IFS Talks
Aníbal Henriques, Tisha Shull & Alexia Rothman
IFS Talks is an audio series to deepen connections with the Internal Family Systems Model through conversations with lead trainers, authors, practitioners and users. In these audio interviews, we will have the opportunity to draw out aspects of IFS Lead Trainers and skilled presenters to create a user-friendly format for listeners to get to know each trainer or practitioner, their background, in and before IFS. With candid, self-led dialogue, trainers and practitioners can share their specific interests with listeners interested in deepening their inner knowledge and IFS practice. Cece Sykes, Susan McConnell, Mary Kruger, Pam Krause, Lisa Spiegel, Martha Sweezy, Art Mones, Ann Sinko, Paul Neustadt, Frank Anderson, Larry Rosenberg, Toni Herbine-Blank, and many more among the interviewees. Among the topics in theTalks:
- All Erotic Parts are Welcome, with Larry Rosenberg
- IFS, Trauma and Neuroscience, with Frank Anderson
- From Reactive to Self Led Parenting, with Paul Neustadt
- IFS as a Metamodel of Therapy, with Art Mones
- The Role of Legacy Burdens on Anxiety, Depression and Shame, with Ann Sinko
- Shame and Guilt as central for IFS work, with Martha Sweezy
- Bringing IFS to Children and Parents, with Lisa Spiegel
- IFS with Children and Adolescents, with Pam Krause
- IFS on Addictions and Eating Disorders, with Mary Kruger
- Embodying the Internal Family, with Susan McConnell
- Bringing IFS to Extreme Parts, with Cece Sykes
- All Erotic Parts are Welcome, with Larry Rosenberg
- IFS, Trauma and Neuroscience, with Frank Anderson
- From Reactive to Self Led Parenting, with Paul Neustadt
- IFS as a Metamodel of Therapy, with Art Mones
- The Role of Legacy Burdens on Anxiety, Depression and Shame, with Ann Sinko
- Shame and Guilt as central for IFS work, with Martha Sweezy
- Bringing IFS to Children and Parents, with Lisa Spiegel
- IFS with Children and Adolescents, with Pam Krause
- IFS on Addictions and Eating Disorders, with Mary Kruger
- Embodying the Internal Family, with Susan McConnell
- Bringing IFS to Extreme Parts, with Cece Sykes
Episodes
Mentioned books
24 snips
Sep 23, 2026 • 1h 8min
The Process of Facilitating Access to Self, with Cece Sykes
Cece Sykes, LCSW, is an IFS trainer with over 40 years of experience in trauma and addiction recovery. She explores what accessing Self really means, how protectors can fear or imitate it, and why Self may look different across people and cultures. They discuss shame, therapist activation, everyday practices, and recognizing small moments of emerging Self-energy without turning healing into a performance.
Sep 6, 2026 • 1h 22min
IFS Health Therapy with Dick Schwartz, Nancy Sowell, and Martha Sweezy
Martha Sweezy, psychotherapist and Harvard faculty member; Richard Schwartz, IFS creator; and Nancy Sowell, clinician and IFS trainer, explore the mind-body connection. They discuss chronic stress, trauma, pain, dissociation, shame, autoimmune illness, and protectors resisting healthy habits. The conversation also examines compassionate symptom work, collaboration with physicians, and emerging research linking neuroscience with Internal Family Systems.
12 snips
Jul 31, 2026 • 60min
IFS Meets Psychedelic Medicine, with Dick Schwartz and Co-Authors
Richard C. Schwartz, creator of Internal Family Systems, joins Sunny Strasburg, founder of the Theradelic Approach, and David Lovas, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist. They explore how IFS complements psychedelic-assisted therapy. Conversation covers preparation, protector consent, pacing, distinguishing Self from altered states, when to intervene, clinical safety, boundaries, and integration into lasting change.
22 snips
May 29, 2026 • 1h 9min
Uncertainty and Mental Health with Sarah Bergenfeld and Martha Sweezy
Martha Sweezy, Harvard psychiatry teacher and IFS author, and Sarah Bergenfeld, Level 3 IFS practitioner and autistic educator, discuss uncertainty, autism, and neuroscience. They explore predictive processing, sensory surplus, why routines and stimming restore predictability, links between uncertainty and PTSD/shame, and practical ways to adapt IFS language and pacing for neurodiverse clients.
Apr 27, 2026 • 1h 32min
Honoring and Accompanying Grief, with Einat Bronstein
Einat Bronstein, a Senior IFS trainer and psychotherapist with 30+ years’ experience, guides a compassionate look at grief. She explores grief as presence rather than a problem. She explains how cultural burdens and internal parts shape stuck mourning. She details rituals, community witnessing, and how witnessing exiled pain can invite transformation and ongoing connection.
25 snips
Feb 28, 2026 • 39min
Bringing IFS to Children, Parenting, and Schools - with Lisa Spiegel and Claire Stubbs
Claire Stubbs, a UK counseling psychologist specializing in neurodiversity and school avoidance, and Lisa Spiegel, a seasoned child-and-family IFS therapist and author, discuss bringing parts work into children's lives. They cover introducing parts through play, adapting approaches for neurodivergent kids, working with parents and schools, reframing school refusal as protection, and practical strategies for classroom and family support.
19 snips
Feb 1, 2026 • 39min
Exploring Countertransference Through the Fire Drill Technique — with Joanne Twombly
Joanne Twombly, an experienced therapist and author specializing in trauma and dissociation-informed IFS. She unpacks the Fire Drill technique for noticing countertransference and organizing clinical attention. Short clinical demonstrations, steps for doing a Fire Drill, and how it helps trainees, consultation, and burnout prevention are highlighted.
Nov 1, 2025 • 57min
Honoring and welcoming Self-Like Parts, with Paul Neustadt
Our guest is Paul Neustadt, a clinical social worker and IFS Senior Co-lead Trainer. Paul has worked in community mental health and the counseling program of a working-class state university as well as having been the director of a community-based counseling and prevention program. Paul sees himself as a spiritual being in a human body, on a healing journey, in this life to learn lessons, to connect with his soul, and to live in accordance with his life purpose. Part of his life purpose has been to share the gift of IFS with others. In this episode, we discuss the qualities and virtues of Self-like parts, and how to welcome, honor, and genuinely validate them in a non-shaming way that allows more Self energy to emerge.
18 snips
Jul 27, 2025 • 25min
Brain, Mind, and Parts through a Neuroscience Lens
In this enlightening discussion, Catia Vinnik, a seasoned neuroscientist and science communicator, shares insights from her 20+ years of research on the brain. She dives into the fascinating intersection of neuroscience and Internal Family Systems therapy, exploring how memory influences emotions and decisions. Catia emphasizes the significance of recognizing inner 'parts' as real influences rather than mere metaphors. Furthermore, she discusses how therapeutic techniques can reshape memories, shedding light on the neural networks that underpin human behavior.
25 snips
May 22, 2025 • 1h 20min
The Q&A Session with Martha Sweezy
Martha Sweezy, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and IFS expert, shares her insights in a live Q&A session. She tackles the complexities of shame and guilt, emphasizing their development and impact on identity. The discussion uncovers the emotional dynamics between these feelings and therapeutic relationships, especially for trauma survivors. Sweezy also explores how social media heightens youth anxiety and the intergenerational nature of shame in different cultures. Her compassionate approach promotes understanding and healing.
