Internal Family Systems Therapy helps people to understand their inner conflicts, find balance and develop self-compassion.  The IFS model uses not just thoughts, feelings and beliefs but also includes physical sensations, meditation and visual imagery as avenues to help with healing.  IFS therapy can help clients feel increased levels of confidence, courage and connection, not just with themselves, but with others. 

 

IFS addresses different parts of our personality that may be in conflict with each other.  For example, we may have a strong “worker part” that helps us get ahead at the office, but leaves us exhausted at home.  Or maybe we have a “people pleaser” part that is loved by our friends but leaves us unable to care for ourselves.  Or perhaps we have a part of us that spends hours scrolling on our phone, while avoiding problems we’d rather not face.  IFS believes that these parts of ourselves are helpful…until they’re not.  Once they overdevelop as an attempt to avoid our wounded parts (vulnerable parts that may be the result of trauma or childhood experiences) they can begin to sabotage us.  The goal of IFS Therapy is to help all of our parts heal and find balance.

 

Founded in the 1980’s by Dr. Richard Schwartz, PhD, IFS is an evidence-based model that has empirical support.  It is recommended by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, MD, author of The Body Keeps The Score and Director of the Trauma Research Foundation.