Email: contact@souliology.com
WHAT IS ADDICTION?
A Systemic Lens into IFS Treatment of Addictive Practices
A 2-Day Online Introductory Workshop with Cece Sykes
October 28 & 29, 2026
What is addiction?
Addictive behaviors are often misunderstood.
Whether they show up through substances, food, work, technology, care-taking, relationships, compulsive thinking, over-giving, perfectionism, or other repetitive patterns, addictive behaviors are often viewed as problems to control, eliminate, or overcome.Yet from an Internal Family Systems perspective, something very different is happening.
Addictive behaviors are strategies born of necessity; they are protective parts trying to help. They work hard to cope with trauma, emotional pain, overwhelm, loneliness, shame and fear. These parts are not broken, bad, or resistant. They are intelligent protectors doing their best to regulate internal distress in the only ways they know how. What happens when we stop fighting these parts and begin listening to them instead?
In this introductory two-day online workshop, participants will explore a compassionate and transformative IFS understanding of addictive processes. Together, we will begin to understand addiction not as pathology, but as an expression of protective systems that deserve curiosity, respect, and care.
Guiding this learning journey is Cece Sykes, Senior Trainer for the Internal Family Systems Institute and primary author of the bestselling book Internal Family Systems Therapy for Addictions.
Designed as an accessible introduction, this workshop offers IFS practitioners an opportunity to build a foundational understanding of addictive systems through the lens of compassion and Self-energy.
Through teaching, experiential exercises, reflection, and large and small group discussion, participants will begin developing confidence in approaching addictive parts with greater clarity and understanding.
This workshop is ideal for clinicians and practitioners alike, who are newer to addiction work, curious about applying IFS to addictive systems, or seeking a gentler introduction before engaging in deeper immersive training.
PLEASE NOTE: For IFS trained graduates 11 IFSI CE Credits have been requested and are awaiting approval.
A little about Cece ….
Cece Sykes, LCSW, is a consultant and senior trainer with the Internal Family Systems Institute, where she specializes in trauma and addiction and educates therapists around the world on how to apply the IFS therapy model to addictive processes.
Additionally, Cece developed the Heart Lessons of the Journey retreat for an on-going international study of the personal narratives of therapists and impact on psychotherapy practice.
She lectures, consults, and leads workshops and retreats on these and related topics, and maintains a private practice in Chicago.
She has co-authored a number of articles on treating the impact of sexual trauma in families, authored the chapter “An IFS Lens on Addiction” in Innovations and Elaborations in Internal Family Systems Therapy (2017)) and co-authored Internal Family Systems Therapy for Addiction (2023).
With over four decades of experience working with trauma, abuse, and addiction, Cece brings extraordinary warmth, wisdom, and clinical insight to this important and often misunderstood work.
For more information about Cece, you can visit her website: www.cecesykeslcsw.com
What We Will Explore
Understanding Addiction Through the IFS Lens -
Participants will be introduced to a radically compassionate understanding of addictive behaviours.
Together we will explore:
-
Addiction as a protective strategy rather than pathology
-
Understanding firefighter parts and extreme protective systems
-
The role of internal polarization, shame, and self-criticism
-
How addictive behaviours help regulate emotional overwhelm and pain
-
The importance of curiosity, compassion, and Self-energy in healing
Meeting the Protective Parts
Participants will begin learning how to approach addictive systems in a way that feels safe, respectful, and effective.
The workshop will explore:
-
How to recognize and engage addictive protective parts
-
Building trust with firefighter systems rather than confronting them
-
Understanding what these parts may fear or protect against
-
Recognizing vulnerable emotions and wounds beneath addictive behaviours
-
How therapists’ own internal systems may shape clinical work
Throughout the workshop, Cece will weave together conceptual teaching, guided reflection, and experiential exercises to help participants begin integrating this understanding into their therapeutic work.
Who Is This Workshop For?
