IFS THERAPY
I practice a therapy called Internal Family Systems (IFS), which was developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz in the 1980s. Many expert therapists, including Dr. Bessel van der Kolk and Dr. Janina Fisher, hold IFS Therapy in high regard as a treatment for complex trauma.
IFS is a type of Ego State Therapy and is one of the most up-to-date, robust theories of personality. IFS Therapy has been an evidence-based psychotherapy since 2015 but has been developed and adapted since the 1980s into a therapeutic model in its own right. I use IFS both in person and for online therapy.
Parts work isn’t new. Psychotherapists have been using their own versions of ‘parts work’ long before IFS. Parts have been around since the beginning; the atoms that make up everything are made of parts, and they have existed longer than humans have. The concept of working with parts does not originate from the Western world, but IFS Therapy provides us with a ‘road map’ and a new way of working with people’s parts in the world of psychotherapy. Another way of thinking about 'parts of ourselves' might be ‘aspects’ or 'sides' of ourselves.
Because trauma is often such a complex and overwhelming field, we benefit from a map or a language to understand, process, and heal — IFS/Internal Family Systems and Ego State Therapy give us this.
IFS Therapy is particularly beneficial for people who are interested in making positive changes. IFS theory is based on the idea that everyone is made up of different ‘parts’ or 'aspects' of themselves. Just think of the times you’ve been in two minds about something, had an internal battle or conflict, or felt many different things at once. Feelings can chop and change when parts are active, and the mind can race with many different thoughts. Just like individuals, all parts can have their own emotions, behaviors, beliefs, and experiences.
Dr. Richard Schwartz’s IFS model works on the idea that we all have ‘parts’ of us that help us function. Parts are categorized into three groups, identified below, and there is also Self, which is the space in which ‘Parts’ exist. See which of these parts you can recognize in yourself:
Firefighters – Help you cope when you feel overwhelmed.
Firefighters tend to have high energy and often take over when you’re feeling overwhelmed. They are reactive and obsessive, quickly putting out the "fire" of emotion or crisis in different ways, such as dissociating or sending you to sleep.
Everyone has parts that react in the fight/flight/freeze/faint/fawn response. Some parts may turn to drugs, alcohol, food, obsessive behavior, hard work, or ‘working out’. They can also create pain as a distraction or an attempt to send you a message. Firefighters are the ultimate protectors. When they are doing their job, you may feel like you have no control over what is happening to you. You might observe yourself doing something.
Firefighters step in when stress is high and react quickly. Without them, we would be under immense stress, but they often don’t realize that what they do can sometimes create a threat to the system. Their focus is on getting the job done, and when they are working, they usually help us feel better or okay. Firefighters don’t deliberate or think much; they tend to foresee a threat and act fast.
Managers – They run the show most of the time, telling us what to do and doing a lot of thinking for us.
Managers are like your internal value system, and they likely guide your behavior. They try to tell you what you should do. They often “run the show,” trying to help you get through each day and each moment.
Managers may say things like, "Get up, go to work," "Don’t worry, just relax," "You made such a fool of yourself," "Do this," "Do that," "Go to therapy," "Don’t go to therapy," "Have a drink."
Managers are trying to help, but sometimes create conflict in the system, especially with Firefighters. Sometimes these parts work so hard for so long that they become ‘burdened’ with stress or exhaustion. Managers can also ‘pre-empt’ difficult situations, leading you to use ‘something’ as a way of coping (e.g., food, drugs, alcohol, work). Managers deliver internal messages every day, and if a Firefighter has taken over for a while, the managers typically return with criticism or shame. They often show up in our internal dialogue: "Look, you’ve done it again," "Next time, don’t be so…," or "It wasn’t that bad." These managing parts often need therapy themselves!
Exiles – Parts that have been hurt, rejected, and abandoned.
Exiles are younger, wounded parts that have been ‘exiled’ into the unconscious. These parts are frozen in time, often stemming from historical hurt, abandonment, and trauma. Managers and Firefighters exile these parts by denying them — for example, telling you, "Cheer up, it wasn’t that bad," or engaging in a behavior like drinking to numb the pain. As a child, we may learn to do things that help us avoid feeling, such as overeating or adopting certain behaviors. The exile becomes trapped in time, prevented from entering present-day awareness by the actions of the Managers and Firefighters. Sometimes, these parts bubble up through behaviors, dreams, emotions, ‘flashbacks,’ and physical symptoms.
