IFS Classes

IFS Classes
Self-Led Personal Growth in Community
Jay Earley, PhD

Do you want to

Be more deeply in touch with your inner life?
Understand the forces in your psyche?
Develop an inner practice for working through problems?
Learn a powerful method for psychological growth?
Join a community of conscious people dedicated influencing the larger culture?

Today’s personal growth approaches can be self-led. You can learn to work on yourself or with a partner in peer counseling. You don't need to depend on a psychotherapist, workshop leader, or spiritual teacher (though there is still an important role for them). And if this work happens in community, the resulting self-reflection, caring, and connection can become part of our culture and not just something we do in isolation to improve our lives.

I offer classes on self-led Internal Family Systems Therapy^SM (IFS). Through these classes you learn how to work on yourself using IFS and how to work together with a friend. These classes are also useful for people who are working with an IFS therapist because they increase your skill in using the model.

These classes are not professional training in IFS for therapists.

IFS^SM

IFS can help you to

Manage your feelings and reactions as they happen
Work through psychological issues that block you from moving forward
Increase self-acceptance and self-esteem
Transform hidden places of pain to joy and strength
Make deeper contact with your spiritual nature
Achieve new levels of happiness and satisfaction

IFS is a new form of psychotherapy developed by Richard Schwartz that is compassionate, inclusive, spiritual, powerfully healing, and deeply respectful of our inner life. Despite the name, it is primarily a form of individual therapy. IFS recognizes that our psyches are made up of different parts, sometimes called subpersonalities. You can think of them as little people inside us. Each part has its own perspective, feelings, memories, goals, and motivations. For example, one part of you might be trying to lose weight and another part might want to eat whatever you want. We all have parts like the inner critic, the abandoned child, the pleaser, the angry part, and the loving caretaker.

IFS also recognizes that we each have a spiritual center, the Self, which is compassionate, understanding, and grounded. Through IFS you can learn to stay in Self, develop a relationship with each of your parts, and heal them. This is quite empowering because the healing comes from you. For a short article on IFS, click here.

The Classes

Since 2005, I have taught IFS Classes to hundreds of people. They learn to apply the IFS model in their lives; they do deep and powerful peer-counseling sessions with each other. The telephone classes have worked quite well for most people, not only in learning the material but also in feeling connected with the group over the phone.

Endorsement from a participant: “Thanks for contributing so much to helping heal wounds I thought would always be there. And when I worked, how well you listened and knew just what to say. You were patient, with a gentle light touch, present and able to really track and support each of us. You made the teaching of the material flow organically and effortlessly. And what a wonderful support the IFS work is for anyone who wants to work with painful and avoided parts. For this and the warm supportive group we had, my wonderful partners, and many other details, I am grateful."
Click here for more quotes from participants.

Formats. Classes are being offered in a variety of formats:

Weekly evening classes in the Bay Area (6 weeks)
Weekend workshops in Marin
Weekly telephone classes (6 weeks) (How a telephone class works)
Special arrangements for classes outside the San Francisco Bay Area.

Click here for the schedule of classes.

IFS Classes and Groups. Click here for details.

Basic Class: How to be in Self and work with protectors.
Exiles Class: How to work with and unburden exiles.
Polarization Class: How to resolve conflicts between parts.
Advanced Classes: Advanced techniques and practice
Ongoing Group: Work on personal and spiritual transformation using IFS and the power of the group.
Communication from the Heart Classes: An approach to interpersonal communication using IFS and Interactive Group Therapy.

What Happens in IFS Classes. The classes are mostly experiential. We pay attention to creating a loving, supportive environment where people feel safe to be open and vulnerable in exploring themselves. Therefore classes are kept small.

The classes involve homework--both reading and practicing IFS by yourself and with people from your class. You must have enough time to spend roughly 2 hours on homework each week (for a weekly class). Class activities: Check-in to discuss the homework, lecture, discussion, group exercises, demonstration sessions, and practice in pairs.

In each class, you receive an IFS Practice Manual that I have written specifically for the class. You also read Introduction to the Internal Family Systems Model by Richard Schwartz.

Each class meeting will be recorded, so if you have to miss a class, you can listen to it later at home.

For more information, email Jay at jay@earley.org or call 415-339-8060. You can also attend a free introductory meeting or telephone call.

Statement about IFS Classes and the Diamond Approach.

Statement about IFS Classes and IFS professional trainings