
Max Littman, LCSW
January 10, 2025
I have parts that sometimes underutilize my position of authority as a therapist and consultant. From a place of worry about potentially misusing my power and causing harm in a therapist-client or consultant-consultee dynamic, some of my parts take over and follow the client’s or consultee’s lead without question.
This under-use of power can lead to a lack of focus in therapy or consultation, an unsafe container for the work being done, a confusion of roles and responsibilities, and a sense of frustration or apprehension felt by parts of myself, the client, or the consultee. One way I address this issue is by attending to the parts of me that worry and underutilize my position of authority when acting as a therapist or consultant.
Another approach I’ve found particularly helpful—yet is often overlooked— is the practice of effectively contracting with clients, consultees, and parts. This essential element of therapy, consultation, and IFS practice frequently gets neglected. For instance, the official IFS Institute Level 1 training manual dedicates less than two paragraphs to contracting, while Schwartz and Sweezy in Internal Family Systems Therapy, Second Edition do not include the term at all. Susan McConnell in Somatic IFS offers only a short paragraph on the topic. During a recent retreat with IFSI lead trainer Pam Krause, she emphasized that contracting in IFS therapy is significant enough to warrant a multi-day workshop. According to IFS lead trainer Mike Elkin, poor contracting can leave the therapist feeling unfocused, aimless, and acting like a “busybody.”
In this article, I explore the often-overlooked practice of contracting in IFS therapy and consultation. I explain what a contract is, why it is important, how it can be practiced in IFS therapy and consultation, and how to educate clients, consultees, and parts on contracting if they need a better understanding of it. Case examples are included.
The Importance of Contracting in Therapy: Revisiting and Reinforcing the Therapeutic Agreement
Before delving deeper into contracting as it pertains to IFS practice, let’s first explore the concept of contracting in therapy more broadly.
In therapy, contracting is an essential practice that creates a clear, mutual understanding and a structured framework for the therapeutic relationship and the focus of the therapy process. Contracting in therapy involves the therapist and client working together to establish goals, expectations, boundaries, and responsibilities. This process sets the stage for effective therapy and builds a sense of safety and trust needed for our protectors and exiles to relax and openly share. Revisiting, re-emphasizing, and adjusting the contract from session to session and within single sessions is important to ensure the therapeutic journey and relationship remain on track.
Establishing the Initial Contract
Creating the initial contract in therapy is like laying the foundation of a house. It outlines the basic elements of the therapeutic relationship and journey, including:
- Goals and Objectives: Defining what the client’s parts hope to achieve through therapy.
- Roles and Responsibilities: Clarifying what the therapist and client will do.
- Boundaries: Setting limits regarding time, confidentiality, and the nature of the therapeutic relationship.
- Methods and Approaches: Discussing the therapeutic techniques that will be used.
- Logistics: Covering session frequency, duration, fees, and cancellation policies.
This written and verbal contract provides a roadmap for therapy, aligning expectations and minimizing misunderstandings. As Miller and Rollnick (2013) state, “a well-formed contract can enhance client engagement and commitment to the therapeutic process” (p. 45).
The Dynamic Nature of Therapy Contracts
Therapy is inherently dynamic, with goals and needs evolving as a client progresses. Hence, it is important to revisit and possibly revise the contract regularly. This ongoing process ensures that therapy remains relevant and responsive to the client’s changing circumstances and insights.
- Adapting to Change: As clients grow and gain insights, their goals may shift. Regularly revisiting the contract allows for the adaptation of therapeutic goals to better align with the client’s current needs (Norcross & Wampold, 2011).
- Reaffirming Commitment: Revisiting the contract reinforces the client’s commitment to their therapeutic journey. It serves as a reminder of the agreed-upon goals and the collaborative nature of the work, boosting motivation and accountability (Duncan, Miller, & Sparks, 2004).
- Enhancing Clarity and Focus: Periodically revisiting the contract helps maintain clarity and focus. It ensures that both therapist and client are on the same page, enhancing the effectiveness of the sessions (Bordin, 1979).
