IFS-INFORMED EMDR WORKSHOPS FOR THERAPISTS
You're trained in EMDR.
Your clients are still
getting stuck.
When parts show up during processing, standard protocol doesn't always give you a roadmap. The Syzygy Model™ teaches a structured, experiential approach to integrating IFS with EMDR— so your sessions can move forward safely and completely.
2 Day Experiential Workshops
CE Credits for EMDRIA, ASWB, NBCC, APA, and more!
High staff-to-participant ratio for safe, supported practice sessions
Capped at 30 participants for intentional and connected learning.
Multiple Dates available in both Eastern and Pacific timezone friendly schedules.
Virtual and In-Person Options
Which describes you?
EMDR TRAINED, IFS CURIOUS
Start here. Two days of experiential IFS learning designed specifically for EMDR therapists.
TRAINED IN BOTH MODELS
Learn how to integrate both models in real time with the Syzygy Model™, a clear, repeatable clinical framework.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YOUR SESSIONS
When EMDR gets stuck, it's often not about the memory.
The process stalls.
It starts… but doesn’t go anywhere.
Your client becomes overwhelmed—
or disappears into flatness.
A part takes over and shuts things down.
You find yourself hesitating:
Do I keep going?
Do I slow this down?
Am I missing something?
You can feel protectors are here.
But within standard EMDR, there isn’t always a clear way to work with them… without stepping outside the model.
You're following the protocol.
You're doing what you were trained to do.
But in session, something shifts:
These moments are common in complex trauma work.
They're also the moments most therapists were never fully trained to navigate.
“Healing is a natural, organic process which emerges under specific conditions. The confluence of EMDR and IFS can foster those conditions.”
The Syzygy Model™ of IFS-Informed EMDR
A structured way to work with parts—within EMDR.
Syzygy Institute teaches a clinical framework developed by Bruce Hersey and taught by a team of trainers certified in both models. This model helps you work with your clients' protective system—not against it—so EMDR processing can go where it needs to go.
✓Work with protectors before and during reprocessing
✓ Maintain EMDR structure without forcing the process
✓Navigate dissociation, blending, and resistance with clarity
✓ Support your client's system so processing can move
✓ Apply skills immediately after each workshop
This isn't a blend of ideas or "a dash of IFS." It's a structured, teachable method—the only named integration framework of its kind, taught exclusively through Syzygy Institute.
What makes Syzygy workshops different?
live clinical demonstrations
Observe the Syzygy Model™ applied in real time, with clinical decision-making made explicit. Not just what to do, but how and why!
Fully Supported Practice Groups
Every practice triad is staffed by one of our trained Program Guides to support pacing, tracking parts, and maintaining a Self-led learning container throughout practice.
Affinity Practice Groups
Optional spaces are available for therapists from the global majority, LGBTQIA+, and other communities to support safety, resonance, and depth of learning.
Clinically Integrated Learning
Concepts are taught within the structure of EMDR phases and immediately practiced, so therapists can translate the model directly into their existing work.
Comprehensive CE Credits
EMDRIA • NBCC • ASWB • APA • IFSI • NY State Boards
Syzygy’s IFS-informed EMDR Program
A clear path from foundation to integration.
Our three-step program takes you from understanding parts experientially, to integrating them into EMDR sessions systematically, to mastering complex presentations with confidence.
01 Step One · Foundation
Intro to IFS for EMDR Therapists
Learn IFS from the inside out through experiential practice. You'll understand parts language, Self-energy, and protector dynamics at a felt sense level, so you can recognize what's happening in session before you integrate it into EMDR work.
✦ IFS Institute Level 1 graduates are waived from this step.
02 Step Two · Integration
IFS-informed EMDR
Learn the Syzygy Model™—a systematic method for working with protectors before and during EMDR reprocessing. You'll gain a clear clinical framework for addressing blocked processing without abandoning the protocol.
✦ IFS Certified Therapists can receive recertification credits for this course!
03 Step Three · Advanced
discovery & beyond
Deepen your capacity to work with blended protectors, dissociation, and complex presentations. Learn Syzygy Model’s IFS-Informed EMDR Discovery Phase™ and bridge between resourcing, assessment, and desensitization with greater confidence.
✦ Must have taken Step 2 to take this course.
digital courses
On-demand trainings that deepen your understanding of the Syzygy Model™ and support real-world application. Strengthen key concepts, refine your clinical thinking, and integrate the work at your own pace.
FOR THERAPISTS THAT WANT TO GO FURTHER
Syzygy Model™ Certification
The only structured certification pathway in IFS-Informed EMDR. Establish a distinct clinical specialty—and grow a practice rooted in this work.
Upcoming Workshops
Upcoming Dates
Step 1 : Intro to IFS for EMDR Therapists
June 11 & 12, 2026 (Thurs/Fri) VIRTUAL
9:00-4:30pm EST
with Jenn Pagone
June 25 & 26, 2026 (Thurs/Fri) VIRTUAL
8:30am-4pm PST
with Beau Laviolatte
September 24 & 25, 2026 (Thurs/Fri) VIRTUAL
9:00-4:30pm EST
with Beau Laviolette
October 8 & 9, 2026 (Thurs/Fri) VIRTUAL
8:30-4:30pm PST
with Crystal Whitlow
Upcoming Dates
Step 2: IFS-informed EMDR
June 6 & 7, 2026 (Sat/Sun) IN PERSON / NEW JERSEY
9:00am-5pm EST
with Michelle Richardson
July 20 & 21, 2026 (Mon/Tues)
9:00am-4:30pm EST
with Michelle Richardson and assistant trainer, Rebecca O’Callaghan
August 13 & 14, 2026 (Thurs/Fri)
8:30am-4:00pm PST
with Beau Laviolette
September 17 & 18, 2026 (Thurs/Fri)
9:00am-4:30pm EST
with Elizabeth Venart and Nancy Simons
December 10 & 11, 2026 (Thurs/Fri)
9:00am-4:30pm EST
with Crystal Whitlow and assistant trainer, Rebecca O’Callaghan
Upcoming Dates
Step 3: Discovery & Beyond
May 7 & 8, 2026 (Thurs/Fri)
9:00am-4:30pm EST
with Elizabeth Venart
August 7 & 8, 2026 (Thurs/Fri)
9:00am-4:30pm EST
with Crystal Whitlow and Tina Taylor
November 12 & 13, 2026
9:00am-4:30pm EST
with Michelle Richardson and Elizabeth Venart
2026 WORKSHOP PRICING
Every Syzygy workshop is capped at 30 participants and fully staffed — advanced level program guides facilitate every practice triad so you get real feedback, not just observation.
Virtual · $600 In-Person · $700
CE credits included · Priced per step
“The integration of IFS into my EMDR practice has been a ‘game changer’. It has provided me with a framework to be more effective in my work and as an EMDR Consultant, it has assisted me in providing a new framework for Consultees finding themselves stuck in their work with clients. I continue to recommend my EMDR Consultees to explore the workshops offered through Syzygy.”
“This is now my second training with the Syzygy institute and they have been my favorite trainings. Michelle did a great job keeping me engaged and explaining concepts thoroughly. The structure of demos and practice sessions were phenomenal as well. The space is warm and inviting and it was so nice that there were snacks and coffee! The thoughtful attention to detail really shows and positively impacted my learning and overall experience. Itching to come back ~in person~ ~with Michelle~ for Step 3!!”