FAQs:

I’ve never done any therapy or counselling before – can I still sign up for this group?

Yes you can - having some previous experience in therapy may be helpful, but the most important thing will be to come with an open mind and curiosity.

I’ve never done group therapy before, is that okay?

Absolutely! We will go over everything you need to know during the first session to help everyone feel at ease.

Is this group more like a workshop? Or is it therapy where I process my past trauma and share my story with the group?

Excellent question! On one hand, the group is not like a formal class where you just learn about the model academically, and on the other hand it is not a pure "process group" where we share openly and at length about our past traumas and on-going challenges. It is somewhere in the middle, and could be thought of as a sort of workshop/therapy group-hybrid. 

I don’t know anything about Internal Family Systems, can I still sign up?

Yes for sure! We will send out a few brief resources in preparation for the group, and we will also spend time each week doing some teaching and experiential activities about the model so everyone has some knowledge to support personal learning.

This sounds interesting, but I’m not able to attend all 6 dates – can I still sign up?

It is ideal if participants can attend all 6 sessions. Please reach out to us in advance if you know you must miss a session and we will see if we can still make it work.

It’s a pretty small town, and I’m nervous about people knowing about my personal life? Am I going to be expected to share all kinds of personal details?

During the first session, we will go over “group norms/expectations” and one of these is that we ask members to commit to keeping all information shared within the group, confidential. Also, as this group is only 6 sessions long, we will help group members set their own boundaries and limits for what type of sharing will feel helpful, and also safe. While the IFS model can be used to heal deep wounds of the past, the intention of this 6-week group is not to process trauma. If you are interested in a trauma-specific IFS group, please let us know as we are presently developing other groups.

How many people will be in the group?

We will limit the group to 10 participants, not including therapists.

What kinds of topics do people bring up in group?

As this group is a general introduction to the IFS model, people may bring up all sorts of topics to use as we practice getting to know our internal systems. These can be things such as social anxiety, procrastination, depression, feeling stuck, indecision, life transitions or changes, relationship issues, etc. Our pasts naturally come up as they have influenced where we are at today. However, if you’d like to focus some time on significant events from your past that you feel have stayed with you or really shaped the way you react, we can definitely help you find the right avenues to process those things more in depth. 

I have extended health benefits – can I submit receipts for the registration fee for reimbursement?

We encourage you to check with your insurance company in advance. Kaelin’s credentials of Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) are accepted by many insurance companies and we can issue you a receipt through Kaelin’s private practice, that you would then submit for reimbursement.

What is your cancellation policy?

We will accept cancellations up to 2 weeks before the event, at no cost to you. Unfortunately, we will be unable to issue a refund if you cancel less than 2 weeks before the first day of the group.

What happens after the 6 sessions? Can I continue doing IFS therapy either individually or with another group?

We plan to offer other groups in the future, and we will let you know about these if you’re interested. We will also share resources as to where you can find IFS trained therapists, online trainings and other IFS- related opportunities.