One day workshop
IFS and Addictive Patterns Workshop
A trauma informed pathway for understanding addictive patterns through parts, protection, and compassionate clinical practice.
This one day live online workshop introduces an Internal Family Systems informed approach to understanding addictive patterns.
Rather than viewing addiction only as a behaviour to manage or a problem to remove, this workshop explores addictive patterns as part of a wider internal system. Through this lens, behaviours that may appear destructive, resistant, or compulsive are understood as protective strategies that have often developed around pain, shame, overwhelm, trauma, or unmet needs.
You will learn how to approach addictive systems with more compassion, clarity, and clinical steadiness, while supporting clients to reduce shame and build a different relationship with the parts of themselves involved in the cycle.
A different way to understand addiction.
Addictive patterns are often held in a cycle of shame, control, secrecy, relapse, and self criticism. For many clients, the behaviour is not the whole story. Beneath the behaviour there may be protective parts trying to manage distress, numb pain, prevent collapse, create relief, or keep vulnerable material out of awareness.
An IFS informed approach helps practitioners listen beneath the surface.
This workshop supports clinicians and helping professionals to understand addiction as an internal system of protection, rather than simply a symptom to control. You will explore how parts organise around addictive cycles, how shame can keep the system stuck, and how compassionate therapeutic presence can open a safer path towards change.
Who this workshop is for
This workshop is designed for professionals who want a compassionate and trauma informed way to understand addictive patterns in client work.
Therapists.
Counsellors.
Psychologists.
Mental health clinicians.
Social workers.
Addiction practitioners.
Psychotherapists.
Somatic practitioners.
Trauma informed yoga teachers.
Health professionals.
Coaches working within an appropriate scope of practice.
Practitioners working with shame, trauma, compulsive patterns, and emotional regulation.
This workshop is intended as professional development and does not replace formal addiction training, clinical supervision, or working within your professional scope of practice.
What you will gain
A compassionate shift in perspective
Understand addictive patterns as part of a dynamic internal system, rather than simply a behaviour to stop or a problem to fix.
IFS informed clinical tools
Learn practical ways to bring IFS informed language, mapping, and compassionate inquiry into your client work.
Understanding protective parts
Explore how protective parts may use addictive behaviours to manage pain, shame, fear, loneliness, emotional intensity, or nervous system overwhelm.
Mapping the addictive system
Develop more clarity in recognising the different parts involved in addictive cycles, including parts that seek relief, parts that criticise, parts that hide, and parts that carry pain.
Reducing shame and isolation
Learn how to support clients with language and presence that can reduce shame and increase internal compassion.
Supporting agency and connection
Explore how clients can begin to relate differently to their inner system, increasing choice, steadiness, and self understanding.
Why attend this workshop
When addiction is approached only through behaviour management, important parts of the client's inner world may remain unseen. Clients may learn strategies, but still feel trapped in cycles of shame, craving, avoidance, relapse, and self blame.
This workshop offers a deeper and more relational way of understanding what may be happening beneath the surface.
Shift from symptom management towards internal system understanding.
Recognise addictive patterns as protective strategies.
Learn practical IFS informed tools you can integrate into client work.
Understand how shame interacts with addiction cycles.
Strengthen your capacity to stay steady with complex presentations.
Explore how nervous system activation can shape compulsive responses.
Support clients to meet their inner world with more compassion.
Learn within an interactive professional environment that supports reflection and connection.
9:30am – 4:30pm · Live online
Places are limited. Reserve yours today.
What is included and why it matters
Experienced facilitator
Learn with Angela M Carter, an experienced IFS informed trauma therapist, advanced IFIO couples therapist, supervisor, and trainer. Angela brings decades of clinical experience, relational steadiness, and compassionate teaching to her professional trainings.
Live demonstration and experiential practice
Observe how IFS informed principles can be applied in real time and engage in structured experiential practice to build confidence, skill, and clarity in your own clinical application.
The workshop includes teaching, demonstration, reflection, discussion, and guided practice. The learning environment is professional, respectful, and intentionally paced.
How the workshop works
Reserve your place
Register your interest or reserve your place when dates are confirmed. Group size is limited to support depth, interaction, and relational safety.
Learn and practise live
You will explore IFS informed approaches to addiction through teaching, demonstration, guided reflection, and experiential practice.
Apply with care
You will leave with a clearer framework and practical tools that can be integrated into your existing professional practice within your scope.
Training with Angela M Carter
Angela M Carter is a Level 3 trained Internal Family Systems therapist, advanced IFIO couples therapist, trauma therapist, HeartMath practitioner, supervisor, trainer, and founder of Trauma Release Centre.
With more than thirty years of experience across therapy, social work, trauma recovery, relational healing, and professional training, Angela brings a grounded and compassionate approach to teaching.
Her training style is clear, relational, practical, and deeply respectful of the learning process. In this workshop, Angela supports practitioners to understand addictive patterns through the lens of protection, shame, trauma, nervous system survival, and compassionate parts work.
Training informed by clinical depth and ongoing professional development
Angela's teaching is informed by advanced professional training, clinical experience, and a commitment to safe, compassionate, trauma informed practice.
What participants have shared
"This workshop gave me clarity. Addiction is no longer the enemy, it is a system to be understood. Angela's safe and relational presence allowed me to see parts I had never named for myself or my clients."
Juliette, Psychologist
"In just one day, I left with tools I could integrate immediately. This is not just another training, it is a powerful shift in how I see and serve clients in crisis."
Melanie, Mental Health Clinician
Secure your place
Purchase IFS and Addictive Patterns
Secure your place in this one-day workshop. Your registration is confirmed once your payment is complete.
Payments are processed securely through Stripe.
Register your interest
Once new dates are confirmed, you will be contacted with the workshop details and registration link.