IFS Training & Experience — Radical IFS

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 2,350 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

24

Years dedicated to IFS

2,350+

Hours of IFS training

~8,000

Hours of personal practice

1,000+

Hours of training with Richard Schwartz

Melissa's 2,350+ hours of IFS training:

Core IFS & Couples Training

1,002 hrs

2 Level 1 trainings (2004–2005)
3 Level 2 trainings (2006–2009)
5 Couples trainings with Toni Herbine-Blank (2009–2017)
13 Level 3 trainings with Richard Schwartz (2007–2016)

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

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

Couples Trainings

64 hr — "Intimacy from the Inside Out" Level 2 — Watertown, MA — Toni Herbine-Blank — 2009
72 hr — "Intimacy from the Inside Out" Level 2 — 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

Level 3 with Richard Schwartz (13 × 30 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

920 hrs

8 "Wisdom of the Body" 7-day workshops in Mexico (2003–2010)
11 "The 'I' in the Storm" workshops at Esalen, Big Sur (2005–2017)
4 "Self-Compassion" workshops at Esalen (2014–2017)
9 "Embodying Healing Wisdom" workshops at Kripalu (2005–2016)
Additional specialized workshops (2003–2012)

Further Training with Senior Trainers

164 hrs

Women's retreat with Herbine-Blank & McConnell (2006)
Somatic IFS in Costa Rica with Susan McConnell (2010)
IFS and Addictions with Cece Sykes (2010)
Advanced techniques and specialized topics (2015–2022)
Treatment for sexual abuse, food/body healing, difficult protectors

IFS Conferences | IFS Program Assistant

269 hrs

12 IFS Conferences (2002–2016): 155 hours
3 five-day Level 1 Retreats as Program Assistant: 114 hours

Authentic Movement

1,000+ hrs

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

13 IFS Level Three Certificates

Oak Park · Seattle · Berkeley · New York · Cape Cod · Maryland · Boulder · Florida · and more

IFS Level 3 Certificate — Oak Park

IFS Level 3 Certificate — Oak Park

IFS Level 3 Certificate — Seattle

IFS Level 3 Certificate — Berkeley

IFS Level 3 Certificate — New York

IFS Level 3 Certificate — Florida

IFS Level 3 Certificate — Cape Cod

IFS Level 3 Certificate — Maryland

IFS Level 3 Certificate — Oak Park

IFS Level 3 Certificate — Burlingame, CA

IFS Level 3 Certificate — Techny, IL

IFS Level 3 Certificate — Boulder

IFS Level 3 Certificate — Florida

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