Internal Family Systems (IFS) & Parts Work Therapy
A gentle, trauma-informed approach to healing the inner conflict, overwhelm, and self-criticism that keep you stuck- by getting to know the parts of you that need the most care.
Reclaim your inner harmony. Every part of you belongs here.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re at war with yourself—constantly torn between parts that want different things, overwhelmed by self-criticism, or stuck in patterns that feel impossible to break—Internal Family Systems (IFS) offers a new way forward.
IFS is a compassionate, evidence-based approach to therapy that helps you build a relationship with the different “parts” inside you—protective parts, wounded parts, inner critics, and everything in between. Rather than trying to fix or silence them, we learn to listen. With curiosity. With care.
At the center of IFS is the belief that you already have a wise, grounded Self—one that’s calm, clear, and capable of leading your healing. Together, we work to help your parts trust that Self again.
Why IFS Might Be Right for You
If you:
Feel stuck in cycles of self-blame, perfectionism, or emotional overwhelm
Struggle with chronic anxiety, body shame, or burnout
Experience inner conflict or strong reactions that feel out of proportion
Want to heal the root causes of your patterns, not just manage symptoms
—IFS can help you make sense of it all, without judgment.
IFS doesn’t pathologize you—it honors the wisdom of your survival. We explore how your parts formed, what they’ve been protecting you from, and how they want to feel instead.
Healing isn’t about forcing change. It’s about creating enough safety for your system to soften.
In our work together, you’ll learn how to:
Befriend and unblend from reactive parts
Access your Self energy—calm, compassionate, and confident
Release burdens your parts have carried for too long
Restore trust between your mind, body, and nervous system
What is Inner Child Work?
Reconnecting with the parts of you still wanting to be seen, held, and healed.
As a somatic trauma therapist, I often support clients in meeting the younger version of themselves — the one who learned to over-function, people-please, or stay small just to feel safe.
Your inner child might be the part of you that panics when someone pulls away, that gets loud when you feel unseen, or that shuts down when rest finally becomes available. These responses aren’t flaws — they’re protectors that once helped you survive.
This work isn’t about fixing. It’s about honoring what’s been carried for far too long — and offering your younger self what they needed most: safety, permission, and compassion.
Why Inner Child Work Matters
The child within you is still waiting to be met with care.
“Why can’t I just move on?”
“Who do I overreact to small things?”
“Why can’t I rest?”
These questions often lead people to this work. When our early needs weren’t met — to be seen, soothed, protected — we often learn to cope by over-functioning, suppressing emotion, or staying hypervigilant. That younger self never got closure. Inner child healing allows us to finally offer it.
Ways to slowly start healing your inner child
Write a letter to your younger self — let them know you’re here now.
Notice when you feel small, reactive, or unseen. Pause, breathe, and name it gently.
Choose a grounding item — a scent, blanket, or song — that feels safe to your nervous system.
Place a hand on your heart and ask:
“What do I need to hear right now?”
Integrated Somatic and Trauma-Informed Therapies for Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Learn how Somatic Experiencing®, EMDR, and mindfulness support IFS therapy by helping your nervous system and inner parts feel safe, seen, and regulated.
Somatic Experiencing®
Support your parts by helping your body feel safe again—through subtle cues that regulate and release.
EMDR
Help protector parts soften as we gently reprocess trauma stored in your nervous system.
Mindfulness
Stay present with each part of you—even the ones that overwhelm—with breath, curiosity, and care.
Every part of you has a voice. Together, we’ll learn how to hear it with compassion.
Internal Family Systems invites your mind, body, and inner world into the same room—so no part gets left behind. This isn’t about fixing you. It’s about helping each part feel seen, heard, and supported.
FAQs
-
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a trauma-informed therapy model that helps you understand and heal the different “parts” within you—like inner critics, protectors, and wounded child parts. Instead of trying to fix or suppress these parts, IFS invites curiosity, compassion, and connection so your system can heal and integrate.
-
Parts work helps you safely access and understand the parts of you that have developed in response to trauma—like perfectionism, emotional numbness, people-pleasing, or anxiety. IFS helps you unblend from these parts, meet their unmet needs, and create more internal safety and calm in your nervous system.
-
In an IFS session, we slow down and get curious about your internal world. You’ll be gently guided to connect with a specific part—maybe a judgmental voice, a shut-down feeling, or a part that wants to protect you. From there, we invite your Self (the calm, compassionate core of you) to lead the conversation. The process is consent-based, somatically aware, and never forced.
-
IFS may be a good fit if you:
Struggle with anxiety, inner conflict, or self-doubt
Feel overwhelmed or stuck in repetitive emotional patterns
Are curious about healing at a deeper, root-cause level
Want a non-pathologizing, body-based approach to therapy
-
Healing isn’t linear, but many clients begin to feel a shift in their internal world within the first few sessions. The more consistently you build a relationship with your parts, the more trust and transformation you can experience. Think of it as developing inner fluency—learning a language your system already speaks.
-
You’re not broken—your system is wise. Those parts of you that feel anxious, avoidant, critical, or shut down? They developed for a reason. IFS helped me understand that I didn’t need to fight these parts or get rid of them—I just needed to listen. Each part is trying to protect me in its own way, even if it no longer feels helpful. Parts work gave me a new way to meet myself with compassion instead of judgment.
-
That’s okay. I didn’t either at first. When I started IFS, I often felt disconnected, numb, or unsure of who I even was underneath all the noise. But with time, space, and support, I began to sense a calm, grounded presence beneath it all—my Self. It wasn’t something I had to earn or create; it was already there, just waiting to be heard. We’ll move at your pace, and it’s okay if it takes time to feel that connection. That’s part of the work.
-
Absolutely. Often, the way we attach or defend in relationships is shaped by our earliest experiences. Healing those patterns can lead to healthier, more connected partnerships.
Resources on IFS Therapy and Parts Work
Curious to learn more about Internal Family Systems or deepen your own self-study? These resources offer helpful insights into how parts work supports trauma healing, nervous system regulation, and emotional resilience.