Beyond Individual Pathology: An IFS approach to Legacy Burdens and Systemic Trauma
In this 90-minute workshop, Deran Young integrates Internal Family Systems (IFS) with systems thinking to explore how intergenerational trauma, cultural conditioning, and social constructs shape identity, protective patterns, and relational dynamics. Through a culturally attuned and clinically grounded lens, participants will learn practical ways to recognize and work with legacy burdens—including racism, patriarchy, materialism, and individualism—as they emerge in the therapy room. Register now for only $47! Home Study (not live) CE Credits (1.5) with APA Provider Approval are available.
In this workshop you will:
- Define and apply core concepts from Internal Family Systems (IFS), including legacy burdens, Self energy, unblending, and unburdening, within a clinical context
- Identify how legacy burdens may present in clients’ symptoms, narratives, relational dynamics, and protective strategies during therapy sessions
- Apply systems thinking to recognize patterns of polarization, including Drama Triangle dynamics, within individuals, families, and broader relational systems
- Utilize practical interventions such as compassionate witnessing, “YOU-turn,” and corrective emotional experiences to support clients in working with legacy burdens
- Engage in experiential and parts-based practices to deepen clinicians’ awareness of their own internal responses and support more attuned, effective clinical interventions
- Get lifetime access to recordings and transcript
- Join Deran here.
About Deran Young
Deran Young, LCSW, MSW, MPA is a licensed clinical social worker, retired U.S. Air Force officer, and founder of Black Therapists Rock, a nonprofit organization mobilizing more than 30,000 mental health professionals committed to reducing the psychological impact of systemic oppression and intergenerational trauma. With a foundation in clinical social work and public administration, Deran brings a unique blend of therapeutic insight, organizational leadership, and systems-level thinking to her work in mental health equity.
Deran earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin, where she also studied abroad in Ghana, West Africa, helping to establish a counseling center for under-resourced high school students. Her clinical experience spans four continents and includes work with individuals, couples, families, and communities impacted by trauma, displacement, and chronic stress. Through Black Therapists Rock and her consulting practice, she partners with organizations such as the Brené Brown Education & Research Group, Facebook, LinkedIn, Field Trip Health, Internal Family Systems Institute and the YWCA to advance culturally responsive, trauma-informed approaches to care. Deran is a co-author of the New York Times bestseller You Are Your Best Thing and is a nationally recognized speaker and educator on racial trauma, belonging, and collective healing. Learn from Deran and register here.
