Jennifer Hounshell serves a critical role as Lead Clinician at Lifeskills Orlando, providing supervision to the team as a licensed therapist and qualified supervisor in Florida. She earned her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Central Connecticut State University. Formally entering the mental health field in 2012, Jennifer has experience treating people of all ages in various treatment settings. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Jennifer provides a unique systemic perspective coupled with empathy and insight to her individualized approach. She utilizes best-practice modalities to meet the needs of each client and their family along with family systems, person-centered, and solution-focused treatments. Her clinical expertise spans a range of mental health conditions, such as eating disorders, substance use, depression, anxiety, ADHD, trauma, and crisis intervention, including self-harm and suicide risk.
In her personal time, Jennifer enjoys all things creative, some “good” competition, and spending time with family and friends
Applying IFS in Complex Clinical Settings: Working with Severe Mental Illness and Families
This presentation will explore the application of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy in complex clinical settings, with a focus on individuals living with severe mental illness and their families. Participants will learn how to navigate protective and extreme parts that often emerge in cases involving psychosis, suicidality, and chronic dysregulation, while maintaining a compassionate, Self-led therapeutic stance. The session will also address how to involve family members as supportive allies in the healing process, using IFS-informed strategies that foster connections and reduce reactivit...Read morey. Case examples and clinical adaptations will illustrate how IFS can be safely and effectively used in high-acuity environments. Ethical considerations and integration with other treatment modalities will also be discussed. Less...
Learning Objectives
- Identify key components of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model and describe how they can be adapted for clients with severe mental health diagnoses.
- Demonstrate strategies for engaging and working with protective and extreme parts in individuals experiencing conditions such as psychosis, suicidality, or chronic emotional dysregulation.
- Apply IFS-informed approaches to support and involve family members in treatment, enhancing system-wide healing and reducing relational distress.
Learning Levels
- Beginner, Intermediate
Friday, September 26, 2025
BoVine Steakhouse
319 South Park Avenue, Winter Park, FL, 32789
319 South Park Avenue, Winter Park, FL, 32789
09:30 AM EDT - 12:00 PM EDT
EARN 2 CE Credit Hours
About the speaker
Jennifer Hounshell, LMFT, QS, EMDR-Trained, IFS-Trained, TF-CBT Trained
Lead Clinician - Lifeskills Orlando
Agenda
9:30-10:00am: Sign in & Networking
10:00-10:10am: Welcome & Introductions - brief presenter introduction, overview of agenda, learning objectives, and housekeeping.
10:10-10:25am: Overview of IFS Model & Key Concepts - Review of IFS basics: Self, parts, protectors, exiles; emphasis on adapting for severe mental illness.
10:25-10:45am: Understanding Severe Mental Illness & Complex Parts - Exploration of protective and extreme parts typical in psychosis, suicidality, and dysregulation; clinical challenges.
10:45-11:05am: Strategies for Working with Protective and Extreme Parts - Practical approaches to engage parts safely; maintaining Self-leadership; recognizing triggers and limits.
11:05-11:20am: Break / Q&A - Short break allowing participants to process content and ask clarifying questions.
11:20-11:40am: Engaging Families in IFS Therapy - Techniques to involve family members as allies; fostering connection, reducing reactivity, and healing relational systems.
11:40-11:55am: Case Examples & Clinical Adaptations - Presentation of clinical vignettes illustrating IFS use in high-acuity settings and with families.
11:55am-12:00pm: Ethical Considerations & Integration with Other Modalities - Brief overview of ethical concerns, boundaries, and integrating IFS with other therapeutic modalities.
12:00pm - End/Final Q&A & Closing Remarks - Wrap-up, participant reflections, resource sharing, and evaluation instructions.
CE Information - Earn 2 CE Credit Hours
CE Approvals
New York Education Department's State Board for Social Work
CE Learning Systems SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #0060.
New York Education Department for Licensed Mental Health Counselors
CE Learning Systems, LLC 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 mental health counselors. #MHC-0072.
New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology
CE Learning Systems dba CE-Credit.com & AddictionCounselorCE.com is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0016.
New York Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy
CE Learning Systems dba CE-Credit.com & AddictionCounselorCE.com is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0045.
Joint Accreditation
In support of improving patient care, CE Learning Systems is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
American Psychological Association
Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.
CE Process Info
Each professional is responsible for the individual requirements as stipulated by his/her licensing agency. Please contact your individual licensing board/regulatory agency to review continuing education requirements for licensure renewal. Please note: You must attend "live" (in real-time) for the duration of the training to earn CE credits.
After the event, you will receive access to your evaluation and continuing education certificate via a personalized "attendee dashboard" link, hosted on the CE-Go website. This link will be sent to the email account you used to register for the event.
Upon accessing the CE-Go "attendee dashboard", you will be able to:
- Complete evaluation forms for the event
- Download your continuing education certificate in a PDF format
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the CE-Go platform, please contact CE-Go at 888-498-5578 or by email at support@ce-go.com Please Note: Emails for this event will come from "support@ce-go.com".
If you have any continuing education related questions, please contact your event organizer.
Please make sure to check your spam/junk folder in case those emails get "stuck". We'd also suggest "Allowlisting" support@ce-go.com. This tells your email client that you know this sender and trust them, which will keep emails from this contact at the top of your inbox and out of the junk folder.
Disclosure
DISCLOSURE OF RELEVANT FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIPSCE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity ― including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).
The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity’s planners, faculty, and the reviewer:
PLANNERS AND REVIEWER
The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.
FACULTY
The faculty of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.