Exiles need more than therapy — they need healing. They require a different experience, one that allows them to be released and kindly cared for in the present.
The Self – The space in which parts exist.The Self is not a part; it is the space inside which all parts exist. The Self simply is, without an agenda other than love and compassion for the parts and for others. The Self has very capable qualities.
Qualities of the Self:
In IFS Therapy, I will help you to identify and spot your ‘Parts’, help ‘un-blend’ from them, and work with them. I will guide you to heal and unburden these parts through your inner world Self, so you have access to more Self Energy (your best version of yourself). By practicing IFS Therapy, you’ll become more aware, clear, confident, calm, and your internal system will run more smoothly, so you’ll feel better.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Any therapist practicing IFS Therapy should have a minimum of a Level 1 Certification from The IFS Institute or IFS UK (which is part of The IFS Institute). I would recommend checking there to see if the therapist is listed and their level of training. Many therapists claim to practice IFS Therapy without adequate training or experience.
Furthermore, I recommend ensuring that anyone practicing IFS, or any type of mental health support, is a fully qualified, insured, and/or accredited mental health professional such as a counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist.
Typically, people seeking IFS Therapy have a complex trauma history and complex mental health systems, which is why I recommend someone with significant experience and training in counseling and psychotherapy.
The easiest way to verify this is to check through a professional/ethical body such as BACP, NCPS, UKCP, or BPS.
My Training and Experience
I am trained in IFS Levels 1, 2, 3 & Masterclasses (including IFS Informed-Dissociation) as well as many other therapies, including counseling and psychotherapy. Additionally, I have experience working with parts known as ‘Unattached Burdens’ and ‘Legacy Burdens’, which can be thought of as things we’ve inherited from others. For example, a person might say, "I’m anxious just like my mum and grandfather," or "I think just like my dad." Others may say something like, "There’s this part of me that isn’t like me at all."
I’ve been a therapist for a long time and have been using IFS Therapy since 2019. Before my IFS training, I practiced Person-Centered Therapy since 2005, along with other Ego State models. I have witnessed powerful transformations through IFS and somatic approaches, so now IFS and somatic therapies tend to be my main approaches, interwoven with regular psychotherapy methods. See all my experience and training here.
Every IFS Therapist Works Differently
If IFS therapy didn’t work out with one therapist, it doesn’t mean it won’t work with another. There are a myriad of reasons why it didn’t work for you, and it could simply be the way the therapist was working.
A lot of people struggle to access and work with their 'parts,' and sometimes more creative techniques are required. I have a number of ways to help you access and work with your parts — ways that are not necessarily taught in IFS training. Sometimes, ‘Pure IFS’ may not be enough.
An IFS Psychotherapist will help you work with your parts from the Self. IFS Therapy promotes healing from hurt and painful experiences from the inside, without “going there” until your system is ready. IFS can also give you a sense of more control, as if the parts no longer have control over you.
Unlike other therapies, IFS works with you and your parts, rather than against them. This is why therapies that don’t respect the system or parts often fail or result in relapse. You become the therapist to your parts, and that’s partly why IFS works so quickly and well.
I recommend 1.5-hour sessions for IFS therapy, as the extra time is needed to access parts, the Self, and to do the work with them. Regular IFS sessions (even fortnightly 1.5-hour sessions, as opposed to weekly 50-minute sessions) may be more cost-effective as they can get results more quickly. When healing takes place, it’s often permanent.
If you are not close to Liverpool and you would like to work with me online, you might also find my other website useful: Online IFS Therapy
IFS Therapy is a very thorough therapy. There are some key components of how IFS Therapy helps:
Whether you would like to work with me using exclusively IFS Therapy or an integrated approach underpinned by IFS theory, you are welcome to work with me.
IFS is a type of Ego State Therapy and is one of the most up-to-date, robust theories of personality. IFS Therapy has been an evidence-based psychotherapy since 2015 but has been developed and adapted since the 1980s into a therapeutic model in its own right. I use IFS both in person and for online therapy.
