Introduction
Date Course Created: March 2026
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) presents unique clinical challenges that require a thoughtful, structured, and trauma-informed approach. This training introduces clinicians to an integrative framework combining Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to support safe and effective treatment. Participants will explore how dissociation develops as an adaptive response to overwhelming experiences and how parts-based work can provide a respectful and non-pathologizing lens for understanding identity fragmentation.
The course emphasizes phase-oriented treatment, beginning with stabilization and safety before progressing into trauma processing. Clinicians will learn how to identify and work with different parts – including managers, firefighters, and exiles – while maintaining a strong therapeutic alliance and minimizing the risk of overwhelm or destabilization. Special attention is given to pacing, containment, and the importance of internal communication among parts.
Participants will also gain practical strategies for integrating EMDR within a parts-informed framework, including target selection, resource development, and the use of bilateral stimulation in complex dissociative systems. By combining these approaches, clinicians can support trauma processing while honoring the protective functions of parts and fostering internal cooperation.
By the end of the training, clinicians will feel more confident in their ability to work with DID using a structured, compassionate, and neurobiologically informed approach that prioritizes safety, stability, and long-term integration.
This is a 3-CE noninteractive, self-paced online video course delivered in home study format via an industry-standard online learning platform.
Agenda
00:00 – 00:28 → Introduction, Structural Dissociation, Pacing Trauma Processing
00:28 – 01:03 → Triphasic Approach to Trauma Therapy, IFS Framework, Reframing Dissociative Experiences
01:03 – 01:37 → Preparation, Cultivating Internal Cohesion, Navigating Sleep and Distress, Intrapersonal Dynamics
01:37 – 02:08 → Individual Mapping, Utilizing Internal Resources in EMDR, Techniques & Strategies, Addressing Parts
02:08 – 02:35 → The Importance of Trusted Leadership, History Taking, Mapping Internal Parts, Polarizations
02:35 – 03:14 → Goals & Structure of Trauma Processing, Integrating IFS and EMDR in Final Phase, Post-Traumatic Growth
Objectives
This training will provide participants clinical knowledge and tools to:
After completing this training, participants will be able to describe the core features of Dissociative Identity Disorder and the role of dissociation as an adaptive response to trauma.- After completing this training, participants will be able to identify the functions of different parts in Internal Family Systems, including managers, firefighters, and exiles.
- After completing this training, participants will be able to explain the phases of treatment for DID, with an emphasis on stabilization and safety prior to trauma processing.
- After completing this training, participants will be able to apply EMDR principles, including target selection and bilateral stimulation, within a parts-informed framework.
Target Audience:
The target audience for this course includes psychologists, social workers, counselors, MFT’s, psychiatrists and other clinical mental health professionals.
Instructional Level: Intermediate
Instructor(s): Athena Phillips, LCSW, PsyD
Material Author(s): Athena Phillips, LCSW, PsyD
For additional information about this course, the instructors, or the material authors, please contact Content Assistance at content@onlinececredits.com.
Course Materials & Delivery Method:
- Course Materials – The course is composed of a recorded presentation and written materials (e.g. a slide deck and/or other worksheets, manuals, or handouts as provided by the instructor). The slide deck and any additional worksheets or handouts (as provided by the instructor) are made available inside the Lesson module after a course is purchased.
- Delivery Method – This course is a recorded asynchronous, self-paced webinar training, and there is no access time limit or due date to complete it once enrolled. The enrolled learner will stream the recorded presentation and view the materials from their internet connected device via an industry-standard online learning platform.
CE Approvals:
National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
Online CE Credits has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6795. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Online CE Credits is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
Mind Works Professional Education, Inc. DBA Online CE Credits, #1974, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: July 23, 2025 – July 23, 2028. Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credits.
Other Helpful Information:
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- Course Completion Requirements – 1.) View the entire Lesson module (accessible from the main course page), to include the embedded and/or linked presentation video(s), slide deck, additional materials, and/or links to any shared video clip(s) that may have been edited from the presentation video(s) to comply with copyright laws. 2.) Click into the Quiz module accessible from either the main course page or the Lesson page and complete the Quiz with an 80% or better pass rate. 3.) Complete the Course Evaluation – you’ll be sent to the Evaluation automatically once you successfully pass the Quiz.
- Posttest Requirements – You must answer 80% or more of the Quiz questions correctly to pass. If you fail to pass the first time, you may attempt the quiz again until you are able to pass with a score of 80% or better. Quizzes are graded instantly and automatically by the learning management system once your attempt is submitted.
- Certificate of Completion – Certificates of Completion are automatically generated – downloadable from your Dashboard and emailed to you – once you view the Lesson Materials and complete the Quiz and the Course Evaluation.
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