• Episode 20: When clients and therapists feel threatened by the IFS approach
    Nov 5 2026

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    Today we're talking about the usefulness of being able to detect parts that fear IFS - parts who feel threatened by the IFS approach, in the client but also in therapists. It's an issue that may be underestimated; and it's often what lies behind the client who only attends one or two IFS sessions before dropping out, or behind the therapist who attends an IFS training but reverts to their familiar way of working.

    Emma refers to a LinkedIn post during the episode, and this is the link that will take you there: https://lnkd.in/p/eygzE4ff



    Emma E Redfern MBACP (Snr Accred) initially trained in humanistic integrative psychotherapy. Emma is a certified IFS psychotherapist as well as approved IFS clinical consultant. She edited Internal Family Systems Therapy: supervision and consultation (2022, Routledge) and authored Transitioning to Internal Family Systems Therapy: A companion for therapists and practitioners (2023, Routledge). Her most recent publication, co-edited with Helen Foot, is Freeing Self: IFS Beyond the Therapy Room (2023) .
    See www.emmaredfern.co.uk for details of workshops and articles as well as books. You can also follow Emma on Linked In.

    Gayle Williamson (MIACP) initially trained in humanistic integrative psychotherapy. She took one of the alternative routes to IFS training now available, through IFSCA and the Adler College, Canada.
    She works fulltime as a pure-IFS psychotherapist and also writes widely on mental health. Her most recent article 'The Myth of Mental Illness' is published in the latest IAHIP professional journal. Gayle runs small-group, online trainings and skills workshops for IFS beginners as well as group supervision. She also edited Emma's book, Transitioning to Internal Family Systems Therapy: A companion for therapists and practitioners.
    See www.ferneytherapy.ie for further info, resources and Gayle's articles.

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    32 mins
  • IFS and parenting
    Jul 16 2026

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    Today we're talking parenting, because if there's one thing that will trigger parts, it is having children! We explore the impact of intergenerational trauma and what can drive the often very strong urge to become a parent. We also cover what parts-led versus Self-led parenting looks like, as well as the importance for children of their parents being able to take responsibility for their own parts.

    We hope the episode, which includes case examples, will help therapists detect the typical parenting parts that may be active in their clients and provide several ideas for how to work with them.

    Emma E Redfern MBACP (Snr Accred) initially trained in humanistic integrative psychotherapy. Emma is a certified IFS psychotherapist as well as approved IFS clinical consultant. She edited Internal Family Systems Therapy: supervision and consultation (2022, Routledge) and authored Transitioning to Internal Family Systems Therapy: A companion for therapists and practitioners (2023, Routledge). Her most recent publication, co-edited with Helen Foot, is Freeing Self: IFS Beyond the Therapy Room (2023) .
    See www.emmaredfern.co.uk for details of workshops and articles as well as books. You can also follow Emma on Linked In.

    Gayle Williamson (MIACP) initially trained in humanistic integrative psychotherapy. She took one of the alternative routes to IFS training now available, through IFSCA and the Adler College, Canada.
    She works fulltime as a pure-IFS psychotherapist and also writes widely on mental health. Her most recent article 'The Myth of Mental Illness' is published in the latest IAHIP professional journal. Gayle runs small-group, online trainings and skills workshops for IFS beginners as well as group supervision. She also edited Emma's book, Transitioning to Internal Family Systems Therapy: A companion for therapists and practitioners.
    See www.ferneytherapy.ie for further info, resources and Gayle's articles.

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    26 mins
  • Ep 18: Being aware of our own parts: a case example
    Mar 3 2026

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    In this episode, we roleplay a case example from Gayle's supervision group that highlights the importance of specific IFS supervision if you're practising as an IFS therapist. The therapist in question was having trouble using the model with a client who has suffered several losses, and when Tina 'went inside' she discovered there was a very good reason for this.

    **Thanks to Tina (not her real name) for allowing us to spotlight this work for this episode!

    We also give a roleplay example of using the No-overwhelm Contract - always good to make sure you're familiar with for those times when a client is hijacked in session by a strong part.

    Emma's new book: Internal Family Systems: Making a start - getting curious about parts.

    Emma E Redfern MBACP (Snr Accred) initially trained in humanistic integrative psychotherapy. Emma is a certified IFS psychotherapist as well as approved IFS clinical consultant. She edited Internal Family Systems Therapy: supervision and consultation (2022, Routledge) and authored Transitioning to Internal Family Systems Therapy: A companion for therapists and practitioners (2023, Routledge). Her most recent publication, co-edited with Helen Foot, is Freeing Self: IFS Beyond the Therapy Room (2023) .
    See www.emmaredfern.co.uk for details of workshops and articles as well as books. You can also follow Emma on Linked In.

