IFS intensive or IFS retreat: what's the difference?
An IFS intensive and an IFS retreat use the same method, Internal Family Systems, in concentrated time. The difference is the setting: an intensive can happen online or in a therapy room while you stay in your own life, while a retreat takes you away from home to a setting chosen for the work. Some people find the distance helps their parts relax, and others settle better at home.
Same method, different setting
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is the same method whether it is delivered in an intensive or on a retreat. The IFS Institute describes it as working with the parts of a person, each with a positive intention, and a core Self that can lead them. Protective parts are asked for permission before more vulnerable parts are approached.
What changes is where the concentrated time happens.
- An IFS intensive is defined by its clinical structure: assessment, several hours a day of IFS over one or more days, and follow-up. It can take place online or in a therapy room, and you sleep at home.
- An IFS retreat takes the same concentrated work somewhere away from home, in a setting chosen to support it, with rest and reflection built around the sessions.
How IFS works in concentrated time is explained in how IFS works in a therapy intensive.
How they compare
| IFS intensive | IFS retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| Setting | Online from home, or a therapy room near home | A setting away from home, chosen for the work |
| Evenings and breaks | In your own space | In the retreat setting |
| Distance from daily life | Partial: home and its demands are close | Greater: you are away from work and household |
| Travel | None, or local | Required, sometimes long-haul |
| Distance from your support network | Your usual support is nearby | Your usual support is far away |
| Cost | Therapy fees only | Therapy fees plus travel and accommodation |
| Lead time | Often shorter | Often longer, to arrange travel and setting |
| Group or one-to-one | Usually one-to-one | Either, depending on the retreat |
How the setting can affect parts work
In IFS terms, the setting is something parts respond to. That can work in both directions.
When distance helps. Managers that keep daily life running, such as the part that checks email or plans the children's week, may find it easier to step back when those demands are thousands of miles away. Being somewhere restful can help parts trust that it is safe to slow down.
When home helps. Some protective parts relax more in familiar surroundings. Travel, jet lag and an unfamiliar place can make them more watchful. For some people, being in their own home, with their own bed and routines, makes it easier to go deep.
Neither response is wrong. Noticing which applies to you is useful information, and a good IFS therapist will ask about it at assessment.
Practical differences to weigh
- Your support network. On a retreat, your usual people are far away. That matters most in the evenings and the first days back.
- Time. A retreat needs travel days on either side. An online intensive can start on Monday morning and end on Wednesday afternoon.
- Re-entry. Coming home from a retreat means travelling while the work is still settling. The article on coming home after a therapy retreat covers this.
- Cost. A retreat adds travel and accommodation to the therapy fees.
- Privacy. For some people, a retreat is more private, because nobody at home knows what they are doing. For others, home is more private.
Which might suit you
An IFS intensive may suit you if you settle well at home, want to keep costs down, prefer to stay close to your support, or want to start sooner.
An IFS retreat may suit you if you find it hard to step out of daily demands at home, value distance and privacy, can travel comfortably, and want rest built around the work.
Either way, the same questions apply: the therapist's IFS training, the assessment, how the pace is held and what happens afterwards. The IFS Institute keeps a directory of practitioners, which lists their level of training. Lucy Orton answers common questions about IFS intensives in The most-asked questions about IFS intensives, and her IFS intensives are described at lucyorton.com/ifs-intensives.
Common questions
Is an IFS retreat more powerful than an online intensive?
There is no research comparing the two. Some people find being away from home helps them settle. Others find travel unsettling and do better at home. The method and the therapist matter more than the setting.
Are IFS retreats group or one-to-one?
Both exist. Some IFS retreats are group programmes, often with experiential exercises and teaching. Others are private one-to-one therapy. Check which you are booking, and who leads it.
Do I need IFS experience before a retreat?
Not usually. A good IFS therapist will introduce the model as part of the preparation. Some people find it helpful to read about IFS beforehand, but it is not required.
Is the IFS Institute involved in retreats?
The IFS Institute trains therapists in the model. Individual therapists set up their own intensives and retreats. Ask any therapist what level of IFS training they have completed.
Lucy Orton is IFS Level 3 trained and offers IFS intensives online worldwide and a limited number of private IFS and Brainspotting retreats in Southeast Asia.
References
- IFS Institute. The Internal Family Systems model outline. ifs-institute.com/resources/articles/internal-family-systems-model-outline
- IFS Institute. Internal Family Systems: An emerging evidence base, a strong foundation for more research. ifs-institute.com/resources/research
- IFS Institute. Find a professional. ifs-institute.com/practitioners
This page is general information about intensive therapy. It is not a substitute for individual assessment or advice, and reading it does not create a therapeutic relationship. If you are in crisis or at risk of harm, contact local emergency services or a crisis line now. How these articles are written and checked: our editorial standards.