BIO

David Hilton is a Level 1 trained practitioner in both Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy and Loch Kelly’s Effortless Mindfulness (EM). While he has engaged in extensive formal training, much of David’s deepest understanding stems from personal experience.

Over a decade ago, David was diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). More recently, he has also identified as autistic and ADHD parts within his own system (sometimes referred to as AuDHD). These lived experiences have profoundly shaped his approach to healing and therapy.

David’s search for deeper self-understanding eventually led him to discover IFS, a model that transformed his view of mental health. Through IFS, he came to see that he was not “mentally ill,” but rather carrying extreme protective parts guarding deep vulnerability. Today, after years of personal healing work, David feels privileged to support clients—many of whom are neurodivergent themselves—in befriending protectors, unburdening wounded parts, and reconnecting with their authentic Self.

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW

Welcoming ALL Parts Of You: an experiential exploration of neurodivergent parts using Internal Family Systems (IFS) 

This experiential workshop invites therapists to deepen their understanding of Internal Family Systems (IFS) as a powerful, client-centered approach for working with neurodivergent individuals. The focus will be on cultivating embodied, firsthand experience of the inner world in the here and now—moving beyond theory into direct exploration. 

Participants will first learn to access 'Self-energy'—the qualities of presence, compassion, and curiosity that are foundational for creating psychological safety in therapy. From this space, therapists will practice welcoming all parts of themselves and, crucially, develop sensitivity to the ways neurodivergent traits may shape clients' internal systems. 

The session will highlight common neurodivergent experiences, such as masking, internalised stigma, and heightened protective strategies, offering tools for working with these dynamics through an IFS lens. 

While the primary emphasis is on client work, participants will also have the opportunity to increase awareness of their own internal parts, supporting greater authenticity, attunement, and resilience in the therapeutic relationship. 

As Richard Schwartz, founder of IFS, teaches: "We can only take our clients as far as we have gone ourselves."

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Increase understanding of how internal parts, including those influenced by neurodivergence, show up in both therapists and clients, and learn ways to work more compassionately and effectively with neurodivergent clients using an IFS approach. 
2. Access and embody Self-energy as a therapeutic resource, cultivating the qualities needed to create safety for neurodivergent clients' systems. 
3. Recognize the diverse ways that parts, particularly those shaped by neurodivergent experiences, may express themselves internally and externally. 
4. Develop skills in Self-leadership to model internal safety and acceptance for neurodivergent clients navigating internalized stigma, masking, and trauma. 
5. Deepen self-acceptance, particularly in relation to one’s own neurodivergent traits or parts, in order to hold greater compassion and understanding for clients.