Parts work isn’t new. Psychotherapists have been using their own versions of ‘parts work’ long before IFS. Parts have been around since the beginning; the atoms that make up everything are made of parts, and they have existed longer than humans have. The concept of working with parts does not originate from the Western world, but IFS Therapy provides us with a ‘road map’ and a new way of working with people’s parts in the world of psychotherapy. Another way of thinking about 'parts of ourselves' might be ‘aspects’ or 'sides' of ourselves.
Because trauma is often such a complex and overwhelming field, we benefit from a map or a language to understand, process, and heal — IFS/Internal Family Systems and Ego State Therapy give us this.
IFS Therapy is particularly beneficial for people who are interested in making positive changes. IFS theory is based on the idea that everyone is made up of different ‘parts’ or 'aspects' of themselves. Just think of the times you’ve been in two minds about something, had an internal battle or conflict, or felt many different things at once. Feelings can chop and change when parts are active, and the mind can race with many different thoughts. Just like individuals, all parts can have their own emotions, behaviors, beliefs, and experiences.
Dr. Richard Schwartz’s IFS model works on the idea that we all have ‘parts’ of us that help us function. Parts are categorized into three groups, identified below, and there is also Self, which is the space in which ‘Parts’ exist. See which of these parts you can recognize in yourself:
Firefighters – Help you cope when you feel overwhelmed.
Firefighters tend to have high energy and often take over when you’re feeling overwhelmed. They are reactive and obsessive, quickly putting out the "fire" of emotion or crisis in different ways, such as dissociating or sending you to sleep.
Everyone has parts that react in the fight/flight/freeze/faint/fawn response. Some parts may turn to drugs, alcohol, food, obsessive behavior, hard work, or ‘working out’. They can also create pain as a distraction or an attempt to send you a message. Firefighters are the ultimate protectors. When they are doing their job, you may feel like you have no control over what is happening to you. You might observe yourself doing something.
Firefighters step in when stress is high and react quickly. Without them, we would be under immense stress, but they often don’t realize that what they do can sometimes create a threat to the system. Their focus is on getting the job done, and when they are working, they usually help us feel better or okay. Firefighters don’t deliberate or think much; they tend to foresee a threat and act fast.
Managers – They run the show most of the time, telling us what to do and doing a lot of thinking for us.
Managers are like your internal value system, and they likely guide your behavior. They try to tell you what you should do. They often “run the show,” trying to help you get through each day and each moment.
Managers may say things like, "Get up, go to work," "Don’t worry, just relax," "You made such a fool of yourself," "Do this," "Do that," "Go to therapy," "Don’t go to therapy," "Have a drink."
Managers are trying to help, but sometimes create conflict in the system, especially with Firefighters. Sometimes these parts work so hard for so long that they become ‘burdened’ with stress or exhaustion. Managers can also ‘pre-empt’ difficult situations, leading you to use ‘something’ as a way of coping (e.g., food, drugs, alcohol, work). Managers deliver internal messages every day, and if a Firefighter has taken over for a while, the managers typically return with criticism or shame. They often show up in our internal dialogue: "Look, you’ve done it again," "Next time, don’t be so…," or "It wasn’t that bad." These managing parts often need therapy themselves!
Exiles – Parts that have been hurt, rejected, and abandoned.
Exiles are younger, wounded parts that have been ‘exiled’ into the unconscious. These parts are frozen in time, often stemming from historical hurt, abandonment, and trauma. Managers and Firefighters exile these parts by denying them — for example, telling you, "Cheer up, it wasn’t that bad," or engaging in a behavior like drinking to numb the pain. As a child, we may learn to do things that help us avoid feeling, such as overeating or adopting certain behaviors. The exile becomes trapped in time, prevented from entering present-day awareness by the actions of the Managers and Firefighters. Sometimes, these parts bubble up through behaviors, dreams, emotions, ‘flashbacks,’ and physical symptoms.
Exiles need more than therapy — they need healing. They require a different experience, one that allows them to be released and kindly cared for in the present.
The Self – The space in which parts exist.The Self is not a part; it is the space inside which all parts exist. The Self simply is, without an agenda other than love and compassion for the parts and for others. The Self has very capable qualities.
