As we enter into the fall season in the northern hemisphere, we are reminded of the beauty and impermanence of the warm summer months.
We are feeling this shift even more so this season, as we grieve the passing of a beloved member of our IFS community, Carmen Jimenez-Pride, MSW, LCSW, RPT-S, IFS Lead Trainer.
Carmen had a tremendous impact on the IFS community. She was a wonderful teacher, colleague, mentor, inspirer and friend. She was a trailblazer, and her work left a lasting imprint in our hearts and our organization;
- She was our second Black female Lead Trainer , following in the footsteps of Tamala Floyd.
- She was a thought leader around therapy for children and adolescents. She co-developed and delivered our Level 2 program on IFS for Children and Adolescents and regularly spoke at public events on IFS and Play Therapy and has just published a book on this topic. .
- She was a teacher and mentor to many. She led many Level 1 programs and nurtured not only the students in these programs, but also the program assistants.
Carmen had a radiant presence was known for her passion, brilliance, boundless heart and deep reverence for play.
I appreciated so much about Carmen. As I reflect on her work, what I want to highlight is her skill at speaking to our young parts in the language of play. The skill and devotion she had for this work is one of the reasons I think she connected so deeply with so many – our young parts felt held by her warm and engaging style and nature.
Her legacy is significant. We share a couple of quotes from the remembrance page for Carmen:
“By the time I was ready to PA, I chose to apply to her training and I was selected. I was thrilled to work with her from a different perspective and her creativity, boldness, compassion, and skillfulness never ceased to amaze me. I PA’d with her and David Kitchings twice back to back. It was a phenomenal experience. After that, she continued to be one of my biggest cheerleaders and supports. She remembered the small things, and it made me feel so, so seen.”
“I was blessed to meet her during my Level One training, where I was selected for a demo. With such clarity and gentleness, she quickly found in my system the scared little girl who felt so disconnected from the world. Carmen met that lost part of me with patience, tenderness, and love. She didn’t rush, she didn’t push—she simply stayed present, inviting that young part to feel safe enough to begin to connect. I will never forget the way she embodied Self-energy in that moment, holding space with compassion that reached straight into my heart.”
As we grieve this heartbreaking loss, our thoughts are with Carmen’s family, friends, and all who loved her.
In that same spirit of honoring those who shape our community, the conference also recognized Derek Scott and Ralph De La Rosa for their important contributions.