Staffing and Compensation Policy

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When we originally planned the IFS Level 1 (Basic) Training, we tried to balance several factors in deciding how many hours the training should be. We aimed for the least number of hours in which we were confident we could convey IFS philosophy and technique adequately so that the training could be affordable for most therapists. We settled on the current one year, 18 day format after considerable debate and experimentation. This format is shorter and less expensive than most other psychotherapy trainings, some of which involve two to four times as many hours. We knew that the Level 1 (Basic) Training would only get therapists started and that to really learn the model well took several years of study. We decided, however, that rather than require a great deal more study, we would offer a variety of post-basic options to therapists so they could chose whether or not they wanted to continue. These options have included Level 2 (Advanced) Training programs and courses, and retreats, as well as the annual conference.

The other option that many therapists have chosen to deepen their learning has been to assist in subsequent Level 1 (Basic) Trainings. Reports from most who have assisted is that they learn as much or more by sitting through the program the second and third times as they did the first. In this sense, then, for many therapists, assisting has served the function of adding years to their study of IFS without breaking their pocketbooks. For us, the trade-off of having second-year people to help supervise small groups and to hold Self energy has been worth waiving their tuition. This is the reason that first-time program assistants (PAs) are not compensated and second-year PAs are only given some money for their expenses.

Most PAs apply for the reasons stated above, but some therapists are interested in becoming IFS trainers. At this point, assisting in the trainings is the primary path to becoming a trainer, although we plan to begin a trainers’ training program soon to augment this apprenticeship model. We believe that the future of IFS depends on the quality of our lead trainers, so we want them to be well trained and Self-led. The lead trainer position is very demanding and requires a wide range of skills and qualities. Lead trainers need to be: strong teachers, experienced and highly competent clinicians, good group leaders, and must be able to do clear demonstrations, lead experiential exercises, hold Self-leadership in the face of various challenges, create a safe training environment, be highly sensitive to group process, and able to mentor and work collaboratively with the training staff. In addition to all that, they must be experts at IFS theory and practice. It is rare for one person to come to us possessing all those abilities and our experience is that therapists need to assist in a minimum of 4 basics and then co-lead at least once before they are qualified or confident to lead alone. Because the lead trainer position is so important to the future of IFS and requires so many abilities, we are very selective. We are moving toward a certification process for IFS lead trainers.

Those therapists who express an interest in and are deemed to have the potential to become a lead trainer are invited to enter that track after the first two times they assist. Acceptance to this track does not guarantee that the therapist will become a lead trainer; it only means that he or she has the potential to become one. Those not interested in becoming lead trainers or those not accepted onto the track can continue to assist after the first two times, but their compensation will not increase.

To help lead trainer candidates during this extended apprenticeship we have established a graduated compensation scale. This compensation is modest and does not reflect of the actual value of the hours of service the apprentice devotes to the trainings. Many assistants are highly paid therapists who would make much more money staying in their offices or doing their own workshops. Instead the compensation scale reflects the fact that it is an apprenticeship and that therapists are in a learning process even while they are doing some teaching and supervising. In addition, the compensation schedule reflects what we have calculated we can afford and still keep the trainings reasonably priced for students.