An invitation from Dick Schwartz…
I’m thrilled to invite you to join our global community of advanced IFS learners in the Continuity Program. This offer is available to those who’ve completed an IFS Level 1 Training or Online Circle.
For over six years, we’ve developed programs focused on IFS applications of current clinical topics. We’ve witnessed a phenomenal community of thousands develop and connect from around the world.
I’m always excited to see how our IFS trainers and thought leaders are on the frontline of innovation with the model. The highlights for me are my monthly connections with the IFS Continuity community. During my live events, we provide opportunities for members to present case consultations, as well as selective review of client demonstration videos.
You now have two options for joining our Continuity Program.
- You can purchase an Annual Membership which includes 12 months of programming, a total of three courses.
- If you’re not ready to commit for an entire year, you can now make an Individual Purchase of just one course.
Enrollment is now open until May 31.
I look forward to you joining us!
— Dick Schwartz
Here’s what we’ll cover in the next program:
There is a hidden crisis in the OCD community. Most people with OCD go undiagnosed, and those who are diagnosed rarely receive effective treatment—they are suffering and not being seen, much less helped. IFS clinicians encounter these clients daily, often without recognizing them, and are well-positioned to provide a compassionate path through what feels unbearable.
But to do this well, we need to understand something important: OCD is a form of neurodivergence. Research shows that at least half of OCD presentations involve measurable brain differences—circuits that fire at lower thresholds, creating signals that parts then respond to. In other words, this describes our clients’ neurology rather than pathologizing them. Just as we can't unburden autism, we can't unburden the neurobiological signals in OCD. The brain differences are the hardware; parts are the software responding to that hardware—essentially, the brain sends signals, and the parts react.
This distinction matters profoundly for treatment. People with OCD often experience their protectors as bullies who have hijacked their lives—not as guardians to befriend. Minimizing this experience by saying "it's just parts" can rupture the therapeutic alliance and cause real harm. The "D" matters to clients because the neurobiological difference is real and creates genuine distress.
What IFS uniquely offers is not a way to eliminate OCD—but a way to help parts develop calmer, more trusting responses to signals they will continue to receive. When parts learn to trust Self, they can respond to neurobiological alarm bells with less reactivity. This requires behavioral experiences, not just insight. Parts need to witness Self handling feared situations before they can relax their grip.
This program teaches clinicians to honor the client's experience of being hijacked while showing how, with specific adaptations and an understanding of what makes evidence-based treatment effective, we can help even the most relentless protectors transform—not by unburdening neurobiology, but by building the Self-trust that allows parts to respond differently.
Richard C. Schwartz, PhD, is the creator of Internal Family Systems, a highly effective therapeutic model with a growing evidence base that de-pathologizes the multi-part personality. Richard is also the founder of the IFS Institute, which primarily offers training for professionals. He is currently a Teaching Associate in Psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate. Richard has authored or co-authored more than ten books on Internal Family Systems and related topics, including No Bad Parts and Internal Family Systems Therapy. He lives near Chicago with his wife Jeanne, Vice President of the IFS Institute, close to his three daughters and six grandchildren.
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Melissa Mose, LMFT, has been in private practice for 30 years and has specialized in working with OCD for roughly half of that time. She is currently the president of OCD Southern California, an affiliate of the International OCD Foundation, and she is an international speaker and educator on Obsessive Compulsive disorder. As a Level 3 trained and Certified Internal
Family Systems therapist and an IFSI-Approved Clinical Consultant, Melissa is committed to developing a more compassionate, IFS-informed approach to treating OCD.
Melissa's experience as the parent of a child with OCD led her to specialize in the treatment of OCD and anxiety for the past 12 years. She is devoted to raising awareness about OCD, training clinicians to identify and treat OCD, and improving early identification and wider range of treatment options for individuals with OCD and their families. In her role on the board of OCD Southern California, she has advocated for individuals with OCD, hosted speakers' series, trainings, and organized and presented at the second largest OCD conference worldwide.
She has served on staff as a Program Assistant for multiple Level 1 and Level 2 experiential IFS trainings through the IFS Institute and Cambridge Health Alliance. Bringing her experience with obsessive compulsive systems to the IFS community is her passion.
