Inner Relationship Focusing

Inner Relationship Focusing is a gentle technique of accessing and developing relationships with our inner states. First learned in our own bodies, this technique can be integrated into psychotherapy practices to develop greater awareness and compassion for our own and our clients states.

This method was developed by Ann Weiser Cornell as a result of her work with Eugene Gendlin.

IRF Training Dates & Registration

Description

Inner Relationship Focusing is a mind-body process that has supported people for decades to feel more connected to themselves, increase feelings of confidence and clarity in themselves, and move forward in areas of their lives that have felt mired in inner conflicts. This gentle process teaches a step-by-step process of being in touch with inner feelings and states in a compassionate way. IRF encourages creating relationships with feelings that can be challenging, such as inner critics, reactive or triggered states, and is a form of “parts” work that allows people to create relationship with multiple states of being, allowing each part to be heard and related to with interest and compassion, in many instances bringing relief to areas of inner conflict. IRF is powerful as a self-care practice for healing professionals, With advanced practices, it is a powerful addition when integrated with other healing modalities, such as psychotherapy, coaching, art therapy, or addictions work to deepen and strengthen relationship to self in those modalities.

Inner Relationship Focusing classes are offered by Zoom, in 6 week modules of 2 hour classes.

All IRF classes will be recorded and available after a day or two class.

Presenter

Maureen Gallagher, Phd, SEP is a Licensed Psychologist (NY, NJ) for over 25 years. She is an Inner Relationship Focusing Trainer, Somatic Experiencing Faculty Member and is grounded in Attachment/Relational work. As a therapist and educator, her focus is on integrating mind-body practices with attachment informed therapy. It is often assumed that support must come from outside of us, but IRF shows how important and often missing are the inner relationships and support that aid to integrate and heal from events lived through, protecting one from long standing trauma, or helping to heal from that which was overwhelming and traumatic. A large part of this work involves working with self and partial self states to being relationhip,
compassion and healing to divisions and discord within.
IRF provides a clear road map to the development of inner relationships that become the basis of a reliable relationship to self; which ultimately informs our ability to form secure bonds with others. Our ability to be in healthy, compassionate relationship with ourselves informs how we move through the world.

Training

Inner Relationship Focusing classes are offered by Zoom, in 6 week modules of 2 hour classes.

All IRF classes will be recorded and available after a day or two class.

You may repeat IRF Part 1 or 2 for 50% of fee and Case Consult for 75% of fee.

Target Audience

Psychologists, Psychoanalysts, Psychiatrists, Social Workers, MFTs, LMHCs, Counselors, Substance Abuse Counselors, Creative Arts Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Nurses, Dentists

Tuition

$600 for Parts 1 or $1150 for Parts 1 and 2 in early registration; then $650 for Part 1 and $1200 for Parts 1 and 2.

You may repeat IRF Part 1 or 2 for 50% of fee and Case Consult for 75% of fee.

Ce’s

This class is approved for 12 CE’s which can be purchased from R.Cassidy

Cancellation Policy

91+days, 90% refund, 61+ days, 75%, 31+50%, less than 30 days, no refund.

Disclosure

There is no conflict of interest and there is no commercial support for this program.

For questions and concerns, contact: MaureenGallagherPhd@gmail.com

Evaluations and Certificates are available by email and online following course completion at www.ceuregistration.com

Testimonials

“It brought a lot more vitality to my own work.”

Lisa Smith, LCSW
Clinical Social Worker

“I find her to be an incredible teacher.”

Larry Iannotti, Ph.D., LCSW
Psychotherapist

“Her knowledge is exquisite with the material.”

Shideh Lennon, Ph.D., SEP
Faculty Member, SEI

IRF Part 1

IRF Training Dates & Registration

Description

In Part 1 of Inner Relationship Focusing, a step-by-step process of getting in touch with emotional and bodily felt experiences is taught, supporting a broadening and strengthening of a person’s relationship with self and partial self states.

There are 6 two-hour classes that are held by Zoom.

This course is approved for 12 CE’s, which can be obtained through R Cassidy for a fee of $40.

Level

Beginner

Schedule

2pm to 2:15 EST Body Sensing Exercise and Introduction of the days lecture topic
2:15 to 2:45pm Lecture
2:45 to 3:00 Break
3:00 to 3:15 Video Demo
3:15 to 3:45 Practice with Scripted Exercise
3:45 to 4:00 Review and Questions and Answers

Class 1

Sensing Freshly and The Missing Inner Relationship:
1.The ability to bring attention into the body (body sensing) and
to describe bodily felt experiences without judging or labeling them.
2.The ability to use the phrases “I am sensing” and “something in me” with emotional states and feel the difference between “I am” and “I am sensing something in me”.

Class 2

Changing by Not Trying
1.Being able to set aside what is already “known,” and sense freshly.
Being able to start with a life issue and get a “felt sense” of it, bringing together experiences that include emotion, sensation, image, memory.
2.Once in contact with “something,” being able to sense how it feels from its point of view, especially its emotion.

Class 3

The Power of Not Knowing
1.Being able to stay at the unclear edge without breaking away or coming up with what it means.
2.The ability to understand that an attitude of interested, curious, compassionate Listening fosters secure attachment with self.

