Interior Therapist Community

Calling Catholic Formators!

(That means YOU:  Catholic therapists, coaches, spiritual directors, seminarian formators, or anyone else who professionally accompanies another in a one-on-one relationship -- or studying to do so)

 

Increase your self-awareness, grow in your own human formation, and bond deeply with other like-minded Catholic formators in an Internal Family Systems-informed Foundations Experiential Group (FEG).

Are you seeking:

  • Greater insight into yourself as a formator and better self-care?
  • Better human formation on the natural level as both a person and a formator?
  • Deep, personal connections within a community of other Catholic formators who understand the unique demands of our lives?
  • New skills to help those you accompany help themselves?
  • And do you want this all in a Catholic community of formators committed to grounding clinical practice in a Catholic worldview?

 If so, read on. I have a special opportunity for you.

 

Register for an FEG or Advanced Group Now!

 

 I don’t have to tell you that distress levels are spiking in our culture.

You don’t need survey after survey to tell you that anxiety, depression, loneliness, and feelings of worthlessness, alienation, and helplessness are all on the rise.  You feel it, you sense it. 

  • You see these symptoms in those you accompany.
  • You feel their burdens of insecurity, confusion, and distress.
  • You also know that the demands on you are high and getting higher.
  • And you also have your own troubles, concerns and problems. We all do.

 

The bottom line is this:  We are not supposed to “go it alone.”

 

We Catholic formators (spiritual directors, coaches, therapists, seminary formators and others) need help to live out our profession for those we accompany in a healthy way.

 

  • We need grace and the love of God our Father and Mary our Mother, first and foremost in prayer and sacrament. That’s a given.
  • We also need each other, in the Body of Christ -- we need to “Bear each other’s burdens” as St. Paul tells us (Galatians 6:2).
  • We formators sometimes try to minimize these realities, and that’s understandable because we naturally focus on others.  But if we neglect caring for ourselves and loving ourselves in an ordered way, sooner or later, we get into trouble.  You know this.

So, what can we do to help ourselves, to care for ourselves, to love ourselves in an ordered, Catholic way?

  

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Here is an answer for you. The Formation for Formators community within Souls and Hearts. Souls and Hearts is now opening up new Foundations Experiential Groups for Catholic therapists, spiritual directors, Catholic coaches, other formators, and graduate students or those in training to be formators, with groups beginning in February 2025. No previous IFS training is necessary to participate in FEGs.

These groups:

  • Are limited to nine Catholic formators with experienced IFS-trained psychologists as leaders
  • Meet via Zoom for 90 minutes for each of 10 sessions, over the course of five months
  • Practice IFS techniques, working on our own real issues within our own internal systems, in the holding environment of the group and in independent practice in triads (You can see how practice triads work by watching Episode 151 of the Interior Integration for Catholics podcast, where Dr. Peter is in the accompanier role, working with two individuals who are in the accompanied and the observer roles.)
  • Engage in interpersonal processing among the members, based on an IFS understanding of parts and self, harmonized with our Catholic faith
  • Provide discussion space for the two recorded lectures that cover a chapter of Internal Family Systems Therapy (2nd ed.) by Schwartz and Sweezy.
    • In one lecture, the main points of the chapter are summarized
    • In the second, Dr. Peter provides his “Catholic take” on the chapter, discussing where the IFS model departs from a Catholic anthropology and how to make appropriate adjustments to harmonize it with a Catholic worldview.
  • Include a sequence of 10 sessions (15 hours total) at only $700 per person, which works out to only $70 per session (in addition to the $40 per month basic subscription fee to join the Formation for Formators community).
  • Are a gateway to advanced groups that focus on specialized topics for more experienced members.
  • Allow you to join inner circle groups with other FEG members for additional practice working with your internal system and others’ systems. These are free!

You might be familiar with Internal Family Systems as a trauma treatment from Bessel van der Kolk’s best-selling book on complex trauma, The Body Keeps the Score, where he devotes all of chapter 17 to IFS. That chapter is available free online here, and it is well worth reading (the books is quite good and a best-seller in the trauma world).

