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IFS with Children & Adolescents

Carmen Jimenez-Pride and Dick Schwartz

While navigating the world children are exposed to experiences such as abuse, neglect, racial trauma, mass shootings, health pandemics, and natural disasters. Play is a child’s natural language. Play therapy can be utilized to create a space for the child to have the ability to express their feelings and resolve conflicts through creative therapeutic interventions, and expressive arts with the foundation of the therapeutic powers of play.

IFS therapy is an innovative and transformative model that emphasizes the natural multiplicity of the mind, and looking at the system in parts, with the assumption that there are no bad parts and parts are in roles to protect hurt and traumatized parts.

Children often cannot verbally tell their trauma stories or express their thoughts and feelings. With the combination of IFS and Play Therapy children will now have the opportunity to learn the various parts that make them who they are, express the feelings and beliefs of their parts, and gain knowledge that others have parts as well in a creative way.

Carmen will teach us the therapeutic powers of play; facilitate communication, foster emotional wellness, enhance social relationships, and increase personal strengths utilizing the steps of the IFS model.

This learning program was held live in Summer 2024. You can now access a recorded version of the program and learn at any time, at your own pace.

An IFSI Certificate of Completion will be available upon completion of this program. Your completion status will be tracked automatically as you progress through the program modules. Upon completion of this program, you will be able to download a Certificate that acknowledges you have received 14 IFS Credits for completing this program.

Note: Materials and methods included in this course may include interventions or practices that are beyond your scope of practice. As a professional in your given field, you are responsible for reviewing the scope of practice, including activities that are defined by applicable law as beyond the boundaries of your practice, and applying your learning in compliance with your professional standards.  



Meet Your Instructors

Carmen Jimenez-Pride

Carmen Jimenez-Pride is the founder and Executive Director of Outspoken Counseling and Consulting. She is a LCSW, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, Certified EMDR Therapist, IFS Therapist, Registered Yoga Teacher, Registered Children Yoga Teacher and a Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator. Carmen is also a LEGO® Serious Play® Facilitator. She is the developer of Diversity in Play Therapy Inc. and creator and organizer of the Diversity in Play Therapy Summit. Carmen received her Bachelor of Social Work with a certificate in Child Protective Services from Benedict College. She was then accepted into the advanced standing program at the University of South Carolina earning a Master of Social Work with a focus on communities and organizations. Carmen’s passion is youth/ children, and she has dedicated herself not only to enriching the lives of children, but also providing the tools and curriculum for clinicians to ensure her goal to reach others has an even farther span in society. Carmen is experienced in clinical treatment of children, adolescents and adults with culturally diverse backgrounds addressing a wide range of concerns. Carmen’s career in the mental health field spans more than 15 years. Her experience as a therapist, consultant, trainer, educator, coach and author encompass Carmen’s approach to practice, which is “Together We Will Grow.”

Headshot of Richard Schwartz

Dick Schwartz

Richard C. Schwartz, PhD, is the creator of Internal Family Systems, a highly effective, evidence-based therapeutic model that de-pathologizes the multi-part personality. His IFS Institute offers training for professionals and the general public. He is currently on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, and has published five books, including No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model. Dick lives with his wife Jeanne near Chicago, close to his three daughters and his growing number of grandchildren.

Program Content

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Program Includes

  • 4 Modules
  • 12 Lessons
  • 14 IFS Credits
  • Program Certificate