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Digital Seminar

Where the Enneagram Meets IFS

An Experimental Approach to Parts & Patterns in the Therapy Room

Faculty:
Katie Gustafson, MA, LPC/MHSP
Duration:
4 Hours 14 Minutes
Copyright:
19 Mar, 2026
Product Code:
NOS096656
Media Type:
Digital Seminar
Access:
Never expires.

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Description

What if your client’s Enneagram type wasn’t just a fixed identity, but a living system of protective parts shaped by fear, longing, and deeply held beliefs? This experiential Enneagram-forward workshop introduces therapists to a fresh, experimental perspective on pairing the wisdom of the Enneagram with the compassionate precision of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy to support personality typing in clinical practice. Using the Enneagram as the primary lens through which we view client issues and IFS as the method of inner engagement, you’ll learn an experimental approach to recognizing and working with the inner architecture of personality—not to fix it, but to befriend it. You’ll explore:

  • How each of the nine Enneagram types expresses a constellation of internal protections often mistaken for a client’s whole personality
  • How to identify type-based defenses such as perfectionism, people-pleasing, and hyper-independence
  • How to compassionately talk to clients about their defenses using the metaphor of parts
  • Recognize how your own type patterns show up in session and using specific

This event is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with the IFS Institute and does not qualify for IFS Institute credits or certification.

CPD

Faculty

Katie Gustafson, MA, LPC/MHSP's Profile

Katie Gustafson, MA, LPC/MHSP Related seminars and products


Katie Gustafson, MA, LPC, MHSP, is a psychotherapist, expert on the Enneagram, speaker, and host of the podcast Mid-Sentence.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Katie Gustafson maintains a private practice and is the founder of The Practice. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Katie Gustafson is a member of the American Counseling Association, the International Enneagram Association, and the Nashville Psychotherapy Institute. She is a contributing author and presenter with Psychotherapy Networker.
 


Additional Info

Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)

Access never expires for this product.

For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepesi@pesi.com.


Please Note

This product is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with the IFS Institute and does not qualify for IFS Institute credits or certification.


Objectives

  1. Describe the nine core Enneagram types and their corresponding emotional drives and protective strategies.
  2. Conceptualize Enneagram types as internal systems of parts using IFS therapy language.
  3. Identify common clinical challenges associated with each type.
  4. Differentiate between Enneagram type strategies and the IFS concept of Self.
  5. Utilize the parts metaphor to explore type-specific fears, desires, and reactivity patterns.

Outline

Mapping the Landscape: The Enneagram as a Therapeutic Framework
  • Adaptive strategies and emotional drives
  • How each type reflects a dynamic constellation of protectors
  • How type structures influence therapeutic resistance, transference, and alliance
Parts Within Patterns: AN IFS Perspective for Deeper Insight
  • How Enneagram dynamics translate into IFS-informed parts language
  • Using the concept of parts of Self to help clients access Self-energy
  • Therapist-facilitated internal dialogues with type-based internal defenses
Therapist as Mirror: Cultivating Self-Leadership and Awareness
  • Therapist countertransference through the lens of their Enneagram type
  • Self-reflection and check-ins using parts language for grounding in session
  • Ethical use of typology in therapy and potential over-identification with type
Experimental Methods: Language, Tools, and Practice
  • Bringing parts language into Enneagram exploration
  • Common Type-based clinical challenges
  • Collaboration, consent, and flexibility in typological exploration
Limitations of the Research and Potential Risks of this Experimental Approach
Cultural and developmental considerations
 

Target Audience

  • Counsellors
  • Social Workers
  • Psychologists
  • Psychotherapists
  • Therapists
  • Marriage & Family Therapists
  • Addiction Counsellors
  • Physicians
  • Other Mental Health Professionals

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