Practical steps for revisiting the contract include regular check-ins, where time is allocated during sessions to discuss progress and revisit the contract. This can be a brief discussion every few sessions or a more in-depth review at specific milestones. Open dialogue is also essential (e.g. all parts’ feedback is welcomed); encouraging honest communication about what is working and what might need adjustment fosters a collaborative environment and empowers a client (Hubble, Duncan, & Miller, 1999). Additionally, flexibility is crucial; being open to making necessary adjustments to the contract demonstrates responsiveness to the client’s evolving needs and reinforces the therapeutic relationship (Norcross & Wampold, 2011). Finally, documentation is important; keeping a written record of the contract and any revisions ensures clarity and serves as a reference for both therapist and client.
Contracting with Parts in IFS Therapy
In IFS therapy, contracting goes beyond the client as a whole to include the various parts of the client’s psyche.
In my experience, IFS therapy places more emphasis on the implicit and explicit verbal contracts that occur between the therapist and a client’s parts during sessions. However, a legal, written contract signed by clients at the outset of therapy—the informed consent document—also plays a role in the broader process of contracting in IFS therapy. The legal contract can provide a solid foundation for the clinician and client’s parts to return to for clarity and safety as needed.
Recall that each part of a client has distinct emotions, memories, or roles that contribute to their internal system. Contracting with a client’s parts is essential for effective IFS therapy and involves:
- Identifying and Understanding Parts: Early in therapy and throughout the journey, we as therapists and our clients work together to identify and understand the different parts. Each part we meet has its goals, fears, and needs acknowledged by us. An important distinction to make at the outset of therapy is to discern which parts brought the client to therapy and which, if any, parts have concerns or objections to them being in therapy.
- Setting Goals with Parts: Specific goals can be set with individual parts. For example, a protective part may need reassurance about the therapy or any aspect of the IFS process, while an exiled part may need to express its pain. Or a goal may come after getting to know a protective part. For example, when we provide “hope merchanting” to a protective part, sharing that we can help this part to not be obligated in their particular role. The goal may become helping this protective part to shift to a different, chosen role by supporting the unburdening of the exiles that they protect.
- Establishing Agreements: Agreements are made with parts regarding their participation in sessions. A protective part might agree to soften temporarily to allow deeper exploration of an exiled part’s emotions or hear out a part it is polarized with. Another common agreement is getting to know a scary or intense part by placing them in a sealed room where parts scared of this part do not feel so threatened. In other words, we negotiate with parts and see what they need from us or the client’s Self in order to make good on agreements made with other parts or the needs of other parts about which we care to attend. One more common example of an agreement made in IFS therapy is with exiles to dial back the intensity of their sharing when overwhelm becomes an issue in witnessing the exile’s pain fully.
- Revisiting Contracts within Sessions: During each session, we check in with parts as needed to reaffirm our agreements and address any emerging concerns. This dynamic process ensures that all parts feel heard, respected, accepted, and welcome.
- Adjusting Contracts: As therapy progresses, parts may evolve in their roles and needs. Regularly revisiting and adjusting contracts with parts is crucial to maintain alignment and promote healing.
Common Questions Used for Contracting
Common questions I ask clients in contracting with them and their parts each session include:
- Where is our attention, love, or energy needed today?
- What do your parts need from us today?
- Are there any concerns or fears about us bringing our focus to this?
- Are there parts on the other side of this argument that need to be heard?
- Is your system needing more space or more presence from me today?
- Do I have permission to reflect back the parts I’m hearing?
- Do I have permission to share what I’m observing happening on the outside of your body such as your breathing and movement?
- Do I have permission to check in on what you’re sensing within your body or mind?
- When a part judges a part we are getting to know – What does this part showing up now need from us or need us to know? Why do they need us to know this right now? What concern or fear does this part have where they need to share this with us right now?
Consent
I consider consent to be the 9th C of Self energy. Effective contracting cannot happen without consent. Contracting from a place of Self energy involves consistently checking for consent, both verbally and non-verbally. When we approach the client’s internal system from Self energy, we naturally seek consent from parts, creating an atmosphere of safety, acceptance, flexibility, and shared power. When we as clinicians are not seeking consent or are seeking consent with an attachment to an outcome of a client’s parts consenting in a particular way, these are signals to attend to our own parts.
Practical Steps for Contracting with Parts
- Initial Exploration: Spend time in early sessions identifying and understanding your client’s parts. Notice and attend to your own parts so they can allow you to embody curiosity and compassion to invite your client’s parts to share their perspectives.
