- Implement protocols to assess the functioning of caregivers of children with attachment trauma
- Implement strategies to help clients recover from trauma
- Implement strategies to help caregivers understand their traumatized children and themselves
- Implement the IFS Model as part of a family therapy session
The Internal Family Systems (IFS) Model of Psychotherapy for Young Clients and their Caregivers
Dr. Lois A.Ehrmann, Psychologist
Learn IFS protocols for children with attachment trauma—including sand tray, play therapy, and caregiver assessment tools you can use immediately
Overview
When a child's source of comfort is also their source of terror, traditional therapeutic frameworks often fall short. Attachment trauma creates paradoxical internal systems in children—protective parts that simultaneously defend against and perpetuate suffering. The Internal Family Systems model offers a non-pathologizing lens for understanding these dynamics, but applying it to young clients requires significant adaptation.
This six-hour training will teach you to assess and treat attachment trauma in children and their families using IFS-informed protocols. You will learn to evaluate caregiver stability before deepening attachment work—a critical clinical decision point that determines treatment trajectory and appropriate level of care.
The training centers on four transferable skill sets. First, the implementation of comprehensive caregiver assessment protocols that reveal internal working models and systemic readiness for trauma processing. Second, the integration of child-friendly modalities—sand tray, play therapy, art strategies—with parts-based conceptualization and intervention. Third, the application of the Integrated Attachment and Trauma Timeline protocol to build coherent narratives linking traumatic events to specific ego states. Fourth, the mapping of Z-process dynamics between children and caregivers to identify how parts activate across generations during family sessions.
You will receive protocol handouts, worksheets, and workbooks designed for clinical use with children and caregivers. Case material demonstrates how multiplicity naturally emerges in children's sand tray worlds and play therapy expressions. The training addresses all four trauma responses—fight, flight, freeze, and fawn—and their developmental manifestations from childhood through adulthood.
By the end of this course, you will have a structured framework for determining when families can engage in intensive attachment work and when higher levels of care are indicated. You will understand how to help caregivers recognize their own activated parts without becoming destabilized. You will possess concrete tools for externalizing children's protective systems through creative modalities while maintaining theoretical rigor.
This training bridges the gap between sophisticated systems thinking and developmentally appropriate intervention. The skills you acquire will strengthen your capacity to work with some of the most complex cases in child and family practice—where relational safety and relational harm are deeply intertwined.
- 5h of continuing education
- 22 lessons that last from 5 to 15 minutes each
- 1 certificate of achievement
- 1 PowerPoint
- 1 bibliography
- 1 course evaluation
- 7-day money back guarantee
- Unlimited access
- 97% of participants who completed the satisfaction survey declare they would recommend this course to a colleague
Accreditation
Canadian Psychological Association
Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association
About the expert
Dr. Lois A. Ehrmann is a psychologist specializing in attachment trauma treatment for children and families. She earned her PhD from Pennsylvania State University, where her research focused on the treatment needs of maltreated children and their families.
In 2008, Dr. Ehrmann developed an innovative outpatient trauma center, and in 2009 launched the Individual and Family CHOICES Program, which she directed for over a decade. The program integrated cutting-edge empirically supported therapeutic modalities including EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), neurofeedback, somatic therapies, art therapy, play therapy, sand tray therapy, and attachment-focused family therapy. Under her clinical leadership, the CHOICES Program served clients of all ages while training mental health professionals in trauma-informed treatment approaches.
Dr. Ehrmann has specialized expertise in adapting the Internal Family Systems model for work with young clients, integrating parts-based interventions with developmentally appropriate modalities like sand tray and play therapy. She developed comprehensive assessment protocols for evaluating caregiver readiness in attachment-focused work, including the Caregiver Protocol, Internal Working Model assessment, and Integrated Attachment and Trauma Timeline (IATTS) protocol.
Since 2021, Dr. Ehrmann has focused exclusively on clinical consultation and professional training in trauma reduction and resolution. She provides specialized training to mental health professionals on working with attachment trauma in children and families, teaching practitioners how to determine appropriate levels of care and implement IFS-informed interventions across developmental stages.
Her clinical protocols and assessment tools are designed for immediate practical application, helping therapists navigate the complex dynamics that emerge when a child's source of comfort is also their source of terror.
Learning objectives
Learning material
A theoretical course illustrated with clinical examples. This course is composed of videos of 5 to 15 minutes each. The PowerPoint of the course to download.
Syllabus
- PowerPoint
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Introduction to Internal Family Systems (IFS)
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Training objectives and general outline
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Understanding Attachment Trauma and IFS Fundamentals
- 3. Attachment trauma and parts
- 4. IFS protective system and Self
- 5. Parts work with children and examples
- 6. The four trauma responses
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Applications and Techniques
- 7. Assessing caregivers
- 8. Internal working model
- 9. Examples of an internal working models
- Exploration of an internal working model
- 10. Exploration of an IWM video example
- 11. Exploration of an IWM video example PART2
- 12. Summary of an IWM video example
- 13. IATTS Procedure
- 14. Examples of timeline work part 1
- 15. Examples of timeline work part 2
- 16. Examples of timeline work part 3
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Integrating IFS in Practical Scenarios
- 17. Bibliotherapy
- 18. The case of 11 year-old J
- 19. Parent's book and Z-Process
- 20. Z-Process example
- 21. Conclusion
- Bibliography
CE Credits
Download a certificate of successful completion.
Audience
This training is intended for mental health professionals.
Registration
Ask a question
Do you have a question? Then email us at contact@asadis.net
Frequently asked questions
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Is there an evaluation at the end of the course?
To validate the achievement of the learning objectives, a final evaluation in the form of true/false questions is required. It must be completed in order to obtain the certificate of completion.
In addition, an optional self-assessment is offered at the beginning and end of the course, allowing you to measure your progress on the targeted skills.
These evaluations are not graded and are intended primarily to support your professional reflection.
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I have a disability. Can I receive specific support?
Yes! This training is offered as a pre-recorded video format, without subtitles. If you have a disability, we can provide an adapted alternative (technical assistance for viewing or individual supervision). For any request, please contact our disability coordinator at the following address: contact@asadis.net
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How long do I have access to the course?
After your registration, the course is accessible anytime and from anywhere with unlimited access.
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When does the course start?
That is entirely up to you! When you buy a course, you'll receive an access link that you can activate when you want.
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Is there a student rate?
Yes there is! To learn more, email us at contact@asadis.net.
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The courses offered by ASADIS are accredited by different professional organisations. In addition, ASADIS is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. ASADIS maintains responsibility for the program.
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