Internal Family Systems

I have been through years of my own therapy in Internal Family Systems and am part of ongoing IFS supervision and consultation. I have been through Level 1 and Level 2 IFS training and am signed up for Level 3. I have been part of continuity programs that focus on somatic IFS, trauma and IFS, sexuality and IFS, addictions and eating disorders.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is my primary treatment modality for individuals. I help clients recognize internal conflicts that are keeping them paralyzed and holding them back from healing. IFS helps me identify root cause issues that can persist for years and through this identification, clients can learn to self-soothe and move forward.

My graduate training and education heavily focused on Internal Family Systems and Ego-State Therapy. Imagine if the bad-ass part of yourself that shows up at work could also be the part that shows up when you have lunch with your mother. That would be pretty powerful, and it's also fully possible. Conceptualizing who we are into parts of a diverse and hard-working team is such a powerful tool that can provide immediate results.

IFS was developed by Richard Schwartz PhD in the early 1990s and has since been listed in the National Registry for Evidence-Based Programs and Practices. In the model’s name, Internal Family Systems, lies the belief that we all have a psychological system made up of a constellation of parts (or family members) that are in need of reconciliation. We approach the following topics from an IFS framework: Chronic Stress, trauma, anxiety, depression, anger issues, self-esteem, grief.

I am a certified Level 1 IFS therapist, but I have actually done extensive CE as well, and view IFS as a way of being in the world with greater peace, deeper healing.

We are all made up of parts as well as a core, nuclear self. Some parts develop in response to difficult experiences from our past to protect us from the dangers of the world. These parts can remain active for years, trying to protect us in ways that no longer work to promote our wellbeing. Learn how to manage these parts and support your core self and its expression in the world.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a type of therapy that sees our minds like a family with different parts. Some parts are like protectors, some hold our painful memories, and others try to manage our emotions. The goal is to understand these parts, be kind to ourselves, and let our inner "wise" part guide healing. IFS helps with issues like stress, anxiety, and past hurts by making our inner world more balanced and harmonious.

I completed a level one IFS training in Oct 2023, which included 90 classroom hours of participating in lectures, small and large group discussions, experiential activities, and practicing the IFS model as therapist, client, and observer. In 2024 I assisted with a QTIFS training led by Sand Chang and Nic Wildes. I continue to engage in practicing IFS with colleagues and clients.

Level 1 training + 20 years of practice

I often incorporate parts work, which allows us to understand, embrace, and nurture all of the dynamic aspects of our personalities and who we are. This helps to cultivate more insight and self compassion, and reduces feelings of shame.

I use the book Self Therapy as a companion guide for working with clients in IFS sessions.

I am a Certified IFS (Internal Family Systems) Therapist with the IFS Institute and assist with training therapists in the use of the model. I work with my clients on getting to know and build relationships with parts of themselves, listening to internal needs, increasing understanding of protective behaviors and beliefs, and deepening connection to internal calm, compassion and courage.

The Internal Family Systems (IFS) model was developed by Richard C. Schwartz in the 1980s and describes and integrative and transformational approach to psychotherapy. The premise of IFS is that much like the complex nature of an external family system, individuals are composed of separate and multifaceted internal Parts in relationship with each other. By changing the relationships between different Parts of ourselves an individual (clients) experiences a sense of integration, self-leadership,

Using IFS therapy, I aim to help my clients to get to know and negotiate with the different parts that constitute their whole self, and achieve an understanding of the ways in which they can best interact.

The Internal Family Systems Model is an integrative approach to psychotherapy that acknowledges and welcomes all parts and aspects of who we are. In this model we recognize and honor that each part of us (behaviors, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, personality traits, etc.) serves a purpose and can also be returned to a state of authenticity, balance, higher self-awareness, and healing.