- Goal Setting: Collaboratively set goals with your client’s parts, ensuring that their concerns are addressed and their roles are respected.
- Session Check-ins: Regularly check in with parts during sessions to reaffirm agreements and address new issues. You can use phrases like, “How is this part feeling about our work today?” or “Are any parts having concerns that need addressing?”
- Flexibility and Adaptation: Be prepared to adjust agreements with parts as the therapy unfolds. Flexibility is key to maintaining a cooperative and effective therapeutic process. Again, notice, attend, and attune to your own parts who may have concerns about you being flexible and adaptive with your client’s parts.
Client Case Examples
Case Example 1: Sarah
Sarah, a 32-year-old woman, presented in therapy with issues of chronic anxiety, feelings of inadequacy, and challenges in her relationship. During the first session, we spent time understanding Sarah’s internal system and exploring the different parts of her psyche that contributed to her difficulties. Together, we identified a critical part that often judged Sarah harshly and a vulnerable part that felt deeply insecure.
I established a clear contract with Sarah’s parts by agreeing to work with them collaboratively and at a pace that was respectful of each part’s needs. The critical part agreed to temporarily step back, allowing space for the vulnerable part to express its emotions in a safe environment. I discussed the goals of therapy with Sarah’s parts, including healing the wounded parts and fostering self-compassion.
By revisiting the contract in subsequent sessions, Sarah and I were able to check in with how the parts were feeling about the therapeutic process and adjust the goals and methods as needed. This process allowed for her internal system to stay aligned with the work being done, and Sarah’s Self energy became more available to address the parts’ concerns.
My careful attention to each part’s needs, setting clear goals, and creating a collaborative, flexible agreement enabled Sarah and her parts to feel safe and heard. This approach empowered Sarah’s parts to work more in harmony toward healing and growth.
Case Example 2: James
James, a 45-year-old man, sought therapy to work through unresolved grief and depression. Early in the therapy process, I did not adequately explore James’s internal parts before jumping into exploring deeper emotions. One of my parts’ enthusiasm to “fix” the problem led to an initial contract that was vague and lacked clarity around what was expected of James’s parts and how they would participate in therapy.
James’s primary protective part, which guarded him from painful emotions, did not feel heard or respected in the process. This part, afraid of vulnerability, resisted fully engaging in therapy. I did not revisit the contract in subsequent sessions, and as a result, James’s parts became more defensive. Our therapeutic relationship became strained, and James felt like he wasn’t making progress.
My mistake in not fully contracting with James’s protective parts contributed to a lack of safety felt in the therapeutic relationship, motivating them to protect against the therapy process. He eventually decided to end therapy with me. In my view, my oversight of regular check-ins and flexibility contributed to James and his parts feeling misunderstood and disengaged from the process.
Contracting with a Consultee’s Parts in IFS Consultation
In the context of IFS consultation, contracting also extends to the parts of the consultee. This practice ensures that the consultee’s internal system is aligned and supportive of their learning and professional development.
- Identifying and Understanding Parts: Similar to therapy, the consultant and consultee work together to identify the consultee’s parts that may influence their professional practice. These parts may include those that feel anxious about competence, those that strive for perfection, or those that fear judgment.
- Setting Goals with Parts: Establishing clear goals with each part ensures that their needs and concerns are addressed. For instance, an anxious part may need reassurance about the consultation process, while a perfectionist part may need acknowledgment and clear, balanced expectations.
- Establishing Agreements: Agreements with parts might involve commitments from parts to allow the consultee to be open to feedback, take risks in learning new approaches, or manage self-criticism. They can also include whether the consultee’s system is needing insight and perspective about their client, how they are showing up with their client, or if they are looking for help identifying and befriending parts of themselves that are showing up with and in reaction to clients.
- Revisiting Contracts within Sessions: During consultation sessions, I as a consultant check in with the consultee’s parts, reaffirming our agreements and addressing any new concerns. This ensures that my consultee remains internally aligned and able to fully engage in the consultation process.
- Adjusting Contracts: As the consultee progresses, their parts may develop new needs or insights. Regularly revisiting and adjusting the contracts with parts ensures that the consultation process remains effective and responsive.
Practical Steps for Contracting with a Consultee’s Parts
- Initial Exploration: Begin with identifying and understanding the consultee’s parts. Invite parts to share their perspectives on the consultation process and their roles within the consultee’s professional practice.
