02/26-27/26 – Internal Family Systems: Experiential Practices for Therapists w/ Deborah Klinger, LMFT, CEDS-C, IFS Approved Consultant

Dates: February 26 and 27, 2026 (Thursday and Friday)
Times: 9:00 am – 4:30 pm EST both days

Format: Hybrid

• Livestream via Zoom, or
• In person: UNC School of Social Work, 325 Pittsboro Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516

CE Credit: 12 CEs, read for full information on credit types awarded.
Fees: $180 (scholarships available)

Description: 

This 2 full-days experiential institute offers therapists an immersive opportunity to deepen their personal understanding and clinical application of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy. Rooted in the view that we each hold multiple “parts” within us, IFS invites both therapists and clients to relate to those parts with curiosity, compassion, and connection. The day begins with the therapist’s own internal experience—learning to recognize and work with “therapist parts” as a foundation for understanding the model. Through explanation, live demonstrations, and guided partner practices, participants will build familiarity with key IFS principles and interventions they can bring into their clinical work.

Deborah Klinger will guide participants through core IFS steps, beginning with how to notice and engage with our own parts in a way that invites Self energy—the grounded, compassionate presence at the heart of IFS. The day will balance teaching, live demonstration, and partner work. Throughout the day, participants will engage in a series of structured practices, including:

• Identifying and befriending parts in ourselves
• Accessing Self energy and understanding how to recognize it
• Learning to stay in Self when client parts are activated
• Practicing key steps of IFS in pairs or triads
• Exploring what makes a part ready to unblend, speak, or unburden

Through a mix of teaching, experiential practice, and guided reflection, this workshop invites participants to meet shame and avoidance not as flaws to correct, but as human responses to pain. And from there, to begin the work of coming back into alignment—with values, with compassion, and with the people we strive to be. Sandra Vander Linde will also offer guidance and support throughout the day, helping participants stay grounded during experiential work and reflect on how these practices can inform their therapeutic presence and clinical decision-making.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the training participants will be able to:

1. Describe the foundational concepts of the IFS model, including the roles of parts and Self.
2. Identify common therapist parts that may arise during clinical interactions and describe strategies for working with them.
3. Explain how to access and sustain Self energy in the presence of client distress or activation.
4. Recognize somatic and emotional cues that suggest a part may be ready for deeper engagement or unburdening.
5. Apply basic IFS techniques in clinical practice with appropriate pacing and a trauma-informed approach.
6. Outline the steps of unblending a part, including gaining permission, clarifying its protective role, and facilitating dialogue.

Trainer: Deborah Klinger, LMFT, CEDS-C, IFS Approved Consultant,is in private practice in Durham, NC.  She’s been practicing therapy since 1990 and obtained her Eating Disorders Specialist certification in 1995. Deborah is an AAMFT Approved Supervisor, Certified Internal Family Systems Therapist and Approved Consultant, and Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy practitioner. Her journey with the Internal Family Systems model began with a Level 1 training in 2011.  Deborah has given workshops at the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP), American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), National Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA) and North Carolina Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (NCAMFT) annual conferences, and the Carolinas Group Psychotherapy Society (CGPS) semi-annual workshop, among other venues. She periodically offers trauma-sensitive yoga and her own “Love Thy Body: Yoga for Eating and Body Concerns” series. She is published in “Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention” and was the Eating and Food Issues Topic Expert for goodtherapy.org from 10/09-1/15. She combines DBT, IFS, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and EMDR for a holistic, body-mind approach to healing.

Exercise support by Sandra Vander Linde, LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in North Carolina and Indiana with over 26 years of clinical experience in public mental health and private practice. She is a Certified Internal Family Systems Therapist with advanced training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Emotionally Focused Therapy for individuals and couples. Grounded in general and family systems theory, Sandra brings a trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and integrative approach to her work. She has extensive experience supporting clients with mood disorders, trauma, grief, relationship challenges, spiritual abuse, and the long-term impact of addiction in families. Sandra participates in ongoing consultation groups and values continual learning and personal growth. She brings warmth, depth, and authenticity to her teaching, rooted in the belief that meaningful clinical work begins with doing one’s own.

References:

• Brenner, E. G., Schwartz, R. C., & Becker, C. (2023). Development of the internal family systems model: Honoring contributions from family systems therapies. Family Process, 62(4), 1290–1306. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12943
• Earleywine, M., Oliva, A. B., de Leo, J. A., & Banks, R. (2025). An examination of internal family systems interventions for trauma with implications for ethical psychedelic-assisted treatment. Journal of Psychedelic Studies. https://doi.org/10.1556/2054.2024.00265
• Hodgdon, H. B., Anderson, F. G., Southwell, E., Hrubec, W., & Schwartz, R. (2022). Internal family systems (IFS) therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among survivors of multiple childhood trauma: A pilot effectiveness study. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 31(1), 22–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2021.2013375
• Phillips, T. K., Rose, A. L., & Strickland, M. L. (2022). The mediating role of self-leadership in the link between racial identity attitudes, mental health outcomes, and race related stress. International Journal of Systemic Therapy, 33(3), 175–
• Turns, B., Springer, P., Eddy, B. P., & Sibley, D. S. (2021). “Your exile is showing”: Integrating sandtray with internal family systems therapy. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 49(1), 74–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2020.1851617
• Welch, T. S., White-VanBoxel, J., Timm, T. M., & Blow, A. (2025). A task analysis of key processes to access an exiled part in internal family systems. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2025.2472766
• Hughes, C. L., Horton, E., & Hammer, T. R. (2022). We’re still standing: Internal family systems and rocketman. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 17(1), 114-122. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2020.1842275

UNC Chapel Hill – Clinical Institute Program