    Gayle Williamson (MIACP) initially trained in humanistic integrative psychotherapy. She took one of the alternative routes to IFS training now available, through IFSCA and the Adler College, Canada.
    She works fulltime as a pure-IFS psychotherapist and also writes widely on mental health. Her most recent article 'The Myth of Mental Illness' is published in the latest IAHIP professional journal. Gayle runs small-group, online trainings and skills workshops for IFS beginners as well as group supervision. She also edited Emma's book, Transitioning to Internal Family Systems Therapy: A companion for therapists and practitioners.
    See www.ferneytherapy.ie for further info, resources and Gayle's articles.

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    29 mins
  • Episode 17: Legacy Burdens part two: case study
    Dec 29 2025

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    IN PART TWO of our focus on Legacy Burdens, we detail fascinating work with client *Jo, where legacy work was the last piece in the jigsaw to help resolve stuckness in her career. It involves Jo connecting to her dead father and grandmother - so you might wish to reassure any sceptical parts that come up that this is entirely normal in this kind of work!

    *Not her real name. The client has given permission for the case material to be used.

    Emma E Redfern MBACP (Snr Accred) initially trained in humanistic integrative psychotherapy. Emma is a certified IFS psychotherapist as well as approved IFS clinical consultant. She edited Internal Family Systems Therapy: supervision and consultation (2022, Routledge) and authored Transitioning to Internal Family Systems Therapy: A companion for therapists and practitioners (2023, Routledge). Her most recent publication, co-edited with Helen Foot, is Freeing Self: IFS Beyond the Therapy Room (2023) .
    See www.emmaredfern.co.uk for details of workshops and articles as well as books. You can also follow Emma on Linked In.

    Gayle Williamson (MIACP) initially trained in humanistic integrative psychotherapy. She took one of the alternative routes to IFS training now available, through IFSCA and the Adler College, Canada.
    She works fulltime as a pure-IFS psychotherapist and also writes widely on mental health. Her most recent article 'The Myth of Mental Illness' is published in the latest IAHIP professional journal. Gayle runs small-group, online trainings and skills workshops for IFS beginners as well as group supervision. She also edited Emma's book, Transitioning to Internal Family Systems Therapy: A companion for therapists and practitioners.
    See www.ferneytherapy.ie for further info, resources and Gayle's articles.

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    11 mins
  • Episode 16: Legacy Burdens: part one
    Dec 23 2025

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    IN THE first of two episodes focusing on Legacy Burdens, Emma and Gayle talk about the many benefits of learning this fascinating aspect of the IFS model. We discuss what exactly they are, how you might spot them and discuss the bigger picture in terms of their effects on wider society.

    Be sure to join us again after Christmas for part two where we go into detail with a case study.

    Emma E Redfern MBACP (Snr Accred) initially trained in humanistic integrative psychotherapy. Emma is a certified IFS psychotherapist as well as approved IFS clinical consultant. She edited Internal Family Systems Therapy: supervision and consultation (2022, Routledge) and authored Transitioning to Internal Family Systems Therapy: A companion for therapists and practitioners (2023, Routledge). Her most recent publication, co-edited with Helen Foot, is Freeing Self: IFS Beyond the Therapy Room (2023) .
    See www.emmaredfern.co.uk for details of workshops and articles as well as books. You can also follow Emma on Linked In.

    Gayle Williamson (MIACP) initially trained in humanistic integrative psychotherapy. She took one of the alternative routes to IFS training now available, through IFSCA and the Adler College, Canada.
    She works fulltime as a pure-IFS psychotherapist and also writes widely on mental health. Her most recent article 'The Myth of Mental Illness' is published in the latest IAHIP professional journal. Gayle runs small-group, online trainings and skills workshops for IFS beginners as well as group supervision. She also edited Emma's book, Transitioning to Internal Family Systems Therapy: A companion for therapists and practitioners.
    See www.ferneytherapy.ie for further info, resources and Gayle's articles.

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    19 mins
  • What change looks like in IFS therapy: part 2
    Jun 21 2025

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    IN THE second part of our focus on what change looks like in IFS, we talk about:

    • the pressures to change that clients and therapists face;
    • the concept of constraint release;
    • the importance of encouraging our clients to work on their connection with parts inbetween sessions; and
    • how do we handle it when a dominant protector just will not step back and allow any change.

    Emma E Redfern MBACP (Snr Accred) initially trained in humanistic integrative psychotherapy. Emma is a certified IFS psychotherapist as well as approved IFS clinical consultant. She edited Internal Family Systems Therapy: supervision and consultation (2022, Routledge) and authored Transitioning to Internal Family Systems Therapy: A companion for therapists and practitioners (2023, Routledge). Her most recent publication, co-edited with Helen Foot, is Freeing Self: IFS Beyond the Therapy Room (2023) .
    See www.emmaredfern.co.uk for details of workshops and articles as well as books. You can also follow Emma on Linked In.

