- Live Webinar
November 13, 2026
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Introduction
Clinicians increasingly encounter clients whose ADHD and trauma histories are so entangled that standard treatment approaches address one while inflaming the other. IFS (Internal Family Systems) offers a powerful framework for this population, but only when applied with a critical distinction most trainings skip: ADHD neurology is not a part. Executive dysfunction, time blindness, and attentional variability are neurodevelopmental features, not protective strategies to be unburdened.
What does respond to parts work is everything the client has developed in response to living with an ADHD brain in a neurotypical world: the shame-carrying exiles built from decades of “you’re not trying hard enough,” the perfectionist and masking managers working overtime to prevent exposure, and the firefighters (avoidance, hyperfocus escapes, rejection-sensitive shutdowns) that activate when those managers fail.
This course teaches clinicians to make that differentiation reliably in session and to adapt the IFS protocol itself for neurodivergent access — shorter and more concrete internal explorations, movement-compatible processing, externalization strategies, and pacing that works with variable attention rather than against it. Participants will leave with a practical map for helping ADHD clients unblend from internalized criticism, build self-led relationships with their protective systems, and develop genuine self-accommodation rather than another round of self-improvement that quietly reinforces the shame cycle.
This is a 3-CE online seminar delivered virtually in real-time via an industry-standard webinar platform.
Attendance and Location Details
Friday, November 13, 2026
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM (CT)
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM (ET)
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM (PT)
Live Webinar Attendees: Zoom link and course materials will be made available to you 24-48 hours prior to event date.
Agenda:
The Entanglement Problem
- ADHD, trauma, and misdiagnosis in both directions
- Why IFS fits — and where it misfires — with neurodivergent clients
Neurology vs. Parts
- Building the differential map
- What unburdens and what doesn’t
The ADHD Protective System
- Shame exiles
- Masking and perfectionist managers
- Avoidance and hyperfocus firefighters; case illustration
Adapting the Protocol
- Neurodivergent-accessible unblending and externalization
- Movement-based parts work and pacing modifications
- Guided practice/demonstration
Self-Energy and Self-Accommodation
- Moving clients from internalized criticism to Self-led functioning
- Treatment planning applications
Wrap-Up
- Integration, Q&A, and evaluation
Objectives:
This training will provide participants clinical knowledge and tools to:
After completing this training, participants will be able to differentiate neurodevelopmental features of ADHD from parts-driven adaptations that develop in response to ADHD, and explain the clinical risks of conflating the two within the IFS model.
After completing this training, participants will be able to identify at least three common manager, firefighter, and exile presentations in ADHD clients, including masking, perfectionism, rejection-sensitive responses, and shame-based exiles formed through chronic environmental criticism.
After completing this training, participants will be able to apply at least two modifications to standard IFS protocols (e.g., externalization, movement integration, abbreviated internal focus) to increase accessibility for clients with attentional and executive functioning differences.
After completing this training, participants will be able to demonstrate a Self-led approach to helping clients distinguish self-accommodation from self-criticism when addressing ADHD-related functional challenges.
Target Audience:
Counselors, Social Workers, Psychologists, Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Professionals, and Pre-Licensed Clinicians.
Instructional Level: Intermediate
Instructor(s): Megan Salar, MSW
Material Author(s): Megan Salar, MSW
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 – (including the link to view the scheduled live webinar) are made available to all registered attendees 24-48 hours before the event start time
- This training is interactive and provides opportunities to ask direct questions to the trainer as well as request immediate help from staff if needed. The attendee will view the presentation in real-time from their connected device via an industry-standard internet webinar 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 quality 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:
Registration Deadline – Please register at any time prior to the advertised start time of this live webinar training.- Refund & Cancellation Policy – You may review this policy at any time by clicking here.
- Accessibility Accommodations – If you require a reasonable accommodation for any reason, please email your request to cc@onlinececredits.com.
- Course Completion Requirements – Complete the Code Word Attendance Quiz by 1.) selecting the correct beginning and/or ending code words, 2.) inputting actual time signed in and time signed out, and 3.) signing your name attesting to your full attendance. Then, complete the Course Evaluation.
- Posttest Requirements (not applicable for most live webinars) – 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 complete the Code Word Attendance Quiz and the Course Evaluation. Please complete these items to receive your Certificate immediately after the live webinar training is concluded.
- Live Webinar Registration – Please select the proper admission ticket in the banner at the top of this page, and follow the prompts. You will be asked either to login with your existing account (if you have learned with us before) or to establish a new user account during the registration process if this is your first training with us.
- System Requirements:
- Recommended Devices: Desktop, Laptop, or Tablet computer. (Note: Our platform is mobile responsive and may be fully accessed from a connected smartphone).
- Suggested Browsers: Updated version of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Apple Safari.
- Recommended Network: Home wi-fi, ethernet, or a public wi-fi with VPN (Note: agency or corporate networks are often equipped with restrictive firewalls that may adversely impact your experience on our platform).
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