- Goal Setting: Collaboratively set goals with parts known to be participating in the consultation, ensuring their concerns are addressed and their roles are respected.
- Session Check-ins: Regularly check in with these parts during consultation sessions to reaffirm agreements and address new issues as they arise. I might say, “How are your parts feeling about our work today? Any concerns? Any feedback? I’m feeling really open to any feedback any of your parts want or need to express”.
- Flexibility and Adaptation: Be prepared to adjust agreements with parts as the consultation unfolds. Flexibility is key to maintaining a cooperative and effective consultation process. As mentioned in the therapist-client section, notice, attend, and attune to your own parts who may have concerns about you being flexible and adaptive with your consultee’s parts.
Consultees are Building Contractors
As an IFS consultant, I’ve found that consultations occasionally veer into the waters of personal therapy. This shift can be difficult to navigate, especially when the issues being discussed don’t directly relate to the consultee’s work with clients. In these moments, my parts can become easily overwhelmed, overworked, confused, and anxious. They may urge me to people-please or blur boundaries in an attempt to offer help, but I’ve learned that it’s essential to recognize when this happens and set a clear boundary.
One helpful metaphor I’ve developed to understand and explain this dynamic is the construction analogy: I envision the consultee as a building contractor, their clinical practice as the building being constructed, and myself as a subcontractor. As a subcontractor, my role is to support the contractor (consultee) in constructing their building (their practice). Taking a consultee’s personal emotional material that does not track back to their work with clients is outside the scope of consultation. It would be similar to a subcontractor specializing in kitchens being asked to install plumbing in a building they have no expertise in. While the subcontractor may have skills in their own area, stepping outside that scope would not only be inefficient but could also jeopardize the integrity of the project.
Similarly, when a consultee brings personal material into consultation that doesn’t pertain to their work with clients, it risks undermining the focus and effectiveness of the professional support they are seeking. Just as a building contractor must rely on specialized subcontractors for specific tasks, I must stay focused on supporting the consultee’s professional development, ensuring we honor the boundaries of the consultation.
This construction metaphor has helped me clarify the role and responsibility of both myself and my consultees, making it easier to explain to my parts—and theirs—why it’s important to stay focused on professional matters.
When these shifts in focus occur, it’s important to acknowledge the difficulty discerning the difference between personal material and professional work. Although I do provide a written informed consent for consultation to my consultees, I often need to verbally and relationally revisit, clarify, and refine our contract. IFS consultation can bring up deep, vulnerable parts of the consultee that track back to burdens that did not originate in their professional role, at times making it challenging to separate the personal and the professional. In these moments, it’s crucial to stay attuned to both my parts and theirs, listening for feedback about the boundaries we are setting. By doing this, I can explain the importance of maintaining the contract, which serves to protect the safety and integrity of the consultation process.
For my own and my consultee’s parts, I explain that the contract is necessary to preserve the container of safety within which the work can unfold. This boundary ensures that both of us can stay in our respective roles—me as the consultant and them as the consultee—so that the consultation remains productive and supportive of their professional growth. Similarly, I encourage my consultees to reflect on their parts that may need to work harder to honor the contract in order to protect the clarity and focus of the consultation. In doing so, we can both ensure that the consultation stays within the boundaries that serve its purpose: supporting the consultee’s work with clients, not stepping into personal therapy.
This approach is not only helpful in IFS consultation but can also be applied with clients themselves. Explaining the concept of contracting in therapy—what it is, why it matters, and how it helps keep the therapeutic relationship safe—can help clients better understand the structure of their work and the importance of maintaining boundaries.
Enhancing Self Energy Availability for Therapists and Consultants
Another often overlooked but vital aspect of contracting in IFS therapy and consultation is its impact on the therapist’s or consultant’s own parts. Ensuring that a therapist’s and consultant’s internal systems are balanced and that their parts are in harmony allows our Self energy to be more available for our clients and consultees.
- Therapist’s and Consultant’s Self-Care: By establishing clear contracts, therapists and consultants can ensure they are not overwhelmed or burdened by their roles. This practice helps maintain their well-being, allowing them to be fully present and engaged in their work (Siegel, 2010).
- Managing Professional Boundaries: Contracts help set and maintain professional boundaries, preventing parts from becoming over-involved or enmeshed with the client’s or consultee’s issues. This clarity reduces the risk of burnout and promotes a healthier therapeutic or consultative environment (Gabbard, 2009).
