Internal Family Systems therapy, often called IFS, is a gentle, compassionate approach that helps you understand the different “parts” of yourself; the anxious part, the critical part, the people-pleasing part, the overwhelmed part, or the part that shuts everything down. Rather than judging or fighting these parts, IFS helps you listen to them with curiosity and care.
The approach offers a unique way to access and repair trauma that might lie outside your current consciousness. It can be used with or without EMDR to explore all trauma. This includes childhood trauma and early attachment wounds, even if these were created when you were an infant or before you were born. It can even be used to treat legacy trauma, which might have been passed down to you from previous generations.
IFS therapy was founded by Richard C. Schwartz, PhD. The approach has be shown to be a highly effective therapeutic model, with a growing evidence base, that de-pathologizes the multi-part personality.
Richard is also the Founder of the IFS Institute (IFSI) that primarily offers training for professionals. He is currently a Teaching Associate in Psychiatry, at Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate. Richard has authored or co-authored many books on Internal Family Systems and related topics, including No Bad Parts and Internal Family Systems Therapy.
You may notice inner conflicts that feel difficult to explain: one part of you wants change, while another part feels afraid; one-part longs for closeness, while another keeps people at a distance; one part tries to stay in control, while another may feel exhausted by holding everything together. You may have issues with low self-esteem or anger. You may be suffering from life-long bouts of anxiety and/or depression. IFS offers a way to make sense of these experiences without shame. If you have found regular talking therapy to be ineffective, then IFS offers an alternative evidenced-based approach.
Through IFS therapy, you can begin to relate to yourself with more calm, compassion, clarity, and confidence. Instead of feeling taken over by anxiety, self-criticism, anger, numbness, or old patterns, you learn to understand what these parts are protecting and what they may need from you now. This can support greater emotional balance, self-trust, and a kinder relationship with yourself. IFS can also heal any deeply buried trauma wounds.
IFS sessions are collaborative and paced with care. You will not be pushed to go somewhere before you feel ready. Together, we gently notice what is happening inside, get to know the parts that show up, and help you access the steady, compassionate Self that can support healing. This work can be particularly helpful if you feel stuck in repeating patterns, carry emotional pain from the past, or want to understand yourself more deeply.
If this way of working speaks to you, you are welcome to get in touch to arrange an initial conversation. We can explore what has brought you to therapy, answer any questions you may have, and consider whether Internal Family Systems therapy feels like the right fit for you.
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