This workshop is designed for:
-
IFS Informed clinicians and practitioners
-
Therapists, coaches, and healing professionals interested in the addiction/trauma bond through an IFS lens
-
Practitioners wanting an introductory, accessible foundation to addictions work before deeper immersive learning
-
Those curious about how protective systems shape addictive behaviors in both clients and themselves
Participants Will Leave With
-
A foundational understanding of addictive processes through the Internal Family Systems model
-
Greater confidence understanding addictive behaviours as protective rather than pathological
-
Beginning skills for engaging addictive parts compassionately
-
Increased awareness of the trauma, pain, and vulnerability addictive systems may protect
-
Greater insight into the role of Self-energy in healing
-
A stronger foundation for integrating IFS-informed addiction work into practice
Workshop Format
This online workshop integrates:
-
Teaching and conceptual presentations
-
Guided experiential exercises
-
Reflection and discussion
-
Opportunities for learning in community
2-Day Online Introductory Workshop Schedule
2-Day Online Workshop Schedule – This is a broad outline of what the schedule will look like but please note it is subject to change at the workshop leaders discretion.
-
Wednesday, October 28th, 2026. 10am - 5pm, ET, USA
-
Thursday, October 29th, 2026. 10am - 5pm, ET, USA
October 28
October 29
10am – 1pm
1pm - 2pm
2pm - 5pm
10am – 1pm
1pm - 2pm
2pm - 5pm
Morning Session
Lunch
Afternoon Session
Morning Session
Lunch
Afternoon Session
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the experiential and sensitive nature of this workshop, the live sessions may be recorded for internal purposes only. Recordings will not be made available to participants at any time, including in the event of absence. Please register with the understanding that attendance at the live sessions is required, and no recordings will be provided for review. Thank you for your attention to this important detail and for your understanding!
Attendance Eligibility
Participants must be deeply IFS-informed. This workshop is designed for individuals who already possess a solid foundation in the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model. Participants should have a strong understanding of core IFS concepts, including Self, parts, protectors, exiles, and the unburdening process, and be able to engage in discussions and experiential exercises without requiring basic IFS teaching.
Please note that this workshop will NOT cover the fundamentals of the IFS model. Rather than teaching the basics, we will be building upon them and moving directly into deeper, more advanced exploration.
To gain the greatest benefit from this workshop, participants should arrive with a well-established understanding of IFS theory, language, and practice, enabling them to fully engage with the depth and pace of the material.
Whether addiction appears through substances, behaviours, relationships, perfectionism, caretaking, work, or patterns of emotional coping, this workshop offers an invitation to begin seeing addictive systems through a new lens — one rooted not in judgment, but in compassion.
Your Investment:
Applications are currently open for this 2-Day Online Introductory Workshop on Addictions with Cece Sykes, who is an expert on this topic.
Total Online Workshop Fee: - $600 (USD) per participant which is strictly non-refundable and non-transferable.
If you are interested in participating, please register your interest. You will then be directed automatically to a registration form for completion. Only applicants who complete a full registration form will be considered for this workshop. Once your registration is approved we will advise you formally by sending you an acceptance email and it is only at this point that we will request a non-refundable and non-transferable workshop fee of $600 (USD) to secure your place on this workshop
Please note: Due to the experiential and sensitive nature of this workshop, it will not be recorded for later distribution, and no recordings will be provided at any time, including in the event of absence for any reason. This online workshop is limited to 45 participants.
IMPORTANT: Please read our FAQS page on this website for further guidelines and information about our policies and the arrangements we have in place in the unlikely event the workshop leader is not in a position to attend. The FAQS page also provides further general information which you may find useful. If after reading the FAQS page you have any further queries, please feel free to email us at contact@souliology.com.
Recommended Reading:
Reading Cece's book prior to the workshop will support getting the most out of your experience. To buy a copy of her book on addictions, please click on this link: https://www.amazon.com/Internal-Family-Systems-Therapy-Addictions/dp/1683736028
.jpg)
.jpg)
Final Word.....
Healing begins when we stop asking,
"How do I get rid of this?" and start asking,
"What is this part trying so hard to do for me?"
Join Cece Sykes for this engaging and compassionate introduction to IFS and addictive systems, and discover a powerful new way of understanding the protective strategies that shape our clients lives.
Through the wisdom of Self, even the most entrenched patterns can become pathways toward healing, connection, and transformation.