- Reaffirming Personal Goals and Values: Regularly revisiting and adjusting contracts with clients or consultees encourages therapists and consultants to stay aligned with their personal and professional goals and values. This tactic can help to stay focused on the parts that are asking for and are needing help from the client’s, therapist’s, or consultant’s Self. This alignment fosters a sense of purpose and fulfillment for everyone involved in the work (Norcross & Wampold, 2011).
- Internal Check-ins: Therapists and consultants can benefit from conducting internal check-ins with their own parts, similar to how they check in with clients’ or consultees’ parts. This practice ensures their parts are in agreement and supportive of their professional roles, enhancing their ability to offer Self energy to their clients or consultees (Schwartz, 2001).
Consultee Case Examples
Case Example 3: Linda
Linda, a therapist with several years of experience, came into a consultation initially seeking support for a personal family issue unrelated to her client work. In this session, she shared emotional material that traced back to her family dynamics, and it quickly became clear that her parts were feeling overwhelmed and responsible for the situation. While this was important personal material for Linda, it was outside the scope of the consultation, which was intended to focus on her professional work with clients.
I recognized that the conversation was veering into personal therapy and gently acknowledged the shift. Drawing on the construction metaphor, I explained that Linda was like a building contractor, her clinical practice was the building being constructed, and I was a subcontractor supporting her in this process. Just as a subcontractor who specializes in kitchens wouldn’t be asked to take on plumbing tasks outside their expertise, my role was to help Linda with her clinical practice, not to take on her personal family issue.
Together, we discussed the importance of maintaining a clear boundary between Linda’s personal material and her professional work. We co-created a contract that honored Linda’s need for emotional support but clarified that the focus of their work together would remain on her clinical practice and her work with clients. This contract also gave Linda’s parts space to express concerns about the family issue without veering into the domain of personal therapy. We agreed that Linda could share these concerns about not being able to be focused on in future sessions if necessary, but the conversation would remain centered on her professional growth.
I also emphasized the importance of respecting the contract for both Linda’s and my own parts. We discussed how maintaining this boundary helped protect the safety and clarity of the consultation, ensuring that the process stayed focused and productive. I encouraged Linda to reflect on which parts of her needed to honor the contract in order to prevent personal material from distracting her professional focus.
By following this approach, Linda felt supported in her role as a therapist (per her reports), with space for her parts to express concerns about the family issue without detracting from her professional work. The consultation process remained effective, focused on Linda’s clinical development, and helped her stay present with her clients without being overwhelmed by personal emotional material.
Case Example 4: Mark
Mark, a consultant who provides guidance to other therapists, worked with a new therapist struggling with boundary-setting with clients. In their initial consultation, Mark did not take the time to explore the internal parts of his consultee and instead jumped straight into offering solutions. Mark assumed his consultee’s challenge was solely about external behaviors and didn’t consider how internal parts of the consultee may be influencing their approach to boundaries.
Without explicitly contracting with the consultee’s parts, Mark offered direct advice, which felt dismissive to the consultee’s parts that were feeling insecure and unsure about their professional identity. The lack of an internal dialogue led to resistance in the consultation relationship, and, as a result, the consultee’s parts began to disengage in the consultation. Mark’s own parts, which were eager to help, ended up overstepping boundaries by offering uninvited advice.
Mark’s lack of contracting with his consultee’s internal system resulted in feelings of invalidation and resistance. The consultation failed to address the consultee’s underlying parts which were crucial to understanding and solving the issue at hand for professional growth, and for a safe container where all the consultee’s parts felt welcome.
What to Do if a Client, Consultee, or Their Parts Don’t Know What They Want to Agree Upon
At times, clients, consultees, or their parts may be uncertain about what they want or need from therapy or consultation. This is completely normal, especially in the early stages of the therapeutic and consultation process or when working with deeply protective or wounded parts. When faced with this uncertainty, it’s important for the therapist or consultant to approach the situation with patience, empathy, and flexibility. Here’s how one can navigate these moments:
- Create Space for Exploration: If a client or consultee is unsure about what to agree upon, it can be helpful to give them space to explore their feelings and needs without pressure. Instead of pushing for immediate clarity, the therapist or consultant can ask open-ended questions like, “What feels important to you right now?” or “What does your internal system need in order to feel safe and heard in this process?”
