IFS Training & Experience

I live what I coach — 24 years of Internal Family Systems, and counting.

Clients rave about Internal Family Systems (IFS), my coaching method, and so do I.

I live what I coach!

I’ve dedicated the past 24 years of my life to learning IFS. With over 2,400 hours of IFS training and over 8,000 hours of personal practice, I’m an expert at the Internal Family Systems model. I am also an IFS Certified Practitioner.

I have over 1,000 hours of training and workshop experience with the founder of IFS, Richard Schwartz.

Richard Schwartz and Melissa Sandfort, IFS Level 3 Training, Seattle 2011 — Richard Schwartz & I, IFS Level 3 Training, Seattle, 2011

Years dedicated to IFS

2,400+

Hours of IFS training

~8,000

Hours of personal practice

1,000+

Hours of training with Richard Schwartz

Melissa’s 2,400+ hours of IFS training

Core IFS & Couples Training

1,002 hrs

2 Level 1

108 hr — Chicago, IL — Richard Schwartz & Susan McConnell — August 2004
108 hr — New Buffalo, MI — Kay Gardner, Paul Ginter & Richard Schwartz — December 2005

3 Level 2

54 hr — New Buffalo, MI — Gardner, McConnell, Sykes, Schwartz — Oct 2006–Apr 2007
54 hr — New Buffalo, MI — Gardner, McConnell, Elkin, Sykes — March 2008
72 hr — Chicago, IL — Gardner, Sykes, Herbine-Blank, McConnell — June–Dec 2009

5 Couples Trainings

64 hr — “Intimacy from the Inside Out” — Watertown, MA — Toni Herbine-Blank — 2009
72 hr — “Intimacy from the Inside Out” — Chicago, IL — Toni Herbine-Blank — 2011
28 hr — “Intimacy from the Inside Out” Advanced — Watertown, MA — Toni Herbine-Blank — Jan 2013
24 hr — IFS Couples Therapy Workshop — Kripalu, MA — Toni Herbine-Blank — Nov–Dec 2015
28 hr — “Intimacy from the Inside Out” Post-Advanced — Albuquerque, NM — Toni Herbine-Blank — Dec 2017

13 Level 3 with Richard Schwartz (390 hrs)

Oak Park, IL — June 11–25, 2007
Oak Park, IL — October 29–November 2, 2007
Oak Park, IL — October 13–17, 2008
Burlingame, CA — December 9–13, 2009
Seattle, WA — August 12–16, 2011
White Plains, NY — November 12–16, 2012
Cape Cod, MA — July 22–26, 2013
Techny, IL — March 4–8, 2014
Berkeley, CA — December 5–9, 2014
Delray Beach, FL — February 16–20, 2015
Washington, DC — November 15–19, 2015
Boulder, CO — April 12–16, 2016
Delray Beach, FL — December 14–18, 2016

Advanced Training with Richard Schwartz

962 hrs

8 “Wisdom of the Body” — 7-day workshops — Maya Tulum, Mexico

Richard Schwartz & Barbara Cargill

2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

11 “The ‘I’ in the Storm” — 26 hour workshops — Esalen, Big Sur, CA

Richard Schwartz

2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

4 “Self-Compassion” — 26 hour workshops — Esalen, Big Sur, CA

2014 — Richard Schwartz & Toni Herbine-Blank
2015, 2016, 2017 — Richard Schwartz

9 “Embodying Healing Wisdom” — 26 hour workshops — Kripalu, MA

2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 — Schwartz & Herbine-Blank
2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 — Schwartz & Sarah Stewart

Additional Workshops

12 hr — “Embodying Self in Daily Life” — Chicago — Schwartz, Libman, Neve — July 2003
10 hr — Couples Workshop — Cenacle, Chicago — Richard Schwartz — 2004
15 hr — IFS Cape Cod Institute — Richard Schwartz — 2005
6 hr — “Two Masters, Two Methods, One Couple” — Schwartz & Real — June 29, 2012
14 hr — “Legacy & Cultural Burdens” — Continuity Program — Sinko & Schwartz — Fall 2023
14 hr — “IFS with Children & Adolescents” — Continuity Program — Jimenez-Pride & Schwartz — Summer 2024
14 hr — “Values & Beliefs in the Therapy Room” — Continuity Program — Bronstein & Schwartz — Winter 2024

Further Training with Senior Trainers

170 hrs

25 hr — IFS Women’s Retreat — Rex Ranch — Herbine-Blank & McConnell — 2006
30 hr — Somatic IFS — Costa Rica — Susan McConnell — Feb 6–13, 2010
12 hr — IFS and Addictions — Indiana — Cece Sykes — Feb 26–27, 2010
12 hr — Advanced Techniques in IFS — Portland, OR — Michi Rose — March 2015
6 hr — Legacy Burdens — Evanston, IL — Kay Gardner — April 17, 2015
10 hr — New Psychotherapy Techniques — Chicago — Michi Rose — April 9–10, 2016
12 hr — Sacred Theatre for Couples — Chicago — Kay Gardner — May 20–21, 2017
15 hr — IFS Treatment for Sexual Abuse — Online — May–Sept 2019
15 hr — Using IFS to Heal Relationships with Food and the Body — Online — Sept–Dec 2019
15 hr — Harvesting Resources from the Unburdened System — Online — Muriel Pastor & Richard Schwartz — 2021
12 hr — Befriending Difficult Protectors — Online — Mike Elkin — Feb 7, 2022
6 hr — “Shamanism & Psychotherapy” — Online — Ann Sinko & Robert Falconer — June 1, 2026

IFS Conferences | IFS Program Assistant

269 hrs

12 IFS Conferences (155 hrs)

2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016

3 Five-day Level 1 Trainings as Program Assistant (114 hrs)

76 hr — Durango, CO — Toni Herbine-Blank & Nancy Wonder — 2012
36 hr — Cannon Beach, OR — Paul Ginter & Nancy Wonder — 2013

Authentic Movement

1,000+ hrs

IFS-based Authentic Movement with Susan Cahill (2004–ongoing)