IFS Therapy is a non-pathologizing method to heal emotional wounds and integrate the distinct parts that compile the client’s internal system.

IFS is an experiential therapy, which means the best way to learn how it works is to try it and see.

My rational thinker clients tend to dislike hearing this, so I will do my best to explain. First, I will listen to you talk about an issue you want to work on. Then I will gently inquire more, opening pathways to deeper processing. I will use tools to allow you to connect with different parts of yourself from a place of self compassion.

Experiencing the transmission and reception of self compassion between you and the distinct parts of you that come up in our sessions will allow you to rewrite your relationship with yourself, opening doors to profound healing.

Clear as mud? To research more about IFS, I invite you to explore the IFS Institute website.

Many therapists claim to offer IFS therapy but have not been formally trained in the IFS model. If you want to try IFS, please check your therapist’s credentials and inquire where they acquired their IFS training and experience. An “IFS informed” therapist has not received formal training in IFS therapy.

Formal training in IFS through the IFS Institute involves over 90 hours of immersion into the IFS model through a combination of live demonstrations, supervised small-group practice sessions, case consultation, lectures, and readings. This formal training in IFS enables practitioners to take their clients deeper in their healing journey, explore and overcome barriers that may come up (whether internal or external), and reach a lasting place of resolution that carries forward into new experiences.

In addition, formal training equips the therapist to notice and process any parts of themselves that may arise in a therapy session with a client (such as a therapist’s part that relates too closely to a client’s experience, a part that feels anxiety or distress about other areas in the therapist’s life, or a part that wants to jump in and offer solutions before fully understanding a client’s problem). Formal IFS training teaches the therapist to manage these parts so they do not take over a session or distract from meeting the client’s therapeutic needs. Untrained IFS practitioners do not have the experience of exploring and processing their own parts in real time during practice therapy sessions under the supervision of skilled IFS practitioners. This training gap can lead to misattunement and interfere with a client’s healing.

I completed my IFS training through the IFS Institute. My training included a specific focus on how to adapt the IFS model to accommodate clients’ neurodiversity (including ADHD, Autism, AuDHD, and OCD), and how to approach clients’ dissociation during therapy sessions. Additionally, I receive ongoing consultation and supervision by formally trained and certified IFS therapists. My clients report profound healing through my use of the IFS model. If you are curious about how IFS can address your mental health needs, I invite you to reach out and schedule a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation.