Internal Family Systems Therapy
In Seattle, Washington
You may be feelng like you are at war with yourself. I understand, and I’m here to help.
I help people develop a positive relationship with all parts of themselves, even the ones they don’t like.
If you’re ready to start feeling better, schedule a complimentary consultation today.
What is Internal Family Systems?
The name of Internal Family Systems (IFS) is modeled after the Family Systems approach, which some family therapists use to hold space for multiple family members in the same room. A Family Systems therapist will help family members take turns, and see the positive intentions they have for each other - even when their behavior makes it seem otherwise.
IFS perceives the structure of the human mind as similar to the structure of a family. Psychologically, you have multiple “parts” that have different feelings, beliefs, or jobs.
For example, after the death of a family member, one part of you may feel sad and unmotivated, while another part wants to stay productive and in control of your daily life. Using an IFS approach, I would help you to see how both parts are trying to help you: the sadness is helping you appreciate what you’ve lost, while the productivity is helping you to continue functioning.
Why choose IFS?
IFS is helpful for recovery for trauma, but it can also be used for many kinds of therapeutic issues. Here are some of the benefits of IFS:
Improved trust. One of the goals of IFS is to develop more positive relationships with your psychological “parts.”
Improved communication. IFS provides tools for effectively describing your emotions and beliefs to yourself and others.
Client-led. Our work will go at your pace, and is designed to regularly check for your consent.
Trauma-focused. IFS is an evidence-based model for trauma recovery, and does not require you to frontload our work with narrating your life story.
Depth of focus. Rather than being purely “cognitive” or language-based, IFS employs somatic techniques to help your nervous system find safety.
My experience in IFS
Level-1 trained. Offered officially through the IFS Institute, my training program lasted 6 months and included didactic teaching and experiential training with my own parts.
Program Assistant, Parts Work Practice Group. This free group is open to the public and meets 4 times each month. It is not therapy or IFS training, but teaches people the most fundamental concepts for learning about their parts.
My approach to Internal Family Systems Therapy
I tend to modify IFS to some degree for each of my clients, tailoring it to their individual needs. For example, some clients access their psychological parts through detailed visual metaphors, while others are far more literal and language-based. As we get to know each other, I will work with you to figure out what style of IFS makes the most sense. However, here are some common things I do with all of my clients:
Check for consent. I will make it a point to ask you and your parts for permission to explore certain topics.
See the good. I am a firm believer that there are no bad parts, and will reflect when I hear how even “self-destructive” behaviors might be coming from a good or protective place.
Act like myself. While I will always take your experiences seriously, I am generally relaxed and encourage authenticity in our conversations.
Is IFS right for you?
IFS may be a good fit if you have tried traditional talk therapies, but did not get the results you were looking for. IFS helps people who are ready to go deeper in their journey of recovering psychologically and developing a better relationship with themselves. Sometimes working with parts means that you will have “homework” in between sessions to stay in touch with what we’ve discussed.
Whatever you’re struggling with, IFS can help. If you’re an adult looking for individual counseling, and you’re up for doing the work, then we might be a good fit.
Schedule a free 15-20 minute phone consultation today.