- Gentle Inquiry with Parts: If the client or consultee is working within an IFS framework, it may be helpful to gently invite the various parts to share their perspectives. This approach could include asking the protective parts what they fear or need in order to trust the process or asking vulnerable parts what would help them feel more understood. Sometimes, parts may not have clear answers right away, and that’s okay—this is often a process of discovery.
- Build Incremental Agreements: If a comprehensive contract feels overwhelming, try building agreements incrementally. Start with small, manageable steps—such as agreeing to explore one part of the system in a session or committing to a specific focus (e.g., safety, exploration of one emotion). This allows the client or consultee to ease into the process and build confidence.
- Use Reflective Listening: Reflective listening can be very helpful in moments of uncertainty. By reflecting back what the client or consultee shares, you demonstrate understanding and allow them to clarify their thoughts. For example, a therapist might say, “It sounds like you’re not sure what you need from therapy right now, but you’re open to exploring what might feel most helpful. Is that right?” This kind of reflective dialogue helps both the therapist and the client gain clarity in a supportive, non-pressuring way.
- Offer a Broader Framework: Sometimes, clients or consultees may not know exactly what they want, but they may have a sense of what they don’t want. A useful strategy is to explore what the client or consultee is trying to avoid, which can help inform what they might need. This could lead to clarifying what their goals are over time. For instance, “It sounds like you don’t want to feel overwhelmed by these emotions. Would you be open to exploring ways to address these feelings while we work together?”
- Normalize the Uncertainty: Remind the client or consultee that it is okay not to have all the answers upfront. Acknowledge that therapy and consultation are processes of discovery and that part of the work is figuring out what feels right as they go along. This can reduce pressure and help them feel more comfortable with uncertainty.
- Not Knowing as the Contract: Sometimes, the uncertainty itself can become the contract. Acknowledging that neither the client nor their parts know exactly what to work on or how to proceed can be an important part of the healing process. In these situations, the contract can be that the therapy or consultation will begin with exploration—just being with the uncertainty and allowing whatever needs to emerge, whether it’s thoughts, feelings, or parts of the system, to unfold naturally. This approach can allow for flexibility and deep listening, where the goal is not necessarily to have a fixed plan but to remain open to what surfaces during the process. For example, the therapist might say, “It sounds like there’s no clear direction yet, and that’s okay. What we can agree upon is that we will allow things to unfold together, staying present with whatever comes up and revisiting what feels important as we move forward.”
- Revisit the Contract Over Time: If the initial contract is unclear, ensure that the agreement is revisited regularly. As the therapeutic or consultative process unfolds, the client or consultee may begin to gain more clarity about their needs, which can be reflected in updated contracts. A flexible approach allows for adjustments as understanding deepens and internal systems evolve.
- Patience: I often hear consultees and clients begin sessions by stating they don’t know what they want to work or focus on. More often than not, when I remain patient, allow space, and don’t immediately verbally respond to these statements, their parts express to them or through them what they would like to focus on. In the words of Dick Schwartz, it’s good to W.A.I.T. (e.g. ask yourself “Why Am I Talking”). It is also worth taking note if any of your parts feel activated by uncertainty or a lack of clarity. Notice, attend, and attune to these parts as needed.
By offering patience, space, and empathetic exploration, the therapist or consultant can help the client or consultee navigate the uncertainty of not knowing what they want in a contract, ultimately fostering a safe and supportive environment for growth and possibility. In these situations, the process itself—the willingness to be uncertain and explore together—becomes the foundation of the contract, setting the stage for deeper self-discovery, healing, and growth.
Conclusion
Contracting with both clients and consultees in a way that respects the internal systems of therapists, clients, consultants, and consultees is an important step in the IFS therapy and consultation process. When contracting is done effectively, it fosters collaboration, safety, healing, and growth. When done ineffectively, it can lead to resistance, misunderstandings, and disengagement. Revisiting and adjusting contracts regularly ensures that IFS therapy and consultation remain dynamic, responsive, and aligned with the evolving needs of both clients and consultees and their parts.
For feedback and comments, I can be reached at max@maxlittman.com.
I provide private practice mentorship, consultation, and therapist/practitioner part intensives.
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References
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