Befriending Your Inner Parts
A Guided Internal Family Systems (IFS) Experience with Founder Dr. Richard C. Schwartz, Dr. Jeanne Catanzaro, and IFS Institute Lead Trainers
Discover, Heal, and Embrace Your Whole Self
Program begins March 25, 2025
Join now – your journey begins today
Join us for a live, interactive experience to release unhealthy emotional patterns, return “inner leadership” to your core Self, and create a life of greater courage, self-compassion, and new possibilities.
An Invitation from Richard C. Schwartz, PhD
For many years, it has been my dream to bring Internal Family Systems (IFS) to a wider audience, to make this transformative model more accessible to anyone seeking deeper self-understanding and healing.
Now, I’m thrilled to invite you to join me, along with my partner Dr. Jeanne Catanzaro and IFS Institute lead trainers Carmen Jimenez-Pride and David Kitchings for this brand-new, LIVE online program to help you develop a more compassionate relationship with your inner world.
This in-depth immersion is built around our new Internal Family Systems Workbook, which provides a structured, accessible approach to working with your parts. Over six weeks, we’ll be guiding you through essential IFS concepts and practices, helping you create inner balance and move toward healing, inner harmony, and a Self-led life.
Jeanne and I will kick off the first week together, introducing key ideas and setting the foundation for your journey. Then, you’ll be in the expert hands of two remarkable IFS Trainers I’ve personally selected—Carmen and David—who will lead the next four weeks, offering practical guidance and support. Finally, Jeanne and I will return to close out the experience, helping you integrate what you’ve learned and deepen your connection to your Self.
Whether you’re new to IFS or looking to deepen your personal practice, this program offers a rare opportunity to engage with the model in a structured and supportive way.
I hope you’ll join us on this journey of self-discovery and healing.
Yours in Self leadership.
Dick
We’re honored to have the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model featured on:
What is Internal Family Systems (IFS)?
Have you ever felt like different parts of you are pulling you in different directions? Maybe you have a critical inner voice, another that tries to protect you, and a deeper, more vulnerable part that holds your past wounds?
Internal Family Systems (IFS) provides a way to understand and heal these parts, unlocking your core Self—the calm, compassionate leader inside you. It’s a proven model that helps you resolve the inner chaos and nurture lasting peace.
Instead of seeing yourself as a single, uniform identity, IFS shows you how to recognize the complex, multi-faceted nature of who you are. For example, you have managers who try to keep you safe, firefighters who react in times of distress, and exiles who hold your deepest wounds.
These wounded and often over-protective parts can be at odds with one another, but with IFS, you can bring them into harmony and reclaim the Self that is wise, supportive, and resilient.
As Dr. Schwartz tells us: “It is possible to live with your parts harmoniously. As you learn to build the stability and strength of your Self, you will be able to connect with all your parts and extend healing to them—so they can help you navigate life instead of overwhelming or burdening you.”
Why Join This Program?
This special LIVE program is your invitation to embark on a transformative journey with Dr. Richard C. Schwartz, Dr. Jeanne Catanzaro, and two expert IFS facilitators. Over six weeks, we’ll engage with the Internal Family Systems Workbook as our guide to help you discover, understand, and befriend the parts of yourself that have shaped your life.
Whether you’re new to IFS or looking for a deeper first-hand experience, this program will help you to:
Identify and support your internal family
Explore the different parts of yourself that influence your emotions and behaviors—from your protective managers and firefighters to your vulnerable exiles.
Transform inner conflict into an abiding state of integrated harmony
Learn to nurture and embrace your parts, shifting out of fear and hopelessness and into courage and self-compassion.
Uncover your greater Self
Reconnect with your core essence—a calm, confident, and loving Self that can lead your other parts with kindness and clarity.
Learn tools and practices
Quiet your inner critic, resolve past traumas, and build authentic, compassionate connection—with yourself and with others.
Experience lasting healing
Use IFS techniques to break free from reactive cycles of anxiety, compulsive behaviors, and self-doubt—opening the way to new possibilities and joys for a lifetime.
Program Overview
This live and interactive experience is structured around the Internal Family Systems Workbook and will be facilitated by Dr. Schwartz (founder of IFS), Dr. Catanzaro, and two expert IFS facilitators. Here’s what you’ll experience:
WEEK 1
Introduction to IFS & Getting to Know Your Parts
Led by Dr. Schwartz & Dr. Catanzaro
Live on March 25, 2025 at 8 pm ET | 5 pm PT
Learn how to identify your “internal family” and recognize their unique roles in your life.
WEEK 2
Understanding Managers—How They Protect You
Led by IFS Lead Trainers: Carmen Jimenez-Pride & David Kitchings
Live on April 1, 2025 at 8 pm ET | 5 pm PT
Discover how to manage their control, ease anxiety, and embrace empowered vulnerability.
WEEK 3
Firefighters—Transforming Reactive Behaviors
Led by IFS Lead Trainers: Carmen Jimenez-Pride & David Kitchings
Live on April 8, 2025 at 8 pm ET | 5 pm PT
Break patterns of impulsive emotional reactions and start building healthier responses to crises.
