The Parts That Know: A Conversation About IFS, Trauma, and Community

Morgen and Ashley talk with Crystal Hines, LPC, an EMDR and IFS therapist and trainer, about her path from foster care in Florida to building a Colorado group practice supporting other therapists through therapy, groups and consultation. Crystal shares her experiences with harmful mental health and school systems and how her own EMDR and IFS therapy changed the way she understands herself and works with clients. Crystal addresses what it means to do your own work as a therapist with honesty and humor.

Guest Bio:

Crystal Hines is a recognized thought leader who actively contributes to the advancement of mental health practice through her presentations, published resources, and educational workshops.

She is trained at the highest levels in both Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Internal Family Systems (IFS), holding credentials as an EMDRIA Approved Trainer and Consultant and an IFSI Approved Clinical Consultant.

Crystal’s style as a healer is rooted in intuitive wisdom informed by her own lived experience. She is open about being a complex trauma survivor with an ACE score of 10, and she embraces the value of being a client herself.

She believes that each person is the expert of their own life and healing journey and is passionate about empowering others to tap into their inner knowing.

Guest Contact Info:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/crystal-hines-lpc-emdr

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/align_therapy_and_consultation/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aligntherapyandconsultation

Website: www.aligntherapyandconsultation.com

Host bios:

Ashley Charbonneau, LCSW, LAC, ACS, is a therapist, evaluator, clinical supervisor, consultant, and educator. Her clinical expertise centers on working with individuals impacted by the legal system, grounded in a commitment to offender accountability, survivor healing, and restorative justice.

Ashley has developed multiple 45-hour training programs on clinical supervision and is the author of The Resilient Therapist (Bloomsbury, 2026) and Supporting Clients of Sexual Trauma: Establishing Safety, Processing Shame, and Fostering Healthy Intimacy (PESI, 2026). She provides training nationally on restorative justice, addiction, clinical supervision, working with individuals who have committed sexual offenses, professional boundaries in therapy, and mandatory reporting.

To contact Ashley directly, her website is: https://www.ensopllc.com/

Morgen Villegas, LCSW, LAC, ACS, is a therapist, writer, consultant, and an EMDR International Association Approved Consultant. Through her practice, Vida Idílica Therapy & Consulting, she specializes in helping women heal from trauma, attachment wounds, emotional neglect, and the lasting effects of overfunctioning and caregiving. Using a blend of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), she helps clients reconnect with themselves and create lives that feel more authentic, spacious, and connected.

Morgen also provides consultation to EMDR therapists seeking greater confidence and nuance in working with complex trauma. Drawing from both professional expertise and lived experience, she is passionate about helping people move beyond "faking fine" and toward lasting healing. She is the author of Shadows to Light, a collection of stories and reflections on emotional neglect, motherhood, and breaking intergenerational cycles. Morgen lives in Colorado with her husband, two sons, rescue dog Raven, and an ever-growing stack of library books waiting to be read.

To contact Morgen directly, her website is: vida-idilica.com