Somatic Inner Relationship Focusing Part 2 is designed for clinicians and health professionals seeking to deepen their capacity to work relationally with complex internal experience. Building on the foundational skills of Part 1, this course introduces more advanced approaches for engaging protective systems, polarized parts, and implicit somatic-emotional material. Clinicians will learn to support emerging processes with attuned presence, recognize subtle shifts that signal new emotional information, and facilitate inner work that honors pacing, safety, and the client’s inherent wisdom.

A central focus of this module is the development of refined facilitation skills. Participants strengthen their ability to offer invitations, suggestions, and therapeutic prompts that help clients stay connected to their bodily felt sense while engaging challenging or layered material. Through lecture, demonstrations, guided experiential practice, and structured partner sessions, professionals expand their somatic-emotional tracking, clinical discernment, and capacity to maintain regulation while accompanying complex processes. Part 2 provides a robust, experiential learning environment that enhances therapeutic skills and deepens your ability to support transformative, embodied change in your clients.

Social Workers, MFTs, Counselors, Substance Abuse Counselors, Occupational Therapists, Nurses, Psychologists, Psychoanalysts, Psychiatrists 

Identify and describe somatic cues that indicate a client’s readiness to access Self-in-Presence within a clinical session.

Apply trauma-informed guided prompts to support clients in developing a compassionate, non-judgmental internal stance.

Facilitate the development of a felt sense by guiding clients to name, describe, and track emerging somatic experience.

Differentiate between blending with an inner part and relating to a part from Self-in-Presence, and apply interventions that support separation and internal safety.

Implement pacing and titration strategies to maintain client regulation when working with emotionally activating material.

Guide clients in observing the qualities, needs, and functions of an inner part using non-directive, compassionate clinical language.

Support somatic communication and dialogue between Self-in-Presence and inner parts within the therapeutic process.

Recognize protector behaviors and apply clinically appropriate interventions to preserve emotional and somatic safety.

Facilitate natural experiential shifts through presence-based, non-directive interventions rather than directive techniques.

Integrate S/IRF-informed interventions into broader treatment planning and psychotherapeutic modalities within the clinician’s scope of practice.

Structure and support the completion and closure of a Focusing session to promote stabilization and integration.

Assess client readiness for deeper experiential work and provide additional grounding or resourcing interventions as clinically indicated.

Demonstrate the clinical flow of a full S/IRF-informed session, including opening, pacing, safety, and closure strategies.

Identify clinical competency indicators and ethical considerations relevant to the use of somatic and parts-oriented approaches in psychotherapy.

 

SESSION 1 — Recognizing and Working with Close and Distant Process (2 hours)
- 12:00–12:15 — Welcome, Orientation & Reconnection with Foundations
- 12:15–12:45 — Lecture: Recognizing Close vs. Distant Process
- 12:45–1:15 — Demonstration: Supporting Close and Distant Processes
- 1:15–1:45 — Dyad Practice: Supportive Responses for Close/Distant Processes
- 1:45–2:00 — Group Debrief & Q&A
SESSION 2 — Working with Feelings About Feelings (2 hours)
- 12:00–12:15 — Arrival & Topic Introduction
- 12:15–12:45 — Lecture: Recognizing and Responding to Meta-Feelings
- 12:45–1:15 — Demonstration: Supporting “Feelings About Feelings”
- 1:15–1:45 — Dyad Practice: Guiding Clients in Relating to Meta-Feelings
- 1:45–2:00 — Group Reflection & Q&A
SESSION 3 — Presence and Partial Self States (2 hours)
- 12:00–12:15 — Arrival & Topic Overview
- 12:15–12:45 — Lecture: Supporting Presence & Recognizing Partial Self States
- 12:45–1:15 — Demonstration: Self-to-Part Dialogue via Felt Sense
- 1:15–1:45 — Dyad Practice: Tracking the Relational Field in Self-to-Part Dialogue
- 1:45–2:00 — Q&A & Integration
SESSION 4 — Recognizing and Responding to Inner Critics (2 hours)
- 12:00–12:15 — Arrival & Introduction
- 12:15–12:45 — Lecture: Understanding and Meeting Inner Critics
- 12:45–1:15 — Demonstration: Responding to Critical Inner Parts
- 1:15–1:45 — Dyad Practice: Facilitating Compassionate Response to Inner Critics
- 1:45–2:00 — Review & Q&A
SESSION 5 — Recognizing Protectors, Defenders & Disowned Parts (2 hours)
- 12:00–12:15 — Arrival & Topic Introduction
- 12:15–12:45 — Lecture: How to Recognize Protective, Defending, and Disowned Processes
- 12:45–1:15 — Demonstration: Differentiating Protectors, Defenders & Disowned Parts
- 1:15–1:45 — Dyad Practice: Tracking and Responding to Protectors, Defenders & Disowned Parts
- 1:45–2:00 — Q&A & Integration
SESSION 6 — Working with Protective Parts (2 hours)
- 12:00–12:15 — Arrival & Introduction
- 12:15–12:45 — Lecture: Identifying and Working with Protective Parts
- 12:45–1:15 — Demonstration: Supporting Protector Roles Without Overriding
- 1:15–1:45 — Dyad Practice: Guiding Compassionate Contact with Protectors
- 1:45–2:00 — Debrief
SESSION 7 — Working with Defending Parts (2 hours)
- 12:00–12:15 — Arrival & Introduction
- 12:15–12:45 — Lecture: Recognizing and Supporting Defending Parts
- 12:45–1:15 — Demonstration: Responses that Support Rather Than Escalate
- 1:15–1:45 — Dyad Practice: Meeting Defensive Parts with Presence
- 1:45–2:00 — Q&A
SESSION 8 — Working with Disowned Parts & Stuck Processes (2 hours)
- 12:00–12:15 — Arrival & Introduction
- 12:15–12:45 — Lecture: Identifying Disowned Parts & Understanding Stuck Processes
- 12:45–1:15 — Demonstration: Contacting Disowned or Exiled Parts
- 1:15–1:45 — Dyad Practice: Supporting Movement in Stuck or Disowned Places
- 1:45–2:00 — Reflection & Q&A
SESSION 9 — Transformation, Integration & Competency (2 hours)
- 12:00–12:15 — Arrival & Topic Introduction
- 12:15–12:45 — Lecture: Conditions for Transformation & Integration
- 12:45–1:15 — Demonstration: Facilitating Transformational Shifts
- 1:15–1:45 — Dyad Practice: Full-Session Integration Practice
- 1:45–2:00 — Competency Review, Q&A & Course Closing
 

Live online, Zoom

Interactive and includes Q&A

The cost for 18 Continuing Education (CE) credits will be $40. An email from Credits.Education will be sent to all participants who complete the course.

First day of course

Participants must have paid tuition fee, signed in, attended the entire seminar, completed an evaluation, and signed out in order to receive a certificate. Failure to sign in or out will result in forfeiture of credit for the entire course. No exceptions will be made. Partial credit is not available. Certificates available after satisfactory course completion at credits.education

Credits.Education, #1032827, is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs. Credits.Education maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.  Course meets the qualifications for 18 hours of continuing education credits for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

 

All Other States: Most other states accept CAMFT approved courses for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs.  Check with your state board.