WEEK 4
Exiles—Healing Your Deepest Wounds
Led by IFS Lead Trainers: Carmen Jimenez-Pride & David Kitchings
Live on April 15, 2025 at 8 pm ET | 5 pm PT
Release past pain and trauma, and learn to move forward with strength and optimism.
WEEK 5
Self-Leadership—Embracing the Calm, Compassionate Self
Led by IFS Lead Trainers: Carmen Jimenez-Pride & David Kitchings
Live on April 22, 2025 at 8 pm ET | 5 pm PT
Live from your core Self—the abiding and unshakable essence of who you really are.
WEEK 6
Q&A and Wrap-Up—Integration and Next Steps
Led by Dr. Schwartz & Dr. Catanzaro
Live on April 29, 2025 at 8 pm ET | 5 pm PT
Ask questions and navigate your ongoing course to a Self-led life.
Each week, we will dive into a section of the workbook with 60 minutes of presentation, followed by 30-minute small group discussions to enrich your understanding. If you can’t attend live, don’t worry! All sessions are recorded, and you’ll receive access to the replays.
Meet Your Guides
Richard C. Schwartz PhD
The creator of Internal Family Systems (IFS), a highly effective, evidence-based therapeutic model that de-pathologizes the multi-part personality. His IFS Institute, founded over 24 years ago, offers training for professionals and the general public. He is currently on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, and has published five books, including No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model. Dick lives with his wife Jeanne near Chicago, close to his three daughters and his growing number of grandchildren.
Jeanne Catanzaro, PhD
A clinical psychologist specializing in the IFS model. She is also trained in psychodynamic psychotherapy, Somatic Experiencing®, and EMDR. Jeanne has specialized in the treatment of eating disorders, disordered eating, and trauma for over 25 years. Her book, Unburdened Eating, focuses on helping people heal their relationships with food and their bodies using an IFS approach.
Your Expert IFS Facilitators
Carmen Jimenez-Pride, LCSW
A licensed clinical social worker, IFS therapist, certified EMDR therapist, and registered yoga teacher. She has over 15 years of extensive experience in the clinical treatment of children, adolescents, and adults with culturally diverse backgrounds, addressing a wide range of concerns. Carmen is the founder and executive director of Outspoken Counseling and Consulting.
David Kitchings
A certified IFS therapist, workshop leader, and clinical consultant with a private online practice. He has lived in Singapore and Switzerland, working with the international IFS community. He is also a couples therapist specializing in the IFIO (Intimacy from the Inside Out) approach. David is an artist and musician, the father of three children, and a lifelong spiritual explorer.
IFS has been the single most influential model by which I view the world, my interactions with others and myself. It is more than a model for professionals in the mental health field. It is a model that facilitates one’s personal growth and is intuitive and easily accessible.
― E. Bank
IFS enhanced my spiritual practice in ways I could not have foreseen. I expanded my meditation to include parts and guides that appeared. I also used my meditation to deepen an embodied experience of Self.
― IFS training participant
IFS is an encouraging, non-pathologizing modality with great potential for individual and community based healing: increased capacity for self-compassion and compassion for others and increased insight and flexibility related to individual and community challenges. All parts are welcome here, but don’t take it from me: come try it and see for yourself.
― J. Knott
What You'll Experience
Interactive Learning
6 LIVE weekly sessions with expert facilitators and small group discussions help you integrate and apply what you’ve learned.
Flexible Access
Can’t attend live? No problem. Enjoy all recordings and materials at your convenience.
Practical Tools
Weekly exercises and meditations, including guided audios with Dr. Schwartz, are designed to deepen your work.
Lifetime Access
You can return to the course materials, including video replays and downloadable resources.
Bonus: Free eBook edition of The Internal Family Systems Workbook
Get the book in digital format when the course begins. It's Dr. Schwartz's most up-to-date guide to the principles of IFS, including more than 50 practices, exercises, and meditations to experience this life-changing work.
An Investment in Your Lasting Transformation
Befriending You Inner Parts is a powerful investment in you—your healing, growth, and future wellness. For six weeks, you’ll receive expert guidance from Dr. Richard Schwartz, Dr. Jeanne Catanzaro, and their certified IFS facilitators plus a step-by-step guided journey through The Internal Family Systems Workbook.
This is more than just an informational program—it’s an immersive growing experience and a profound step in your personal unfolding toward greater joy, connection, and life fulfillment.
Sign up Today! The program begins March 25.
PAYMENT PLAN
- 6 Weeks of Learning and Discussion
- Workbook
- Guided Meditations
$99
( 3 Monthly Installments )
With immersive LIVE learning elements—and lifetime access to all sessions, audio meditations, and written content after the program—you’ll have everything you need to continue experiencing profound changes for years to come.
Internal Family Systems Changes Lives
Because it’s so effective and different from other approaches, IFS is rapidly rising in public awareness and enthusiasm around the world. IFS can help you heal, connect with your true Self, and unlock lasting transformation.
