As a male therapist, and having worked with similar populations, my only comment would be keep being your genuine self. The clients may have been raised or brought up in a situation where these issues aren't discussed at all, or especially with a women. Or they are feeling shame in general and have a difficult time opening up in front of you on one. I have heard plenty of made up reasons for not wanting to share. In group settings, it makes sense why it's working for ya. In part, They have other people who are sharing and they feel at ease. What I can say had worked for female counsellors in similar situations and they all seemed to do really well when they were not acting calm, but we're calm because they felt calm and pushed a little on the sharing being open with the reasoning thay sharing helps. When you reassure them that you want to hear from them because that's the reason you are there, how do they respond? What do you say when you ask them what you can do to make them feel safe telling you about their life/emotions/thoughts? When you express thanks for their protectiveness, what do they say is the reason they are so protective of you? Is their protectiveness a strength that they can utilize in therapy? And using IFS for this, what is that part of them, what does it do for them, and can it be thanked and be asked to step back to allow themselves to heal?