Relational IFS Group

 

Experience deeper connection, honesty, and authentic belonging in a transformational six-month group with Brandon Rennels and Steph Stern

  • Begins May 2, 2025

  • 12 x 2-hour sessions, meeting 1st and 3rd Fridays via Zoom

  • Cost: $2,500 or $2,000 - with limited scholarships

Relational IFS Group (6 months)

Many personal growth groups focus on talking about your life or your challenges. This can be really beneficial. Relational IFS Groups are different though— they create an immersive space to explore how you relate to others—revealing insights about connection, vulnerability, and trust.

In Relational IFS Groups, we focus on what is coming up for each person in the present moment and in relationship to others in the group. This includes being honest and direct about your experience of other people. You express how you are feeling toward others in the group, both your positive responses and the moments of disconnection.

Over the course of six months you will deepen in relationship with an intimate group. You will get to know your relational patterns and the ways they support (or hinder) your sense of connection with others. You will also get to know the relational patterns of others, and discover ways to communicate how you truly feel about them. When things get sticky, a facilitator will be there to guide and support the process.

This makes it an unusual experience that can feel uncomfortable and vulnerable. Yet this vulnerability can open the door to a more authentic sense of connection. We love this work because it's a powerful sandbox to explore our edges around vulnerability, assertiveness, and belonging.  

It's a Relational IFS group because we use the IFS model to speak for parts of us, which helps give voice to the complexity of our experience.

Group Details: 

  • Format: 12 group sessions (2 hours each), plus two 1:1 consultations (30-min). All via Zoom.

  • Date & Time: twice a month, the 1st & 3rd Fridays of each month, from 9am-11am Pacific (12pm-2pm ET, 5pm-7pm UK). 

  • Capacity: Limited to 8 participants

  • Presence: This is not one of those online groups you can multitask while attending : ) If you’re interested to attend, please ensure you can show up ready to engage for each session. We understand you may need to miss a session or two, which is okay.

  • Preparation: Some knowledge of IFS is recommended. If you are totally new to IFS-- we’ll suggest some reading and practices beforehand to get the basics.

Who can benefit from this group?

The group is designed for people who are looking to deepen their capacity for connection– both to expand vulnerability and to hold differences and conflict. 

This group might be a great fit for you, if you:

  • You want to build deeper connections in a consistent, supportive group.

  • You’ve invested in personal growth (therapy, meditation, spiritual practices) and you’re ready to develop your relational skills.

  • You’ve benefited from individual Internal Family Systems (IFS) work and want to apply it to relationships (and what parts of you are active with people and in groups).

The Group Journey

Over 12 sessions, we’ll move through different phases of group process and get the chance to work on different skills and capacities:

  • Prepare by connecting 1:1 with a facilitator and completing a pre-assessment.

    If you’re new to IFS, we’ll share resources for you to become familiar with this model, identifying and speaking for parts of you.

  • Group 1: What is a Relational Group?

    Build awareness of how you tend to enter a group, and directly experience how Relational Groups differ radically from other forms of group work.

    Group 2: What is an IFS Group?

    Understand how to track the parts of you active in groups and relationships, and how this accelerates transformation and connection.

    Group 3: Levels of Connection and Healing in Groups

    Learn about the 4 levels and how to move to deeper levels for connection and authenticity.

  • Group 4: Building Capacities

    Cultivate awareness as the foundational capacity for relationships.

    Group 5: Growing Edges

    Identify your growing edge and receive constructive feedback from other group members.

    Group 6: Revealing & Courage

    Practice sharing honestly what you are feeling, thinking and wanting - including when others may not like it.

  • Group 7: Caring & Vulnerability

    Deepen your care for others while exploring your willingness (and hesitancy) to show your vulnerabilities and true self.

    Group 8: Conflict Ownership

    Learn to navigate conflict by connecting with activated parts and speaking from a Self-led place—no easy task!

    Group 9: Open-Handed Feedback

    Practice giving honest, direct feedback to group members and receiving the same with openness and curiosity.

    Group 10: Integration

    Integrate and apply the skills you’ve learned thus far.

  • Group 11: Preparing for Closure

    Reflect on what you've learned and connect individually with each member around the impact you’ve had on each other.

    Group 12: Closing

    End the group experience with intention and care.



Meet your Facilitators

We (Brandon & Steph) have been working together since 2015. We first met as colleagues at the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (fun fact: we started on the exact same day!). Since then we’ve co-facilitated many programs together and most recently have been trained by the Interactive Group Institute. We love this way of working because there is a magic that comes together that leads to deep growth and profound belonging.

Brandon Rennels is a dedicated father, mindfulness facilitator, and an experienced group leader. He has led Teacher Training for a global mindfulness & emotional intelligence organization, personally mentoring hundreds of aspiring teachers over the years. As an ordained student of the late Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, Brandon learned early on that embodying compassionate curious presence brings out the best in oneself and others. This form of group work has been foundational to his own healing journey through anxiety and depression, and he considers it an honor to hold this space for others. 


Steph Stern is a facilitator, transformational coach and Certified Internal Family Systems practitioner. She works with clients individually, facilitates group workshops, and also supports organizations to bring emotional intelligence and candid feedback to their work culture. Overcoming long-held patterns of conflict-avoidance, Steph has learned to see tension as a path to deeper truth and connection. She appreciates the Relational IFS Group format to be a sandbox for this form of relational skill building. She loves supporting people to cultivate self-compassion and tune to their inner compass, and has a special fondness for inner critics.

Registration and Pricing

We have 2 prices available to choose from, and a form to submit a scholarship application:

  • The cost of the 6-month program is $2,500.

  • We offer a price of $2,000 for those who need a discount. 

  • You get to pick your fee upon registration.

 

Scholarship Seat: We have limited scholarships, where an individual pays less than $2,000. This is for those who are experiencing financial hardship and cannot afford either price. To apply for a scholarship please fill out this form.

If you are in a financial position to pay more than $2,500, we welcome this in order to create more scholarship seats. If this is the case for you please contact us.