Internal family systems (IFS) therapy Part 2: Working with protector parts

Date: January 23, 2026

Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET

Facilitator: Cleo Haber, BSW, MSW, RSW.

CE hours: 6

This training is suitable for:

• Mental Health Professionals: psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers.
• Medical Professionals: nurses, psychiatrists, pediatricians, family doctors.
• Other: coaches; anyone interested in advancing their knowledge and skills of the IFS model.

Client age category: For professionals who work with clients age 16 years to adulthood.

Level of training: Introductory

Pre-requisite:  IFS Part 1: An experiential introduction to the model or equivalent experience/training.

Trigger warning: Participating in our programming may evoke powerful feelings and can trigger participants who have experienced personal trauma.

Description: Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is one of the most popular and effective evidence-based approaches used today.  This workshop is a follow up to “IFS: An Experiential Introduction to the Model” and is designed for participants who have an understanding and some experience with this modality.  The workshop will provide more in-depth teaching on how to work with protector parts and how to skillfully work with your client’s defenses and turn their protector parts into allies in the healing process.

It will consist of didactic teaching, experiential exercises and a live demonstration.  We will review the basic structure of an IFS session, focusing on how to facilitate the Self-to-Part connection, finding a target part, checking for Self-energy, facilitating connection and working with protective parts’ concerns. Participants will learn how to engage with protective parts, strategies to help these parts un-blend, use of implicit and explicit direct access, as well as work with polarizations. This workshop serves to deepen participants’ skills in working with protector parts, which is a critical first step before addressing any deeper emotional wounds. 

Participants will watch a live demonstration session and have a chance to break out into small groups to practice the interventions. There will be ample time for questions and discussion.

Learning Objectives:

• Gain a deeper understanding of the role protector parts play in your clients’ system.
• Learn strategies for working with protector parts.
• Participate in experiential exercises to practice working with protector parts.
• Gain more tools to work with clients informed by this model.

Program Agenda:

• 9 to 9:30 a.m.  Introductions and intentions for workshop
• 9:30 to 10 a.m.  Experiential meditation to get grounded and connected with one’s own system
• 10 to 10:30 a.m.  Didactic teaching on the roles of protective parts and how they show up in clients’ systems; reviewing structure of an IFS session when working with protector parts (6 F’s)
• 10:30 to 10:45 a.m.  Morning Break
• 10:45 to noon  Didactic teaching continued/Q&A —Teaching on specific techniques to work with protector parts—un-blending, implicit and explicit direct access; working with polarizations
• Noon to 1 p.m.  Lunch
• 1 to 2 p.m.  Live demonstration of the Model (volunteer participant from the group)
• 2 to 2:30 p.m.  Debrief demonstration; Q&A
• 2:30 to 2:45 p.m. Afternoon Break
• 2:45 to 3:45 p.m.  Break-out room: Practice in triads
• 3:45 to 4 p.m.  Q&A, wrap-up and evaluation

Start making meaningful change today—reserve your spot to deepen your skills in working with protector parts—an essential step in the healing process. Learn to engage clients’ defenses, facilitate un-blending, and transform protectors into allies.

Please note: If you are willing to volunteer to be a participant in the live demonstration, please indicate this during the registration (does not guarantee that you will be the volunteer).