Because it’s so effective and different than other approaches, IFS is rapidly rising in public awareness and enthusiasm around the world. Hear how Jonathan Van Ness, Dr. Becky Kennedy, Zev Schuman-Olivier, MD and Dr. Tara Westover have experienced the life-changing benefits of IFS. Watch these powerful videos to hear how IFS can help you heal, connect with your True Self, and unlock lasting transformation.
Internal Family Systems has helped me in my healing process and opened me up to vast modalities of healing.
― Jonathan Van Ness
Emmy®-nominated television personality, comedian, New York Times bestselling author, and podcaster
Richard Schwartz gives us a new framework to understand ourselves―and new strategies to help us show up the way we want. Introduction to Internal Family Systems is a must-have book if you’re looking to build curiosity, self-compassion, and sturdiness.
― Dr. Becky Kennedy,
Founder of Good Inside and author of the bestselling Good Inside book
Emerging research suggests that the Internal Family Systems model, developed by Dick Schwartz and outlined in this book, cultivates self-acceptance, enhances inner compassion, and improves emotion regulation skills…. Our modern culture leaves us adrift in a sea of misunderstandings about how to achieve and sustain intimacy, and this book guides the reader to realize that the healing journey must first start with oneself.
― Zev Schuman-Olivier, MD
Assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and director, Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, Cambridge Health Alliance
The IFS model has helped me, and many others, to restore a sense of calm and inner harmony.
― Tara Westover
Author of the runaway bestselling memoir Educated
FAQs
- How is the program structured, and how many sessions will Dr. Schwartz be present for?
This program consists of six weekly sessions, each designed to guide you through the key concepts in The Internal Family Systems Workbook. The sessions will include 60 minutes of teaching from Dr. Schwartz, Jeanne Catanzaro, and certified IFS facilitators, followed by 20–30 minutes of integration in small, real-time breakout groups.
Dr. Richard Schwartz will be present live online for two sessions:
- Week 1: Introduction to Internal Family Systems & Getting to Know Your Parts
- Week 6: Q&A and Wrap-Up
For the remaining weeks, our expert IFS facilitators will lead the sessions, ensuring you get guided support and in-depth knowledge throughout the program.
- Is this program a form of therapy?
No, this program is not intended to replace therapy. While the IFS model can be therapeutic, this course is designed as a self-guided learning experience, which many have found to be complementary with one-on-one therapy and other psychotherapy modalities. If you are seeking individual therapy, we encourage you to consult with a licensed IFS therapist.
- What if I can’t attend all the live sessions?
No problem! There will be a second opportunity to attend on Thursday’s at 12 pm ET | 9 am PT. On Thursday’s we will livestream Tuesday’s session so you can watch it with others and it will be followed by a live community reflection session for 30-minutes. All teaching sessions are also recorded and will be available for replay. The community reflection session portion will not be recorded.
- How long will I have access to program materials?
You will receive lifetime access to all course materials, including video replays, guided audio sessions, written exercises, worksheets, and the Internal Family Systems Workbook.
- Will I receive a certificate for completing this program or continuing education credits?
Because this program is designed for personal growth and healing, there is no certification offered at the end of this program. However, the knowledge you gain will empower you to continue your IFS journey. This program does not offer continuing education credits. For more information about programs for therapists or other professionals, we recommend visiting the IFS Institute website: ifs-institute.com.
- How do I get started?
Simply click the “Join Now” button to enroll. You’ll receive immediate access to the The Internal Family Systems Workbook and the first live session details. The program begins March 25, 2025. You’ll receive instructions to access the course on March 24, 2025.
- I’m new to IFS—will this program still help me?
Yes! This program is designed for anyone interested in learning the tools and practices of IFS, both beginners and those already familiar with the work. No previous experience is needed.
- Does IFS conflict with other psychotherapeutic modalities or spiritual practices?
No. In fact, across decades of clinical practice, Dr. Schwartz has found that the principles and practices of IFS often serve as a welcome complement to nearly all therapies, including polyvagal and somatic trauma recovery models, Compassionate Inquiry, attachment theory work, CBT, DBT, and other healing modalities. Many have also found that IFS principles integrate surprisingly well with mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation, shamanic practice, yoga, and other spiritual traditions.
- What is the refund policy?
We unconditionally guarantee your satisfaction with all Sounds True products for one year when purchased via our website. If you complete at least 50% of the course and are not 100% satisfied with your purchase of Befriending Your Inner Parts, simply call or email us for a full refund.
- Are there scholarships or financial aid available?
Sounds True offers a limited number of partial and full scholarships to people who are in true financial need. Those who are financially challenged can apply for partial or full scholarships here. The first round of scholarship requests has been accepted. Scholarship applications must be received by Friday, March 21, 2025 by 5pm PT in order to be accepted. You will receive an email on Monday, March 24, 2025 if your application has been accepted.
Are You Ready to Live with Greater Clarity, Connection, Courage, and Calm?
Your path to self-discovery, healing, and a Self-led life begins here.
Register Today! The program begins March 25.
Click below to join the Befriending Your Inner Parts program—start the next chapter of your journey today!
© 2025 Sounds True. All rights reserved.