Qualities of the Self:
- The 8 C's: Compassion, calm, clarity, confidence, connectedness, courage, creativity, and curiosity.
- The 5 P's in Self: Presence, persistence, perspective, playfulness, patience.
In IFS Therapy, I will help you to identify and spot your ‘Parts’, help ‘un-blend’ from them, and work with them. I will guide you to heal and unburden these parts through your inner world Self, so you have access to more Self Energy (your best version of yourself). By practicing IFS Therapy, you’ll become more aware, clear, confident, calm, and your internal system will run more smoothly, so you’ll feel better.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Any therapist practicing IFS Therapy should have a minimum of a Level 1 Certification from The IFS Institute or IFS UK (which is part of The IFS Institute). I would recommend checking there to see if the therapist is listed and their level of training. Many therapists claim to practice IFS Therapy without adequate training or experience.
Furthermore, I recommend ensuring that anyone practicing IFS, or any type of mental health support, is a fully qualified, insured, and/or accredited mental health professional such as a counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist.
Typically, people seeking IFS Therapy have a complex trauma history and complex mental health systems, which is why I recommend someone with significant experience and training in counseling and psychotherapy.
The easiest way to verify this is to check through a professional/ethical body such as BACP, NCPS, UKCP, or BPS.
My Training and Experience
I am trained in IFS Levels 1, 2, 3 & Masterclasses (including IFS Informed-Dissociation) as well as many other therapies, including counseling and psychotherapy. Additionally, I have experience working with parts known as ‘Unattached Burdens’ and ‘Legacy Burdens’, which can be thought of as things we’ve inherited from others. For example, a person might say, "I’m anxious just like my mum and grandfather," or "I think just like my dad." Others may say something like, "There’s this part of me that isn’t like me at all."
I’ve been a therapist for a long time and have been using IFS Therapy since 2019. Before my IFS training, I practiced Person-Centered Therapy since 2005, along with other Ego State models. I have witnessed powerful transformations through IFS and somatic approaches, so now IFS and somatic therapies tend to be my main approaches, interwoven with regular psychotherapy methods. See all my experience and training here.
Every IFS Therapist Works Differently
If IFS therapy didn’t work out with one therapist, it doesn’t mean it won’t work with another. There are a myriad of reasons why it didn’t work for you, and it could simply be the way the therapist was working.
A lot of people struggle to access and work with their 'parts,' and sometimes more creative techniques are required. I have a number of ways to help you access and work with your parts — ways that are not necessarily taught in IFS training. Sometimes, ‘Pure IFS’ may not be enough.
An IFS Psychotherapist will help you work with your parts from the Self. IFS Therapy promotes healing from hurt and painful experiences from the inside, without “going there” until your system is ready. IFS can also give you a sense of more control, as if the parts no longer have control over you.
Unlike other therapies, IFS works with you and your parts, rather than against them. This is why therapies that don’t respect the system or parts often fail or result in relapse. You become the therapist to your parts, and that’s partly why IFS works so quickly and well.
I recommend 1.5-hour sessions for IFS therapy, as the extra time is needed to access parts, the Self, and to do the work with them. Regular IFS sessions (even fortnightly 1.5-hour sessions, as opposed to weekly 50-minute sessions) may be more cost-effective as they can get results more quickly. When healing takes place, it’s often permanent.
If you are not close to Liverpool and you would like to work with me online, you might also find my other website useful: Online IFS Therapy
IFS Therapy is a very thorough therapy. There are some key components of how IFS Therapy helps:
- Accesses our deeper Self
- Releases energies
- Focusing
- Healing
- Inner child work - if you’ve struggled to get to your inner child, this is the therapy that will get you there!
- Memory re-consolidation
- Releases and heals trans-generational trauma
- Self-healing
- Shadow Work
- Somatic Work
- Talk Therapy
- Works with ‘defensive/protective parts’ not against
Whether you would like to work with me using exclusively IFS Therapy or an integrated approach underpinned by IFS theory, you are welcome to work with me.
Below is Dr. Richard Schwartz, founder of Internal Family Systems
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If you would like to read more about
IFS Therapy then this is a good place to
start:
IFS Therapy then this is a good place to
start:
