Connecting Drama Therapy and Internal Family Systems

Date: Saturday January 24, 2026
Time: 10:00am–1:00pm Pacific Time
Location: NWCEAI Studio: 1631 15th Ave. W. Ste 305 | limited to 15 participants
Available CEs: 3
Facilitator: Bobbi Kidder, M.A., RDT & Vida Vasaitis, M.A., LMFT
Cost: $119.00

Registration Deadline: Wednesday January 21, 2026

“Do I contradict myself?” Walt Whitman asked in Song of Myself and answered, “Very well. I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes.” This poetic rejection of “mono-mind” is at the heart of this workshop. Drama Therapy fundamentals and the foundations of Internal Family Systems (IFS) agree that there is not “just one of you.” In drama therapy, roles and sub-roles are presented clearly.  The process of “doubling”, for example, allows an inner identity to surface and embody an exiled perspective. Dr. Richard Schwartz, creator of IFS, called the many selves “parts”.  IFS and champions of the viewpoint adhere to the belief that there are no “bad parts”, and listening deeply can reveal a hidden “core self.” IFS’s emphasis on discovering through calm, confidence, curiosity, compassion, clarity, creativity, and courage is complemented by Drama Therapy’s focus on spontaneity, attunement, embodiment witness, connectedness, and externalizing the internal. Both address “sub-minds” and find pathways to integration, releasing fear, shame, and sense of loss when inner voices rival our expectations of what we “should be”.

In this training, Drama Therapy experientials support IFS’s basic strategy for healing trauma. The challenge to see ourselves with compassion and find the ability to heal our antipathy, confusion, and judgment have never been more apparent in our world. In combining active strategies of Drama Therapy with the Internal Family Systems theory, we create a valuable approach to easing our turmoil.

Learning objectives

1. Participants will discover that the “parts” in IFS terminology can reflect what is within each individual, incorporating role taxonomies and personality assessment.
2. Participants will learn that the exiled parts need space to provide access to the core self that they have been protecting.
3. Participants will learn about this multi-theory potential for restoring wholeness.

Required Materials

• All materials will be provided at the studio

Northwest Creative & Expressive Arts Institute Cancellation & Refund Policy

Earning Continuing Education Credits

To receive a CE Certificate for completion of this workshop, you must officially register, attend the workshop in its entirety and complete an evaluation form after the workshop. The evaluation form is emailed to you by the following Friday of the workshop. After completing & submitting the evaluation form, a CE Certificate will be emailed to you within 5-7 business days.

Who is eligible to receive CEs?

• Nationally: Approved NBCC Provider for Mental Health Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Licensed Social Workers (you are responsible for confirming that your organization/state will accept NBCC credits.)
• New York Licensed Creative Arts Therapists (LCATs)
• Washington State School Counselor/Teacher (OSPI) Approved by the Washington State Office of Public Instruction as a “Washington State approved clock hour offering workshop.”
• If you are outside of Washington State, we advise that you check with your state licensing board to confirm that they accept NBCC Approved CEs. 

Northwest Creative and Expressive Arts Institute is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists. #CAT-0123.

Northwest Creative & Expressive Arts Institute (NWCEAI) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7104. Programs that do no qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Northwest Creative & Expressive Arts Institute (NWCEAI) is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.