For those unfamiliar with IFS, please note that IFS focuses primarily on intrapsychic dynamics in one person in individual psychotherapy, counseling, spiritual direction or coaching.

For a quick summary of IFS, check out this video or a description here.

So, in a nutshell, we are nourishing our minds conceptually, learning new approaches to formation that we can bring to our clients to help them lead their own lives more effectively through our own experiential learning and growth. All grounded in a Catholic worldview.

The Formation for Formators community is open to Catholic therapists, counselors, interns, and graduate students in mental health-related programs as well as to spiritual directors, Catholic coaches, seminarian formators, and anyone else who professionally accompanies another in a one-on-one relationship.

All members must adhere to all the teachings of the Church, as stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 

The FFF was established originally as the Interior Therapists Community in 2020 and recently expanded to include all formators by Dr. Peter Malinoski, Ph.D.  Dr. Peter has completed IFS Levels 1, 2, and 3 training, as well as the IFIO marriage/couples therapy training.  Dr. Peter often leads FEGs and advanced groups and has vetted and trained all the other FEG faciliators listed below. He actively participates in the online community.

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Peter Martin, Psy.D. is IFS-trained with extensive consultation experience and much experience leading groups. Dr. Martin often leads FEGs as well as advanced groups. Dr. Martin is also available for individual IFS-related consultations.

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Bridget Adams, DipEd, an IFS-trained coach with a background in teaching and facilitating, co-leads Souls and Hearts’ PartsFinder Pro writing team, serves as the Member Care Coordinator for the Resilient Catholics Community, and facilitates FEGs within Formation for Formators.  She welcomes private IFS coaching connections for members seeking clarity or needing greater confidence with their parts work.

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Sr. Mary Peter, SOLT, is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Michigan and completed IFS Level 1 training. She is an active participant in the online community and a member of the first cohort of the Resilient Catholics Community. Sr. Mary Peter is also a trained spiritual director and has served in various formation roles in her community. Sister facilitates FEGs within Formation for Formators.

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David Edwards, LPC, has completed IFS Level 1 training and has been a member of the FFF (formerly the Interior Therapists Community) since 2021. He leads the Love One Another advanced group. He is in private practice in Arizona, and works especially with Catholic men. He primarily uses IFS and attachment theory in his practice as a therapist.

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Tom Konechnik, LMHCA is a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Indiana and works in a private Catholic practice.  He has completed IFS Level 1 as well as other IFS trainings and utilizes IFS as his primary mode of therapy within his practice.  Tom is also a certified and practicing spiritual director.  He has been active in the Souls and Hearts community since 2021..

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Join a community that not only offers FEGs and Advanced Courses but also:

Kingdom Within: Where Dr. Gerry Crete regularly discusses the content of his monthly column

Philosophers' Cafe: Where we regularly discuss philosophy, metaphysics and Catholic anthropology

Theologians' Pub: Where we meet to focus on the spiritual and theological issues related to Catholic human formation including God images and overcoming natural impediments to relating more deeply with God

Regular Demonstrations

Specialized Office Hours: Consultations for therapists, spiritual directors, and coaches

Online Discussion Boards

Cross-Discipline Opportunities: reach out to other formating professionals for advice and support

 

Register for an FEG or an Advanced Group Now

 

Check out IFS in Action in this 60-minute Demonstration 

 

Watch Dr. Peter as he works with a Christian therapist to unveil how this therapist's parts see God.

 

What are Catholic formators
saying about the FFF?

As a new therapist, I joined this community to surround myself with other Catholic therapists and learn from the IFS teachings in a biblically-sound way. Peter is an amazing teacher and therapist, and we are given so many great resources and support for our work with clients. One part that I love about the community is that engaging in your own personal growth is highly encouraged and valued. I am feeling so much more equipped and confident in supporting my clients thanks to this community! 

Larissa, West Vancouver, BC 

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This community allows me the place and space to journey with Catholic therapists. God works in and through the relationships.

Adele Huculak, RCC, Kamloops, British Columbia

Being part of this community has been a blessing not only in helping me grow with my skills as a counselor but also connecting with other Catholic therapists!

Marion Bean Moreland, MS, LPC, Fairmont, WV

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