Internal Family Systems
Your mind isn't something fixed and unchanging—it's a system made up of many different parts.
How IFS Works:
Internal Family Systems (IFS) helps you navigate your inner world, understanding that we all have many different "parts" inside of us that help us cope with the trauma or hardship in our lives by carrying excess stress, shame, or perfectionism, etc. We’ll get to know these different parts of you and explore how you can connect to your “larger self” and unburden the old beliefs and feelings you still hold from your past that no longer serve you. It’s not just talk therapy; it’s a path to deep inner understanding, healing and transformation.
Non-Pathologizing:
This approach emphasizes that you are not "broken"- you may just have a part or parts that might be connected to feelings from the past that are taking over the “drivers seat.” This is just your parts’ way of letting you know that they need your attention from a non-judgemental place of curiosity and kindness so they can start to relax, feel safe, and let go of the reins again.
IFS removes the stigma by suggesting that every part of you, even the ones we judge or wish would disappear, has a positive intent rooted in protection or survival. Instead of labeling parts as broken, dysfunctional, or wrong, IFS views them as understandable responses to life experiences that are trying to help in the best way they know how. This perspective fosters compassion, reduces shame, and creates a safer internal environment for genuine healing and integration to occur.
Evidence Based:
Internal Family Systems theory was developed by Richard Schwartz in the 1980’s and is now a widely used, highly effective and evidenced based method for healing trauma and helping people to understand and transform their lives, making room for greater ease, confidence, self understanding and perspective.