Everyone is welcome to our open meetings featuring free IFS demos by trained facilitators. These demos are real, live IFS sessions intended to demonstrate parts work. You may volunteer to be a client who is the subject of the demo, or you may choose to observe. It’s okay if you just want to watch — active participation is not required.
Visit https://linktr.ee/freeifsdemo for the latest dates, the Zoom link, facilitator contact info, and more.
This meeting is for demonstration, not therapy. By attending, you agree to take responsibility for your own system. This meeting is also not intended primarily for educating participants about IFS, although doing one’s own parts work and watching demonstrations are excellent ways to learn more.
If you are an IFS-trained or IFS-informed therapist, practitioner, or coach actively working with clients and have a desire to facilitate a breakout room, please reach out to Laurie.
Meeting structure:
0-15: Introductions
10: Meeting locked
15-20: Meditation
20-56: Breakout rooms for (up to) 35 mins + 1 extra
56-60: Closing
60: Meeting ends
60-90: Optional discussion
Roles
There are three roles in this meeting: facilitator, client, and observer.
Facilitators lead a breakout room and guide an IFS session with the client in the presence of observers. To volunteer as a facilitator, you must be IFS-trained or IFS-informed, and have reached out to Laurie beforehand. At the beginning of the meeting, facilitators rename themselves with a “1” in front of their names, or a “12” if they are also willing to be a client or observer.
Clients get to know their system a little better in a breakout session, guided by a facilitator in the presence of observers. At the beginning of the meeting, clients rename themselves with a “2” in front of their names. If there are more clients than facilitators, a lottery may be held within your breakout room to determine who is client and who is observer. Therefore, volunteering as client does not guarantee you will receive a session. Your camera should be on and your audio unmuted so that the facilitator can connect with you. Your device should be securely positioned so that you can sit comfortably while being in view.
The standard intention of the session is for the client to explore one or more parts of their system with the guidance of the facilitator. As the client, you should speak for what you are noticing, feeling, and needing as much as you can. You will be the focus of the room, but you will never be obligated to share anything that makes you feel too vulnerable or uncomfortable.
Observers help hold space for the session. All you have to do is show up and you will automatically be sent to a breakout room to watch a session of parts work. You will leave your camera off during the session, but the client might request to see you briefly (and/or unmute and say hello) at the beginning so that they feel safer in the room. While the client is exploring, you have the opportunity to notice what is coming up in your own system–feelings, thoughts, sensations, distractions, sleepiness, and so on.
When the session ends but the breakout room is still open, observers may have an opportunity to share a self-reflection. Observers of IFS sessions focus their shares on their own experience, not the client’s experience. For example, saying “I fell asleep and I have a part who is feeling shame, as well as some curiosity about the sleepy part,” is a completely appropriate self-reflection.
FAQ
How will I benefit from attending?
You might find a new IFS practitioner! This is a chance to get a felt sense of how different individuals work with clients. Styles can vary dramatically and you may happen upon someone who feels safe enough to hold space for your healing journey.
May I attend late?
You are welcome to arrive up to 10 minutes late. At that point, we lock the meeting to simplify the creation of breakout rooms.
Can I ask for help while I’m in the breakout room?
Yes! Laurie is the host, and she’ll remain on call through the “Ask For Help” button throughout the meeting.
What if there is more than one volunteer client in my breakout room?
The facilitator will run a brief lottery to determine who “wins” the session. A suggested method is for the facilitator to write a number between 1-20 on a piece of paper and then ask participants to choose a number between 1-20. When participants have chosen their number, the facilitator can display the paper and award the session to the participant who chose the closest number.
How do I contact a facilitator if I want to work with them?
All past and present volunteer facilitators are listed on the Linktree. If you can’t find the person you are looking for, reach out to Laurie to see if she can help.
Visit https://linktr.ee/freeifsdemo for the latest dates, the Zoom link, facilitator contact info, and more.
Laurie Chancey Coaching 