It often feels like you’re at war with yourself: like one part wants to make different choices, but another is holding you back.
Maybe you’re experiencing…
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A loud, critical inner voice that constantly points out what you’re doing wrong
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Overwhelming anxiety or restlessness that makes it hard to ever really relax
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Zoning out or your mind feeling “fuzzy,” like you’re not fully present in your own life
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Waves of sadness, shame, or rejection that leave you overwhelmed and unsure of how to move through them
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Feeling stuck in endless loops of worry, compulsions, or rituals
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Turning to things like drinking, cannabis, or self-harm to try to manage the pain or numb out for a while
The ways you’ve learned to cope have helped you survive and brought you to this moment.
With IFS, you can learn to work with the parts of you that feel stuck and step into a more empowered and authentic version of yourself.
What is IFS?
IFS, or Internal Family Systems, is a way of understanding yourself that starts with the idea that we all have different "parts" inside us—like a little inner family. Maybe one part of you feels calm and loving toward your partner, but another part gets irritated or overwhelmed. Or one part of you might want to heal while another part feels scared or stuck. These parts aren’t a problem, they’re just different roles we’ve developed over time to navigate life.
IFS helps you connect with your most grounded, wise, and compassionate self—your “Core Self”—so it can lead the way, like a mama duck guiding her ducklings across the road.
In therapy, we’ll work together to get to know these parts, even the ones that feel loud, critical, or overwhelming, like a harsh inner voice or a constant worrier. These parts have good intentions and are often trying to protect you, but sometimes their methods don’t work anymore—like water wings that once kept you afloat when you were learning to swim, but you’ve since outgrown. Through curiosity and connection, we’ll help these parts trust your Core Self to take the lead. Over time, this process can ease the tension and chaos inside, which will help you to feel more grounded, calm, and in charge of your life.
Physics teaches us that simply observing something changes it. Similarly, by learning to witness and be with our internal world, we can profoundly shift our external experiences.
That’s why, in IFS, we practice the “Six Fs”...
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Find the part
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Focus on it
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Feel its presence
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Befriend it (or facilitate a connection)
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Flesh out its perspective or intentions
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Find the fears driving its behavior
In our sessions, I’ll guide you through these steps and we’ll use the insights we gain as leverage toward your goals.
IFS CAN HELP YOU
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Feel calmer and more in control — Learn to soothe the inner voices that feel like they’re constantly worrying, criticizing, or reacting intensely, so you can replace stress with a sense of peace and control.
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Heal old wounds and nurture your inner self — Uncover and care for the parts of you that feel hurt or stuck, helping them feel seen, supported, and ready to pursue new horizons.
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Build self-compassion — Begin to appreciate and understand all parts of yourself—even the ones you’ve struggled with—while learning to respond to your emotions with kindness.
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Strengthen your relationships — Lead your connections with others from a place of calm and confidence, instead of letting anxiety or old patterns run the show.
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Break free from self-destructive habits — Recognize why certain behaviors—such as procrastination, binge eating, substance use, or self-harm—show up, and discover more effective ways to meet your needs.
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Step into a sense of wholeness and confidence — Connect with the wise, intuitive part of yourself, so you can face life’s challenges with courage and feel empowered in all areas of your life.
FAQ's
IFS is a way to open up a dialogue with different “parts” of yourself, especially when you’re feeling anxious, disconnected, or caught in self-critical thoughts. It’s particularly helpful if you’ve ever dissociated, mentally checked out, or “zoned out,” struggled with feelings of rejection or shame, or noticed patterns like self-harm or substance use.
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IFS was created by Dr. Richard Schwartz. His work helps us understand and connect with the different parts of ourselves so we can feel more whole and at peace. I also incorporate Ego State work, which was developed by Robin Shapiro, LICSW. Both approaches can be helpful to orient all parts inside to the present moment and encourage the wise leader within to take charge.
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IFS might not be the best approach if you’re feeling extremely depressed, overwhelmed by mood swings, or looking for quick, solution-focused strategies. It’s a slower, more reflective approach, so it works best when you’re ready to explore your inner world with curiosity and patience. While it might be a slower modality, its effects are longer-lasting and the clients who experience it describe it as life-changing—they describe feeling more grounded, having more insight into why they do what they do, and empowered by the ability to respond instead of react to the world around them.