Interactive IFS Groups

The Interactive Group Institute

In an Interactive IFS Group,
you are authentic, vulnerable, and assertive,
and the group is accepting and caring.
The group forms an intimate, loving bond.
You have the experience of being part of a healthy family,
which is profoundly healing.

ABOUT THE GROUPS

AN INTERACTIVE IFS GROUP CAN …

Give you the experience of being truly known for who you are. You reveal to the other group members your special qualities, and also the shadow sides of yourself that you keep hidden because of shame. The other group members understand you deeply and care for you.
Give you practice at being present in the moment, with yourself and others, thus entering a state of flow and aliveness.
Help you learn to communicate clearly and assertively without dumping your stuff on others.
Develop your ability to empathize with other people and care for them.

WHAT HAPPENS

You work directly on how you are relating to the other group members in the moment. Instead of just talking about how you relate in your life, you practice interacting with others right in the group.
You get in touch with your parts that get activated in the group and learn how to separate from them and relate to them in a healing way.
You get direct and honest feedback on how people are reacting to you. This helps you to understand your interpersonal patterns that aren’t working and then practice healthy capacities in the group.
There is a strong sense of support for each person and a warm feeling of community in the group.

BENEFITS

You can learn these relationship skills:

Being in touch with your feelings and parts and speaking for them
Reaching out to others confidently and trusting people
Allowing yourself to be open and vulnerable and to take in support and caring from others.
Having the courage to bring up a difficult issue with someone and working through the conflict so you become closer to that person.
Dealing with anger and conflict constructively

WHAT DOESN'T HAPPEN

These groups are not therapy groups. They are for personal growth.
These groups are not primarily for bringing in issues in your life to work on.
The leader does not do full individual IFS sessions in the group.
If you want to learn more about the IFS individual therapy process, it would be better to take one of our IFS Classes.

For More Information, read:
The Interactive Group Experience
A detailed article on what it is like to be in an interactive group.

Jay Earley also offers training in leading Interactive IFS Groups. Click here for more information.

Ongoing IFS Interactive Groups

with Jay Earley, PhD and other leaders from the Interactive Group Institute

Here is our current schedule of Interactive IFS groups:

1st and 3rd Wednesdays
10am - 12 noon Pacific Time (1 - 3 pm Eastern Time, 6 - 8 pm UK)
Led by Jay Earley

2nd and 4th Wednesdays
10 am - 12 noon Pacific Time (1-3 pm Eastern Time, 6 - 8 pm UK)
Led by Jay Earley

2nd and 4th Mondays
12:30-2:30 pacific time (3:30-5:30 eastern, 8:30-10:30 UK)
Led by Jay Earley

1st and 3rd Mondays
10am - 12 noon pacific time (1-3 pm Eastern, 6-8 pm UK)
Led by Jay Earley

2nd & 4th Thursdays
11am-1pm Pacific Time, (2-4 pm Eastern, 7-9 pm UK)
Led by Jay Earley & Steph Stern

2nd & 4th Fridays
10am-12pm Pacific Time (1-3 pm Eastern, 6-8 pm UK)
Led by Jay Earley & Brandon Rennels
Time Zone Converter

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If you are interested in joining an IFS Interactive group, please start by filling out this QUESTIONNAIRE

Prerequisites

You must have some knowledge of IFS, not just intellectual knowledge but also some ability to work with your parts. If you don't have this, we recommend that you take our Basic IFS Course, taught by Bonnie Weiss.
If you have had serious trauma, it must be mostly resolved.

You fill out the questionnaire and have a pre-group interview, so we can determine if an Interactive IFS Group is a good fit for you.

Group Logistics

Each group is limited to 8 members.
Groups meet online twice a month, on Zoom, for 2 hours
Fee is $180/month. You can join when there is an opening or when a new group starts.
These are long-term ongoing groups, which means that you stay with the group for at least a year. Though you aren’t required to make a year’s commitment at first, if the group works for you, we expect you to stay for at least a year.
You can try out a group out for a month before committing to it.
You meet with the leader for a 30 minute consult about the group once every 3 months, for no additional fee.
Recordings of each session will be available on a page for your group.

What People Are Saying About the Interactive IFS Groups:

Dr. F. Towne Allen

Psychotherapist

As a veteran of 30 years of therapies and groups, I have experienced both the mediocre and the masterful in the psychotherapy profession. Never before in such a short time have I received so much growth, power, nurturing, conflict and resolution as I have in Jay’s interactive group. My expectations, already high, have been far exceeded. Jay is consistently present, vulnerable, ego-less, accepting, challenging, available, and impersonally caring. What I had hoped to learn for my clients has been given to me in greater measure personally. Jay’s model is learnable and adaptable. It has affected my psychotherapy work and life.

Jim Spohn

I think it’s a testament to the efficacy of Jay Earley and his relationship group that, unlike some therapy and group experiences I’ve had over the years, I am clearly aware of a number of specific and valuable interpersonal skills I have developed there. I am able to address people in conflict situations in ways that help them hear me without defensive distortions and escalated bad feelings. In turn, I am more able to listen without defensive reactivity. I’ve become aware of lifelong patterns of thinking and behaving that have been problematic for me, and I’ve come to understand their connections to parts of my personality that have been in pain since they were formed in my childhood. Most importantly, I’m learning how to care for and heal those parts. By being able to take in and validate the good feelings people have for me, I have come to appreciate myself more and accept my good qualities. I’ve become a much better friend to myself. I’ve learned the great pleasure of being an authentic person.

Marla Silverman

Ph.D., Director of Training, New York Gestalt Center for Psychotherapy and Training

Jay Earley is a thinker, doer, and trainer in the practice of Gestalt group work. His training groups and workshops have been taken by therapists and trainers from all the major Gestalt training centers in the New York area. California’s gain is New York’s loss! Whether you want to learn how to do group therapy or be a participant, Jay’s gentle style and unique approach will make the difference.