    Gayle Williamson (MIACP) initially trained in humanistic integrative psychotherapy. She took one of the alternative routes to IFS training now available, through IFSCA and the Adler College, Canada.
    She works fulltime as a pure-IFS psychotherapist and also writes widely on mental health. Her most recent article 'The Myth of Mental Illness' is published in the latest IAHIP professional journal. Gayle runs small-group, online trainings and skills workshops for IFS beginners as well as group supervision. She also edited Emma's book, Transitioning to Internal Family Systems Therapy: A companion for therapists and practitioners.
    See www.ferneytherapy.ie for further info, resources and Gayle's articles.

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    35 mins
  • What change looks like in IFS therapy
    Jun 2 2025

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    TODAY we're exploring what we mean when we talk about change in IFS therapy... what are the expectations around this and how much change is actually possible? And if there is an urgent agenda for change, a key thing to consider is: who inside our client, or ourselves, is leading this? We'll also discuss what clients self-report in terms of change.

    As usual, we'll give useful examples and tips; and because there's a lot to this topic there will be a part two coming soon.

    Emma E Redfern MBACP (Snr Accred) initially trained in humanistic integrative psychotherapy. Emma is a certified IFS psychotherapist as well as approved IFS clinical consultant. She edited Internal Family Systems Therapy: supervision and consultation (2022, Routledge) and authored Transitioning to Internal Family Systems Therapy: A companion for therapists and practitioners (2023, Routledge). Her most recent publication, co-edited with Helen Foot, is Freeing Self: IFS Beyond the Therapy Room (2023) .
    See www.emmaredfern.co.uk for details of workshops and articles as well as books. You can also follow Emma on Linked In.

    Gayle Williamson (MIACP) initially trained in humanistic integrative psychotherapy. She took one of the alternative routes to IFS training now available, through IFSCA and the Adler College, Canada.
    She works fulltime as a pure-IFS psychotherapist and also writes widely on mental health. Her most recent article 'The Myth of Mental Illness' is published in the latest IAHIP professional journal. Gayle runs small-group, online trainings and skills workshops for IFS beginners as well as group supervision. She also edited Emma's book, Transitioning to Internal Family Systems Therapy: A companion for therapists and practitioners.
    See www.ferneytherapy.ie for further info, resources and Gayle's articles.

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    23 mins
  • Practising ethically as an IFS therapist
    Apr 16 2025

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    IN this episode, we look at the ethical aspects of working as an IFS therapist. It's a very different way of working, so the psychotherapy profession's existing, mono-minded ethical framework inevitably will not cover everything for the IFS professional. It's an important topic for those transitioning to IFS, and we cover issues around the therapeutic relationship, the therapeutic contract and IFS therapist responsibilities... as well as giving our take on the drama Adolescence!

    Resources referred to: Relational Ethics in Psychotherapy and Counselling in Private Practice by Caz Binstead and Nicolas Sarantakis
    - Professional Transitioning by Emma Redfern, in the BACP’s
    Therapy Today
    -
    Emma also spoke with Sally Brown about this subject on a Therapy Today podcast.
    - Consent in IFS Practice by Ash Chudgar for PARTS&SELF magazine.



    Emma E Redfern MBACP (Snr Accred) initially trained in humanistic integrative psychotherapy. Emma is a certified IFS psychotherapist as well as approved IFS clinical consultant. She edited Internal Family Systems Therapy: supervision and consultation (2022, Routledge) and authored Transitioning to Internal Family Systems Therapy: A companion for therapists and practitioners (2023, Routledge). Her most recent publication, co-edited with Helen Foot, is Freeing Self: IFS Beyond the Therapy Room (2023) .
    See www.emmaredfern.co.uk for details of workshops and articles as well as books. You can also follow Emma on Linked In.

    Gayle Williamson (MIACP) initially trained in humanistic integrative psychotherapy. She took one of the alternative routes to IFS training now available, through IFSCA and the Adler College, Canada.
    She works fulltime as a pure-IFS psychotherapist and also writes widely on mental health. Her most recent article 'The Myth of Mental Illness' is published in the latest IAHIP professional journal. Gayle runs small-group, online trainings and skills workshops for IFS beginners as well as group supervision. She also edited Emma's book, Transitioning to Internal Family Systems Therapy: A companion for therapists and practitioners.
    See www.ferneytherapy.ie for further info, resources and Gayle's articles.

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    27 mins