APRIL 2026 UPDATE

Apr 1
2 min read

The gifts of springtime—birds singing, trees budding, flowers blooming--provide a yearly affirmation of renewal following the dormancy of winter. This spring, my dedication to continue to expand the reach of Somatic IFS is bursting with revitalization.

My nearly 30 years of experience teaching IFS, 20 years of teaching Somatic IFS, and, of course, my own clinical experience, continually and powerfully affirm that the body is the primary language of our most vulnerable burdened parts. Searching for words to convey my stalwart fervor, I turn again to the opening paragraph of my first book (slightly revised):

“Including the body story along with the verbal story in therapy illuminates and awakens what has been obscured in darkness… Our individual hurts and collective societal burdens lodged in our tissues await the light of our courage and compassion… leading us to the essence of our being.”

Since the publication of this book, both IFS and somatic psychotherapies have experienced an outpouring of recognition of their efficacy. Somatic IFS and other bodymind therapies are especially relevant for children, veterans, women, complex trauma, attachment wounds, and marginalized and multicultural populations. As one of my staff put it, “IFS is a powerful healing tool, and somatic work is a hot topic. Somatic IFS is the fire that brings it all to life.”

Somatic IFS continues to grow and evolve in many directions. We continue to bring the Somatic IFS model to therapists and practitioners all over the world with our Step 1 and Step 2 programs and plans are underway to develop more Somatic IFS programming.

Most recently, two Step One retreats were held at Pura Vida Wellness Center in Costa Rica.

Our European Step 1 retreat (fully booked) will begin April 22.

Registration is now officially open for the Week One Somatic IFS retreat in Costa Rica from February 6–13, 2027

Registration will soon be open for the Week Two Somatic IFS retreat in Costa Rica February 20-27, 2027.

Since my last newsletter, 36 more IFS therapists and practitioners have graduated from the Somatic IFS Step 2. In addition to their IFS training, these graduates bring a total of 84 hours of Somatic IFS training to their clinical practices. The contact information for these Somatic IFS Therapists can be found on the Practitioners Directory here.

A (fully booked) Step 2 will begin this November, bringing more trained Somatic IFS therapists and practitioners to the US and internationally.

New Somatic IFS Trainings

Plans are underway for additional official Somatic IFS programs. Stay tuned for information about these programs in future newsletters.

Somatic IFS Training Staff

The depth and breadth of our Somatic IFS programs is enhanced by the expertise and compassion of our staff, assisting with the whole group experiences as well as facilitating the Integration Groups and the Supervised Practice Groups:

Assistant Trainers: Beth ONeil, Marcella Cox, LaDonna Silva, Maritza Erazo, Dario Martinez

Program Assistants: Nicole House, Debbie Jacobs, Rebecca DeRaud, Tamar Berry, Anna Gartshore, Sherry Ruben, Trish Attia, Irina Diyankova, Beth Rogerson, Lesley Hartman, Andreia Pacheco, Christine Bombosch, Karby Allington-Goldfain

Welcoming newly promoted Program Assistants: Jess Finney, Nat Roth, Lauren Kampwirth.

I look forward to future promotions of our mentees, and future mentees as Step 2 graduates join us for both the Step 1 and 2 programs.