Everything IFS Blog

Internal Family Systems

Learning to Be Silent Zen Story

Learning to Be Silent is a Zen story that points to stillness beyond effort, speech, or mental commentary. Through an Internal Family Systems lens, this story reveals how silence allows parts to soften, step back, and be witnessed by Self without interruption, explanation, or control.

Zen Stories

2 min read

Two adults sit facing each other in elegant upholstered chairs on a sunlit terrace, engaged in a calm, attentive conversation. A small table with soft pink flowers rests between them, with tall greenery, pale stone columns, distant mountains, and water in the background. The image conveys thoughtful communication, deep listening, collaboration, and respectful dialogue for a Motivational Interviewing course.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) Course

A free IFS Academy course on Motivational Interviewing (MI) for beginners, taught in plain language as the real method of Miller and Rollnick. Covers what MI is, the spirit of MI (PACE), the core skills (OARS), the four processes, change talk and sustain talk, evoking, and planning, across twelve short lessons. Ends with Internal Family Systems (IFS) and parts work practice.

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A bright, realistic counseling conversation in a peaceful sunlit office, where a man speaks openly with gentle hand gestures while a woman listens with relaxed, attentive warmth. The image reflects Motivational Interviewing as a way of being: a respectful, compassionate relationship grounded in partnership, acceptance, curiosity, and trust in the person’s own capacity for change.

Module 12 — MI as a Way of Being | Motivational Interviewing Course

A free IFS Academy course on the closing idea of Motivational Interviewing: MI as a way of being rather than a toolkit. Covers how every MI skill expresses one underlying stance, why the spirit is what people actually feel, how to recognize good MI from the receiving end, turning MI inward toward your own ambivalence, and using MI in everyday conversations with family, friends, and colleagues. Ends with Internal Family Systems (IFS) and parts work practice.

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A bright, realistic counseling conversation in a warm sunlit office, where a practitioner extends an open hand while speaking with a client seated across from her, an open notebook resting between them on the table. The image reflects Motivational Interviewing’s elicit-provide-elicit approach by showing information and advice being offered collaboratively, with respect for the person’s perspective, choice, and response.

Module 10 — Sharing Information and Advice the MI Way | Motivational Interviewing Course

A free IFS Academy course on sharing information and advice the MI way, using Elicit-Provide-Elicit. Answers whether you can give advice in Motivational Interviewing, and covers asking permission first, the elicit-provide-elicit method, offering options instead of directives, and the chunk-check-chunk rhythm for longer information. Ends with Internal Family Systems (IFS) and parts work practice.

Everything IFS