Helping You Meet the Many Parts of You—with Compassion

At CARE Counseling, Inc., we believe healing begins when we stop asking “What’s wrong with me?” and start asking “What does this part of me need?” Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) offers a powerful framework for understanding the human mind—not as a singular voice, but as an internal system made up of multiple parts, each with a role, a story, and a purpose.

IFS is a compassionate, non-pathologizing, evidence-informed model that helps clients move from inner chaos to inner connection in ways that other models cannot. This model gets to the root of the matter. Whether you’re navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, relational struggles, or simply feeling fragmented, IFS therapy can help you come home to your whole self.

What Is Internal Family Systems (IFS)?

Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) is a structured psychotherapy model developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz in the 1980s. It is grounded in the belief that every person contains a system of “parts”—distinct subpersonalities or internal roles that interact in a way similar to a family.

Key concepts:

• Parts: Distinct voices or inner experiences within us (e.g., the inner critic, the worrier, the avoider). All parts are inherently good and serve a protective or adaptive function.

• Self: The core, centered, wise presence within each person that is naturally compassionate, curious, calm, and connected.

• Internal System: A dynamic interplay of parts, some in harmony and others in conflict, often shaped by past trauma or relational wounds.
  

IFS helps clients develop a relationship with their parts, release extreme roles, and restore internal harmony by increasing access to the Self.

Scientific and Clinical Foundations

IFS has been recognized by the National Registry for Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP):

• Complex and developmental trauma (C-PTSD)

• Anxiety and depression

• Eating disorders

• Substance use disorders

• Relational and attachment wounds

• Self-esteem and identity challenges, etc.

Recent clinical studies suggest IFS increases emotional regulation, decreases PTSD symptoms, and enhances self-compassion. It is also being adapted for group therapy, couples therapy, and trauma-informed somatic work.

A Social and Systemic Lens

At CARE Counseling, Inc., we recognize that parts don’t form in a vacuum. They’re shaped by:

• Family systems and early attachment patterns

• Cultural expectations, racial identity, and gender roles

• Societal oppression, shame, and survival-based adaptation

• Intergenerational trauma and community-based stress

IFS therapy offers a non-blaming, systemic perspective—helping individuals understand how protective parts formed in response to painful environments. The model fosters inner safety, which can ripple into interpersonal healing and social justice resilience.

What Does an IFS Session Look Like?

IFS sessions are client-led and paced around curiosity, trust, and attunement. Your therapist may guide you to:

• Identify and describe specific parts (e.g., “the part that shuts down when I feel criticized”)

• Learn how these parts protect you or carry pain

• Build compassionate relationships between parts and Self

• Help wounded parts unburden trauma and find new roles

• Create a felt sense of wholeness and internal alignment

Rather than “fixing” or “fighting” internal experiences, IFS invites you to listen and heal in a new way.

Why IFS Works

• It’s non-pathologizing – All parts are welcome; there are no “bad” parts.

• It’s trauma-informed – Healing is guided by the system’s natural intelligence.

• It promotes self-leadership – Clients become their own inner healers.

• It supports lasting change – When parts are healed, they no longer need to act in extreme ways.

• It integrates well – IFS can be combined with EMDR, somatic work, Brainspotting, and other modalities.

Our IFS-Trained Therapists at CARE Counseling, Inc.

Our clinicians are trained in the IFS model and integrate it into individual, couples, and family therapy. Whether you’re navigating:

• Trauma

• Identity development

• Emotional reactivity

• Relationship challenges

• Self-sabotaging cycles

We are here to support you in developing a deeper, more compassionate relationship with your inner world and change.

There is nothing wrong with you. There are just parts of you that need to be heard, held, and healed with the support of an experienced IFS therapist.