IFS is a powerful form of individual therapy, which can also be used in groups. Some IFS groups involve individual IFS sessions in the group, group exercises, and possibly IFS psychodrama or sculpting. These are fine ways to run IFS groups, but they are not Interactive IFS Groups, the kind of IFS groups that I lead. In my groups, the focus of the work is on the interactions and relationships among the group members. These are similar in some ways to the interpersonal groups which were made popular by Yalom.

However, Interactive IFS Groups go way beyond usual interpersonal groups, partly because they incorporate IFS and partly because they incorporate capacities and growing edges. In IFS terms, capacities are aspects of Self that support group members in making the most of their group work and also goals they have for their time in group. Examples of capacities are assertiveness, intimacy, self-esteem, impact awareness, and vulnerability.

I have been leading Interactive Groups for 40 years, and I have been incorporating IFS into my groups for 20 years. This experience with group leading has led to a variety of other innovations in group work. I published the book, Interactive Group Therapy in 2000, and I am working on a new book now.

What Happens in an Interactive IFS Group

These are group-centered (as opposed to leader-centered) groups, in that the group members focus their attention on their feelings in the moment and their relationships with the other group members rather than being focused on the leader. However, I am active as a group leader, helping each person to get in touch with their parts that are activated in each moment and work with them. I might help one person to realize that they are blended with a protector and to unblend so they can communicate from Self, or so they could get to know the protector or perhaps access and care for the exile being protected. This involves short pieces of IFS work of five or ten minutes.

When a group member allows herself to be openly vulnerable in the group, revealing an exile, she invariably receive caring, loving responses from the group, which is deeply healing for her and also helps the group to become bonded.

Group members are encouraged to be honest with each other about how they feel toward each other, leading to powerful work. The group norm is that when someone is bringing up an issue with another group member, they speak for the part of them that has been triggered by that person, own their feeling reaction, and seek to understand themselves in addition to possibly requesting the other person to change.

Group members are encouraged to understand what their growing edge is in the group—which capacity (or capacities) they are cultivating or need to cultivate in their group work. Then they can initiate work that will give them a chance to develop that capacity. For example, I might suggest how a member could initiate interactive work that would allow them to experiment with being assertive.

Interactive groups are not a good place for people with unresolved complex trauma. They should heal as much as they can through individual IFS therapy and then perhaps join an Interactive IFS Group later in their journey of healing.

Interactive groups are an excellent adjunct to individual IFS therapy. They are an intermediate space, riskier than individual therapy but safer than everyday life. The individual IFS therapist can recommend things for their client to work on in group, and the client can bring issues and parts that have been triggered in group back to individual therapy to work on.

Interactive IFS groups are long-term ongoing groups, which allows group members time to establish relationships with each other, leading to deeper work on intimacy issues. This also allows each group to develop safety, trust, and eventually profound group bonding. The group becomes like a healthy family, which most of our clients long for, and which is, in itself, very healing. Group member benefit from the inner transformation that results from the group work, and also from translating the skills they learn in group to their everyday relationships.

If you are interested in training in leading Interactive IFS Groups, click here.