At the annual 2016 IFS Conference, held again in Providence, Rhode Island, the Foundation enjoyed a large presence and deep engagement with the community of participants.

Plenary. Members of the Board addressed the plenary session on Friday morning (click here for slides) .

The shared message emphasized the critical need to build additional empirical evidence for the IFS model through rigorous, independent research, with the goal of expanding the list of outcomes recognized by the National Repository of Evidence-based Practices & Programs (NREPP) at the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA). This requires making the formal case within a couple of years to be based on additional publications about IFS studies in peer-reviewed journals.

The presentation also included preliminary results from the Foundation-funded pilot study on complex trauma, led by the Trauma Center at JRI, which is slated to be completed in 2017. A 2017 financial report was also presented and attendees invited to consider supporting the Foundation in one or more of many possible ways to give.

The presentation concluded with a warm acknowledgment of Pam Krause, MA, LCSW and Jenn Matheson, PhD, LMFT both of whom had volunteered abundant time and efforts in support of the Foundation’s activities in the area of IFS fidelity studies, conference support, and research.

For slides of the Foundation’s presentation at the plenary, please click here.

Silent Auction. A large silent auction effort was launched at the Conference, with generous contributions of 60 items from many individuals and entities, including the Center for Self Leadership, from paintings to jewelry to clinical and coaching sessions to a multi-day Safari. The Auction raise $14,380.50 in support of the Foundation’s strategic priorities. Many volunteers made this event possible. Among them: Lisa Alber, Dorie Cameron, Kara Denahan, Rina Dubin, Betty Galen, Gail Hardenbergh, Barbara Levine, Wendy Lobel, Linda McCaffrey, and Cathy Roche. The Foundation is grateful for their involvement and for the support of the volunteer/staff associates who planned or supported the event: Michele Bruce, Michelle Glass, Mary Mitrovich and Jill Stanzler-Katz.

Reception. At the Foundation Friday evening reception, attended by a large crowd, members of the Board discussed progress regarding the “Campaign for Peace through Self-Awareness” and the persistent effort by the Foundation and its Swiss partner, Education 4 Peace, to develop animated public service announcements featuring athletes sharing with their fans emotional lessons learned on the field and in life. This campaign involves a significant collaboration with a global production, which will be revealed in due time…

We hope you can muster enough patience!