Internal Family Systems (IFS)
You are not one uniform self. Every part of you had a reason.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a compassionate way of working with the different "parts" of you — the part that rages, the part that people-pleases, the part that's bone-tired, the part that keeps everyone else's schedule in her head. None of them are the enemy. Each one took on a job a long time ago to protect you.
I'm IFS-informed — I use it regularly in my work, especially alongside EMDR — and I'm continuing my formal training through the IFS Institute's Level 1 program this fall. IFS helps us build a compassionate relationship with the parts carrying old pain, so that when we bring in EMDR to reprocess the memories underneath, it's gentler and less overwhelming. IFS holds the "who," EMDR moves the "what" — together they reach what neither quite reaches alone.
A good fit if
- You feel like different "versions" of you show up depending on the moment
- One part of you wants to rest while another part won't let you stop
- You want to understand the pattern, not just manage the symptom
- You're curious about parts work but new to it
What to expect
- A collaborative, curious approach — never pathologizing your parts
- Often paired with EMDR for deeper, gentler reprocessing
- Space to build trust with the parts of you that protect and the parts that hurt
- Available in weekly sessions or as part of a 3-day intensive