Class 4

The Flow of a Session
1.Knowing how to cultivate Self-in-Presence by:
Being aware of body grounding
Using Presence language
Saying “I am here” to your “somethings”
2.The ability to understand the relationship between self in presence and social engagement, a condition for the development of a secure base and potential bonding.

Class 5

Creating the Environment of Change
1.The ability to understand how slowing down fosters the possibility of availability to self for an interested, curious relationship with all self states, including those we are uncomfortable with.
2. The ability to notice when you are identified with a feeling or a part and
to dis-identify (using Presence language, time, space and support.)

Class 6

The Art of Listening
1.Learning to support the process of others as a Companion, listening for and saying back the Focuser’s presently felt experience (rather than what is not felt, and rather than past feelings.)
2.As Companion, changing the order of what the Focuser said, so that the presently felt experience – including descriptions of emotions and body sensations.

IRF Part 1 CE Language

https://embodyingpsychotherapy.com/ifr-part-1-ce-language

IRF Training Dates & Registration

IRF Part 2

IRF Training Dates & Registration

Description

In Part 2, deepens into working with states of Presence, Partial Self States, and Blocks to Process, including working with Inner Critics and criticized aspects of self. Part 2 brings the focus to learning to support the process of others as a companion while expanding and deepening Inner Relationship Focusing Skills.

There are 6 two-hour classes that are held by Zoom.

This course is approved for 12 CE’s, which can be obtained through R Cassidy for a fee of $40.

Level

Intermediate

Schedule

Class 1

Offering Invitations, Suggestions and Reminders
1.Knowing the difference between a “reflection” and a “reminder”;
And that reminder is an invitation to take a next step.
2. Being able to add a “cushion” to a reminder to make invitations gentler, and easier in IRF to adapt or ignore.

Class 2

Going Deeper with Invitations, Suggestions and Reminders
1. The Bottle Model allows one to know where one is in the session so that when something doesn’t go well, one can go back up the Bottle to a previous stage instead of trying to go further.
2. Trouble (feeling stuck) in any stage (B, C, D) usually means that the previous stage wasn’t given enough time.

Class 3

Close and Distant Process
1.Being able to define Close Process as having easily felt emotions and a tendency to get overwhelmed and to support with greater access to self.
2.Being able to define Distant Process as feeling very little or having feelings that easily disappear, and to support with greater time and space.

Class 4

The Feeling About the Feeling
1.Being able to recognize when someone doing IRF has a Feeling About a Feeling
2.Being able to offer a reflection that includes both a Feeling and a Feeling About a Feeling, and being able to give appropriate reminders for a Focuser who is aware of two “somethings.”

Class 5

Doing IRF with Inner Critics
1. An inner criticizing part, which we call a “Protector,” can show up verbally (seeming to be a thought), or through images, or through body constriction.
Being able to acknowledge a Protector part with: “I/you are sensing something in me/you says…”
2.Being able to invite a Protector part to reveal what it is worried about.

Class 6

What Parts Need So They Can Shift
1. The Not-Wanting/Wanting Process is a way to offer empathy for the deeper needs and feelings of parts that avoids getting caught in the parts’ repetitive strategies.Knowing how to phrase the sequence of Not Wanting invitations (“going down the stairs”) so that each one goes deeper.
2. The Not-Wanting/Wanting Process can lead to the transformation of the Protector from “critic” to “ally” and even to its dissolution.
Knowing how to phrase the sequence of Wanting invitations, starting with “You might sense what it is wanting for you from _____________.”

IRF Part 2 CE Language

https://embodyingpsychotherapy.com/irf-part-2-ce-language

IRF Training Dates & Registration

IRF Part 3

IRF Training Dates & Registration

Description

In Part 3, we deepen into the understanding and working with the movement between
presence and partiality; being in presence with parts from an ability to be with all states
within ourselves. We support recognizing states, parts and movement out of self into
parts and back to self. We identify partial self states and their underlying needs and
wants, including critical, angry and worried parts, as well as criticized, wounded parts,
identifying the different types of support that different parts needs, as well as what is
needed to return to presence.

This course is approved for 12 CE’s, which can be obtained through R Cassidy for a fee
of $40.
For upcoming class dates, click the button below.

Level

Intermediate

Schedule

2pm to 2:15 EST Review of Prior Week and Discussion of Practice
2:15 to 2:45pm Lecture
2:45 to 3:00 Break
3:00 to 3:15 Video Demo
3:15 to 3:45 Practice
3:45 to 4:00 Review and Questions and Answers

Class 1

Presence and Partial Self States
1. Learning to describe and discern between Presence and partial
Self states.
2. Learning how to create relationship with different types of parts

Class 2

Working with Protective Parts
1.How to create relationship with worried states and protective parts.

2.How to create relationship with non-verbal parts

Class 3

Class 4

Working with young parts and compromised self states

Class 5

Working with fear and worry

Class 6

What Parts Need So They Can Shift
1. Identifying ways to offer empathy for the deeper needs and feelings of parts that
avoids getting caught in the parts’ repetitive strategies.

IRF Part 3 CE Language

IRF Part 2 & 3 language

IRF Training Dates & Registration

There is a kind of bodily awareness that profoundly influences our lives and then can help us reach personal goals. So little attention has been paid to this mode of awareness that there are no ready-made words to describe it. I have to coin my own term: felt sense.
~ Gene Gendlin