Susan McConnell

Susan McConnell is a senior trainer for the IFS Institute who has taught Internal Family Systems (IFS) in the U.S. and internationally since 1997. She created Somatic IFS in 2004, developing it out of her passion for integrating the body and nonverbal processes with psychotherapy. Somatic IFS is a synthesis of her forty years of study, teaching, and clinical practice with bodywork, psychotherapy, and spiritual practices, and is now taught worldwide as a distinct therapeutic modality.

Susan is the author of 'Somatic Internal Family Systems Therapy: Awareness, Breath, Resonance, Movement and Touch in Practice,' the field's primary text on embodied IFS work. The book introduces a new therapeutic modality that blends principles of somatic therapy—like movement, touch, and breathwork—with the traditional tools of the IFS framework. It presents 5 core practices with clinical applications that include the treatment of depression, trauma, anxiety, eating disorders, chronic illness, and attachment disorders.

Susan has also released a companion workbook featuring experiential exercises, case studies from Somatic IFS staff members, and practical guidance designed to assist both personal embodiment work and clinical practice. She has maintained a private practice since 1983, giving her over four decades of clinical depth. Somatic IFS training is offered in two steps: a 30-hour experiential Step 1 program and a 54-hour Step 2 training for clinical applications.