, allowing her to stay present and more effectively guide her clients.
We’ve included 4 recorded sessions where Colleen brings IFS to life. In these dynamic recordings, she answers key questions from past course participants and demonstrates experiential work in real time.
There’s nothing quite like watching IFS in action. And Colleen’s clinical skill, presence, and clarity make these sessions especially valuable.
Befriending Parts: Using IFS in a Self-Guided Way with Tammy Sollenberger [Video, Audio & Transcript]
This interview focuses on how individuals use IFS in a self-guided way. Tammy Sollenberger introduces the concept of using IFS on oneself, highlighting the importance of recognizing and befriending different parts of oneself outside of therapy sessions.
She shares the self-guided IFS process and discusses the challenges one might face when using IFS on one’s own and how therapists can support clients in using IFS with themselves outside of therapy.
The interview ends with an insightful demonstration with Clinton Power in which he experiences a big shift in resolving an internal conflict.
Empowering Marginalized Communities: Combining IFS, Ketamine Therapy, and Anti-Oppression Strategies with Candace Olgesby and Tasha Hunter [Video, Audio & Transcript]
As the title suggests, this interview focuses on how therapists Candace Olegsby and Tasha Hunter use IFS in conjunction with ketamine therapy while focusing on anti-oppression strategies with black and brown clients.
They discuss how ketamine therapy when combined with IFS, offers a unique and gentle approach that allows clients to explore their internal systems, address intergenerational trauma, and work towards healing in a non-pathologizing manner.
Candace and Tanya also express the importance of cultural humility in therapy when working with historically marginalized groups.
Beyond the Diagnosis: IFS for Neurodiversity with Heather Genschmer [Video, Audio & Transcript]
In this interview, therapist, Heather Genschmer explains how she uses IFS with neurodiverse clients and why IFS is particularly effective with them.
Get access to our collection of essential readings on Internal Family Systems Therapy. They are ideal for taking your understanding to the next level.
These documents distill the essential points from each module and bonus interview. They’re designed to help you review key concepts, reinforce your learning, and apply the strategies from the course to your clinical work without rewatching hours of content.
I am so excited about this course. It was not just the content, which itself was great, but the way it was taught made it easily understandable and immediately applicable.
I had worked similarly with my clients before, but the course gave me helpful language and a structure to use with them.
I loved how Colleen gave so many examples in the course. She exudes calm energy. Her modeling of how she works with her “Self-energy” and acknowledging when she was not in tune with it during her demonstrations was enlightening.
The course has been life-changing for me. It provided insights and tools that I will carry with me throughout my professional and personal life. The experiential components were particularly impactful, allowing me to see many parts of myself that I wasn’t aware of before.
I have been reflecting on clients I worked with in the past, where I got stuck and didn’t know where to go with them. Now, seeing them through the IFS lens, it is clear to me what I could have done.
I recently saw a client who was dissociating. In the past, I would have been overwhelmed, afraid, and not known what to do. However, because I now have IFS, I knew exactly what to do. The client left the session feeling calm with a new understanding and acceptance of her parts. It was very gratifying.
I am so grateful I took the course. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone curious about deepening their understanding of themselves and enhancing their therapeutic skills. It’s a profound tool for self-discovery and professional development, offering a structured yet intuitive approach to parts work.
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), Toronto, Ontario
The course has 13 hours of high-value content that you can download and keep forever.
This may be one of the most useful courses you take this year.
Want to give it a 7-day trial?
Register, and if you don’t find the course useful within 7 days, you can request a refund…
As a Marriage and Family Therapist, discovering IFS was a revelation, as it aligned perfectly with my passion for a non-pathologizing, introspective approach to therapy.
The course exceeded my expectations in many ways. It addressed questions I hadn’t even realized I had about IFS.
Focusing on the therapist’s role in self-reflection and self-awareness was transformative for me. It helps with my personal growth, which, in turn, will enhance my ability to help others.
The experiential moments during the training were exceptional. Being encouraged to engage with the material on a personal level not only solidified my grasp of IFS concepts but also underscored the model’s profound potential to facilitate genuine transformation.
I now have a powerful framework for working with clients that will enrich my practice immensely.
I highly recommend this course to any therapist looking to enrich their therapeutic practice with a model that embraces complexity, compassion, and self-awareness.
Marriage and Family Therapist
West Harrison, Indiana
Perhaps you’re on the fence about taking this course for one or more of these reasons:
1. you already discuss clients’ parts in your work. you’re not sure you need this course.
Yes, most therapists address parts of clients at some point in sessions. The difference with IFS is that it provides a structure and a language for identifying and working with parts, ultimately leading to resolving issues. The healing that results from IFS therapy is often permanent.
