You deserve to define your own path towards healing.
We are committed to providing holistic, comprehensive, individualized, trauma-informed approaches to healing and well-being. One approach that we use in therapy is called Internal Family Systems, or IFS. This page will share a general overview of IFS and how it might support you on your healing journey.
Internal Family Systems Therapy
Any of this sound familiar?
A part of you believes you need to be perfect, do perfect, show up perfectly … all. of. the. time.
Another part of you is harshly critical, pointing out all of the ways it believes you are falling short.
A part of you feels rejected and inadequate, and just wants to give up - making it hard to focus or pay attention to anything at all.
Then there is a part of you feels deeply hurt and scared, burdened with beliefs of not being good enough.
It can feel overwhelming to have so many contradictory thoughts and feelings present at the same time - like an inner battler that just won’t settle.
Dominant culture tells you that you need to just change your thoughts, reject and reframe them, or banish this part of yourself.
But every one of these parts of you belongs, has a place in your inner ecology, and has come into its current role with positive intentions to help you navigate the world, protect you, and ensure your survival.
The good new is that you can come to better understand these parts of yourself, learn their origin stories, and - when needed - shift into a new way of being.
ALL PARTS ARE WELCOME
Image: Brea Youngblood
IFS is a model that supports you in befriending all the different parts of yourself, which allows you to heal old wounds, transform old patterns, and reconnect with and live from your most authentic Self.
IFS is deep inner work that goes to the root of healing.
Image: Brea Youngblood
What is IFS therapy?
Internal Family Systems (IFS), also referred to as “parts work”, is an empowering, compassionate, holistic, intuitive, non-pathologizing, non-shaming integrative approach to therapy.
IFS a powerfully transformative, evidenced-based model of psychotherapy developed by Richard C. Schwartz that works to heal trauma, attachment wounds, shame, self-criticism, and much more.
This approach offers a new way of being in the world. IFS supports you in developing a more compassionate and caring relationship with yourself, others, and the world.
IFS is grounded in the premise that the mind contains multiplicity- meaning that you can have many different (even sometimes conflicting) thoughts, feelings, sensations, impulses (all known as “parts” in IFS language) all at the same time, and that every part is inherently valuable and well-intentioned - even the ones that bring pain and suffering.
Most of us can immediately think of a time when we felt conflicting parts at play. Think about the number of times you have thought “a part of me thinks/feels _____, while another part of me thinks/feels _______”? Both can feel very true, even though they are opposite.
How does IFS work?
IFS is rooted in mindfulness and self-compassion, and aims to cultivate a greater degree of self-awareness and self-knowing.
As awareness builds and you become more embodied and able to be in relationship with the different parts of yourself, deep healing and transformation can occur.
This increased self-awareness leads to greater nervous system regulation which inevitably improves all other aspects of your life.
In IFS the “family system” refers to the internal family system of parts that lives inside each us. The internal family of parts can often mirror the external family of origin, so IFS can support you in learning more about how different patterns have come to be.
IFS seeks to understand why you feel the way you do, why you think the way you do, why you feel the way you do.
IFS focuses on getting to know these different “parts” of you, and how these different parts create your inner ecology, with a focus on learning how protective parts have created adaptations and survival responses to support you in navigating your world and caring for the wounds that have been experienced throughout life.
As you offer these protective parts curiosity, compassion and understanding - you create a felt sense of safety inside, which allows your authentic, core Self to emerge and lead.
This is what allows you to have more access to your internal wisdom and your innate capacity to heal - your Self-healing energy.
IFS is inherently somatic in its approach. It creates a container for inner work that goes to the root of the issue, and creates a path for lasting healing and transformation.
Image: Brea Youngblood
The ultimate goal of IFS is to guide you on the journey of returning home to yourself - to reconnect with your authentic Self which is the unburdened, intuitive, compassionate, essence of every individual.
Meet Our IFS Therapists
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Kelly Caul, MSW, LCSW, SEP (she/her)
IFS guides you to become your own healer, therapist, loving parent - so that you have the practices that you need to return safely to your body, be in relationship with your nervous system, heal past wounds, cultivate more harmony and balance within, and create the life you have been longing for.
All Parts Are Welcome
In IFS all parts are welcome, which means we compassionately meet every part of you exactly where you are - even the parts that are complicating your life or bringing pain.
We work with your inner critic, inner rebel, inner judge, anxiety, depression, the controller, inner perfectionist, inner teenager, and all other parts of you that have developed along the years.
