Helpful Resources

Misunderstood is about a therapist’s own journey with mental health. This is a real-life story of nearly four decades of pain, feeling misunderstood, and searching for clarity. It's an unabashed look into a complicated life.
Through her writing, Lisa shares the raw, messy, and often hilarious realities of neurodivergent life, tackling topics like executive dysfunction, sensory overload, shame, and the never-ending game of Where Did I Put My…?
After spending decades navigating a maze of misdiagnoses, Lisa finally uncovered the missing puzzle pieces—ADHD and autism—shedding light on a lifetime of struggles, strengths, and everything in between.
Misunderstood is a mix of memoir, education, and advocacy. Lisa’s transparency and vulnerability invite readers to explore ADHD and autism through a lens of curiosity rather than judgment.

The official IFS training is done by the IFS Institute. The therapists found there have completed at least Level 1 of the training. There are Levels 1, 2, and 3. Once can become Certified once they obtain experiential clinical hours and supervision. There is an extensive process to become Certified. There is also a process to become an Approved IFS Consultant.

In this book, Richard Schwartz, the developer of the Internal Family Systems Model, applies the IFS Model to the topic of intimate relationships in an engaging, understandable, and personal style.

Dr. Richard C. Schwartz’s Internal Family Systems (IFS) model has been transforming psychology for decades. With No Bad Parts, you’ll learn why IFS has been so effective in areas such as trauma recovery, addiction therapy, and depression treatment―and how this new understanding of consciousness has the potential to radically change our lives.

The storyline in Inside Out is based on the IFS Model, and gives us a bird’s eye view of what goes on inside the brain and how real people deal with memories, emotions, the imagination, and abstract thinking.

Internal Family Systems is an evidence-based model of psychotherapy, that believes our inner parts contain valuable qualities and our core Self knows how to heal. In IFS all parts are welcome.

GoodTherapy is a leading therapy directory that also disseminates mental health news and information. They break down IFS, covering the history, model, issues treated, what a typical IFS session is like and more.

Cece Sykes, who was my IFS Level 1 Trainer, talks with Beth Rogerson on what happens when we get “stuck” in behaviors that feel good in the moment, but don’t help us get what we really want out of life.

Hosted by certified IFS therapist, Tammy Sollenberger, this show aims to educate, support, and encourage those who are curious about IFS model of psychotherapy.

In this transformative book Frank Anderson MD, who was my IFS Level 2 Trainer, masterfully details an IFS path to therapy that allows clients to access their inherent capacity for healing – called Self-energy – while also helping them welcome, as opposed to manage, the extreme emotions frequently associated with trauma.

Though not IFS specific, Dr Bessel van der Kolk sheds new light on the routes away from trauma - which lie in the regulation and syncing of body and mind, using sport, drama, yoga, mindfulness, meditation and other routes to equilibrium.

Couples in distress enter therapy holding two goals that they now experience as mutually exclusive: to feel loved and to feel understood. Toni Herbine-Blank’s powerful new brand of couple therapy, Intimacy from the Inside Out (IFIO), offers a comprehensive conceptual map for achieving both goals

Rich in clinical examples, this book offers a fresh perspective on the roles of shame and guilt in psychological distress and presents a step-by-step framework for treatment.

This book is coming in spring of 2026. Sara is someone I really look up to and who’s exceptionally knowledgeable about ASD within the IFS community. You can learn more about her on her website, which also has a plethora or resources. https://www.sarahbergenfield.com/

This innovative guide introduces IFS for OCD and demonstrates Self-led Exposure and Response Prevention (Self-led ERP), a unique approach that maintains therapeutic effectiveness of treatments that work while enhancing client engagement and facilitating enduring recovery.

Broadening the benefits and applications of the IFS model, author Susan McConnell introduces 5 core practices that mental health professionals can apply to their practice: somatic awareness, conscious breathing, radical resonance, mindful movement, and attuned touch.