2. You’VE TAKEN A LOT OF THERAPY TRAINING ALREADY – DO YOU REALLY NEED TO LEARN ANOTHER model?
We get it. There are so many courses on therapy approaches available, and you’ve likely been trained in a lot of them already. Depending on your specific situation, you may not want or need more training.
On the other hand, IFS has become increasingly popular over the years, and there is a high demand for training in this highly effective model. As demand for it increases, you may want to be knowledgeable of this approach.
3. You’re Concerned that IFS may not work well with the therapy approaches you use now.
IFS is a model that can complement and be integrated with various other therapeutic approaches. It can add another effective tool to your toolbox.
The core principles of IFS, such as the belief in the multiplicity of the mind and the healing potential of the Self, are compatible with many therapeutic philosophies and can offer another perspective, enhancing your effectiveness.
4. You Wonder how much evidence IFS is based upon.
IFS has gained increasing traction in the research community due to its effectiveness and versatility.
Studies have explored the efficacy of IFS in treating a variety of issues, such as trauma, anxiety, depression, and self-esteem problems, among others. The research has increasingly supported IFS as an effective treatment modality.
5. You Wonder if IFS is appropriate and effective for diverse populations, including individuals from various cultural backgrounds, lifestyles, sexual orientations, genders, races, and ethnicities.
IFS is highly versatile. It can be used with virtually any population. Colleen addresses this in the course. One of the interviews included in the course is with 2 black therapists who work with black and brown clients.
Another interview is with a therapist who has adapted IFS to work with neurodiverse clients.
The bottom line is…
If you want to learn a highly sought-after approach that is intuitive, highly effective, and easily integrates with your current methods, this course is perfect for you.
The course is geared toward psychotherapists, counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and any other helping professional who wants to learn about the very popular approach of Internal Family Systems Therapy.
This is an introductory-level course in IFS. We offer a certificate for 13 hours of training indicating you took the course but it does not certify you in IFS.
It’s both. Most of the core modules are pre-recorded, but there is one live session.
The core content consists of 9 pre-recorded modules including 3 demonstrations of IFS in action.
We also have 3 Bonus interviews with IFS therapists on specific topics, along with a resource list.
THE PRE-RECORDED MODULES
The 9 pre-recorded modules, including the 3 demonstrations of IFS in action, are available immediately upon registering for the course.
THE 3 BONUSES
The 3 bonus interviews are available immediately upon registering:
They include 3 pre-recorded interviews with IFS therapists and a PDF document with a resource list.
LIVE CHAT WITH COLLEEN
Dates and Times of the Live Session
North America: April 8, 2026, 3-4pm PT /6-7pm ET
United Kingdom: April 8, 2026, 11pm PT – Midnight
Sydney, Australia: April 9, 2026, 8am-9am
LIVE CHAT WITH COLLEEN SESSION
Dates and Times of the Live Session
North America: April 8, 2026, 3-4pm PT /6-7pm ET
United Kingdom: April 8, 2026, 11pm PT – Midnight
Sydney, Australia: April 9, 2026, 8am-9am
If you don’t receive value from the course (highly unlikely) after 7 days of registering, you can ask for your money back.
You can download your certificate for 13 hours of course content once you pass the short course quiz.
USA
NBCC – This program does not qualify for NBCC credit.
Canada
CEC’s – CCPA (Canadian Counselling Association). CCPA will give CECs when you submit your certificate to them.
PD points – CRPO (College of Canadian Psychotherapists). CRPO will give CECs when you submit your certificate to them.
Australia
ACA (Australian Counselling Association):
10 OPD (Ongoing Professional Development) points
PACFA (Psychotherapists and Counsellors Federation of Australia):
13 hours of category A CPD
You will have access to the materials in the learning center for 180 days (6 months) from the date you signed up for the course.
However, you can download all materials and save them forever.
Taking the course helped to enhance my approach to therapy. I already worked in the voice dialogue modality, which is similar to IFS, but I learned much more that I can immediately apply to my work.
The course demonstration sessions were eye-opening. They provided practical insights into integrating IFS into therapy, particularly highlighting the importance of therapist self-awareness.
Moreover, the structured approach, the flow, and the clarity of the course content made the learning experience engaging and insightful.
I used IFS with a client this morning, which was incredibly powerful. I prepared beforehand, connected with myself, and reminded myself to stay aware during the session, which significantly impacted the outcome. The client sent me a text afterward, mentioning how much energy was released from their grief and how powerful the experience was for her.
I am so happy I took the course!
Grief Counsellor
Tallinn, Estonia
If you don’t find value after 7 days (highly unlikely), we’ll refund 100% of your fee.
If so, send us an email.
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