Some of these parts might have gotten stuck carrying the burdens of harsh beliefs or stressful/traumatic memories, while other parts might have taken on protective roles to try and help you feel better along the way (over-eater, inner critic, controller, addict, anxiety, people-pleaser).
Different from other approaches that might try to fight, eliminate or reframe “negative” thoughts and emotions, with IFS we welcome all parts of you with curiosity and compassion.
Rather than seeing an individual with disorders or conditions that need to be “fixed”, we view symptoms as parts.
We trust that there is a reason that each part feels the way that it does. We seek to understand and appreciate their intention to help and protect, and we seek to listen to what needs are being communicated.
With this approach, we seek to foster a trusting and secure relationship with each part (cultivating secure attachment internally), and then find ways to release the burdens that the part has been carrying so that it can return to its natural way of being.
IFS is relational work -it cultivates a loving relationship between Self and all the other parts.
Self
IFS works from the core belief that every individual has a core Self - a deeply wise, compassionate, calm, courageous core of who you truly are - your core essence.
Your core Self is something you are born with - and that there is nothing that you have to do to build up or cultivate your Self, and that nothing that you every do or go through can destroy the Self.
The Self embodies qualities such as confidence, calmness, clarity, curiosity, creativity, courage, compassion and connectedness - the 8 C’s of Self-energy.
Your core Self also knows how to heal your inner wounds, - it is the healing essence of your being. and is what returns you to feeling more whole and integrated.
When a person is Self-led they experience harmony, peace and their internal system is in balance.
When trauma occurs the Self can become blended or in conflict with other parts, resulting in inner tension.
The conflict between parts is one reason people may experience challenges with their physical, mental, emotional, and relational wellbeing
Parts
In addition to your core Self, everyone is also made up of many different “parts” that emerge from our subconscious and make up who you are - emotions, thoughts, sensations, all with their own unique role and purpose.
As a part of our inner ecology, we all have parts of us whose role it is to keep us safe, and we also have parts of us that carry painful memories.
When adverse life events or traumatic experiences happen, parts can feel forced into extreme protective roles - that serve a purpose of protection at the time the role was taken on. Sometimes these protective roles can also cause unhealthy or painful outcomes. These protective roles can also outlive their usefulness.
Each part has its own perspective, feelings, goals, motivations, intentions. Just as was portrayed for us in the Disney film Inside Out.
When parts are in conflict with one another it can feel overwhelming and uncomfortable. We might easily override parts of ourselves, dismiss them, or we might feel like we have a battle going on inside of us. IFS therapy helps you to understand and support these different parts of you in order to create a more integrated internal experience.
The goal of IFS is to have all parts trust in Self, heal emotional wounds, let go of extreme roles, and feel an inner sense of balance and harmony.
This approach to healing focuses on fostering self-awareness, self-compassion, and self-acceptance.
Benefits of IFS
Self-Awareness - develop a deep understanding of all the different parts of yourself
Self-Acceptance - view your ‘symptoms’ as natural reactions to stress, trauma, and the abnormal circumstances you are living in - rather than a pathologizing diagnosis
Self-Understanding - come to know why you feel the way you feel, think the way you think, behave the way you behave
Self-Compassion - relate to all parts of yourself with an open-heart, curiosity, compassion, and care - without judgment or shame
Mindfulness - learn to be more mindful throughout your day
Develop Self-Nurturing Practices - become nurturing to the parts within that need care, and to the parts that have moved into overwhelm
Trauma Healing - effectively care for, heal, and nurture your inner hurts and wounds
Empowerment - as you deepen your connection to Self, you are able to live a more authentic life
Return to Self-Leadership - uncover your inner strength, clarity, courage, creativity, as you cultivate harmony among all parts of your inner ecology
Reclaim Your Personal Power - build confidence and show up in your power
Befriend Your Inner World - re/learn to attune to and befriend your thoughts, emotions, and sensations with acceptance and compassion
Restore Inner Harmony - heal your internal wounds and restore balance to your inner world
Embodiment - reconnect with your body and create an inner sense of safety
Improved Relationships - learn how to show up in your relationships in the most authentic way
IFS was originally developed to treat mental health issues including trauma and PTSD, eating disorders, and substance abuse, but has since been found to be highly effective in supporting individuals with :
perfectionism
inner criticism
anxiety, panic, stress
self-harm, suicidal thoughts
depression
bipolar
low self-esteem
attachment issues
complex trauma
body image issues
interpersonal relationship issues
