What Is IFS Therapy and How Does It Actually Work

You may have heard the term Internal Family Systems thrown around in therapy circles, on podcasts, or in the books you’ve been reading. But what does it actually mean, and what does it look like to do this work?

IFS was developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz and is based on a simple but profound idea: You are not one single self.

You are made up of many parts, each with its own perspective, history, and way of trying to help you. The part that overachieves. The part that worries. The part that shuts down when things get hard. These are not defects. They are not bad. They are protective strategies that developed for good reasons, usually early in life.

Underneath all of those parts is what IFS calls the Self. Calm, curious, compassionate, and clear.

The goal of IFS is not to get rid of your difficult parts but to build a relationship with them so they no longer have to work so hard. When parts feel truly understood, they relax. And you get more access to the Self that was there all along.

In a session this might look like slowing down to notice what is happening inside you in real time. Getting curious about a part that keeps showing up. Asking it what it is afraid of, what it is protecting, and what it has been carrying. It is gentle work, but it goes deep.

Many of my clients in California come to IFS after years of talk therapy, self-help books, and personal growth work. They understand themselves well. What they are looking for is something that creates actual change, not just more insight. IFS tends to be that thing.

If you are curious about working with an IFS therapist in California, I offer online sessions throughout the state. You can learn more and get started here.