Using IFS with Men
Navigating Friction between
Masculine Norms and Parts Work
A full-day training for IFS informed providers – July 17th, 2026
If IFS keeps hitting walls with your male clients, its not that you're doing it wrong
Most IFS training assumes a base level of emotional accessibility; that clients can go inside to identify what they’re feeling, locate it in their body, and engage with parts directly. Masculine socialization works against all three of those entry points.
That doesn’t mean male clients can’t do the work. It means the default approach creates friction that looks like resistance or disengagement. Often, it is something else entirely: confusion, strain, or a client doing his best to comply with something he doesn’t fully understand.
This training is built to help in recognizing how that friction impacts the therapy relationship, understanding where it comes from, and adapting to work with it rather than against it.
- When: Friday, July 17th 2026
- 9am – 3:45pm Central Time
Where: Virtual via Zoom
Cost: $175
6 IFS CE’s (Pending Approval)
Capacity limited to 25 participants
Allen Wood, Psy.D.
- Licensed Psychologist
- Certified EMDR Therapist & Consultant
- Certified IFS-I Approved Consultant & Assistant Trainer Mentee
This training is for you if...
- You’re IFS-informed and work with male clients, or want to
- You’ve noticed male clients plateau, disengage, or have trouble translating their understanding into a different experience
- You’ve struggled to find a way around “I don’t know” or “I’m not noticing anything”
- You are feeling the impact of being understanding and empathic in the face of micro-aggressions or aggression in your office
- You’re curious about how gender socialization intersects with the defaults of trauma treatment models
You don’t need to specialize in working with men. But if you have sat with a male client in a parts session and felt like something wasn’t quite connecting, this is for you.
What we'll cover
- What the masculine norms are and how they are socialized
- What masculine socialization actually does to emotional access, body awareness, and parts identification
- Where standard IFS assumptions encounter friction and why
- Specific adaptations for the most common stuck points: parts identification, working with polarizations, direct access work, and negotiating with protectors
- Language and pacing to meet the client where they are
- How to use the friction itself as clinical material rather than an obstacle to move past
The training is experiential, not just didactic. You’ll have the chance to practice the adaptations and bring your own clinical questions.
What you'll take back to your practice
A framework for understanding how masculine socialization intersects with IFS — not as an unchangeable reality but as a cluster of burdened parts to recognize and work with.
Specific adaptations you can weave in to your existing style. Options for language, entry points, and ways of addressing the process as it is happening.
A different way of thinking about what’s happening when male clients seem stuck and how to work with your own parts that are impacted by how the client engages (or doesn’t engage) in the process.
Resources for after the training to continue following trailheads in your own system and practical ways to build confidence when making adaptations.
Registration
Space is limited. Registration closes July 10 or when capacity is reached.
After completing the interest form you’ll receive a confirmation email with payment information. Registration is complete when payment has been received.
Zoom details and pre-training materials will be sent the week of July 12.
Refund & CE policy
Refunds are available up to July 3, 2026. After that date, registrations are non-refundable.
CE certificate: This training has been submitted for IFS Institute CE credit approval. If approval is not granted prior to July 17, registered participants will be offered the option for a full refund or credit toward a future training.
More information, including the training Code of Conduct, can be accessed here.