Counseling: Internal Family Systems

Special issues in counseling, administration and planning, social work or higher education not appropriate to content of existing courses. Courses reflect the social services orientation of the Department of Integrated Professional Studies.

In this introductory course on Internal Family Systems (IFS) students will learn the basic concepts and steps of the theory, practice implementing the model, and use IFS concepts to increase self-awareness of their own internal system. At the end of this course students will be able to identify their own parts, lead clients in discussion about parts, lead some clients through insight work, and understand how IFS is a culturally sensitive counseling theory and modality. This course is appropriate for mental health clinicians and individuals in other helping fields (e.g. education and healthcare).

Students of this course will need to attend in-person classes, participate in discussion and course activities including meditations and practice groups, review course materials outside of class time, and complete assignments that may include workbook exercises, reflection papers, or group presentations. Students will be required to read several chapters of "Internal Family Systems - 2nd Ed" by Richard Schwartz and Martha Sweezy (ISBN-13: 978-1462541461) and will use "The IFS Skills Training Manual" by Frank Anderson, Martha Sweezy, and Richard Schwartz (ISBN 9781683730873). Additional review of videos and podcasts outside of class may also be required. Students should expect coursework to take approximately 2-4hrs/week in addition to scheduled class meeting times.

Students will be graded on attendance and a completion of course assignments.