Internal Family Systems Therapy
in Ohio
What is Internal Family Systems Therapy?
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an evidence-based, holistic psychotherapy and coaching model that promotes a non-pathologizing approach to gaining confidence, clarity, and peace within yourself.
Is IFS right for me?
IFS-informed therapy in Dublin, Ohio is shown to be helpful for reducing symptoms of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and pain. It’s also helpful for regulating emotions, improving relationships, and improving problem-solving skills. It can be used to address specific issues or recurrent patterns of behavior.
An individual approach
Although the name includes the word “family,” IFS is an individual therapy. IFS holds the view that each one of us naturally has many “parts.” Each of these parts are viewed as subpersonalities - each with its own unique strengths, goals, memories, motivations, wisdom, maturity, and behaviors. According to IFS, how we get along with different parts of ourselves depends on our internal leadership skills, known in IFS as the Self. It is the Self that can heal the other parts of us.
What is the goal of IFS?
IFS seeks to help people increase their internal leadership skills - their sense of Self - and develop more compassion for the inner, wounded parts that are harder to love. IFS focuses on the relationship between your Self and your parts. The goal is to create a trusting relationship between Self and each part so that you can feel more connected and less inner turmoil.
Does IFS involve my family?
No, IFS focuses on your internal system as a whole - you and all of your own parts!
Understand your inner world & build self compassion with IFS
What are “parts” in Internal Family Systems?
Parts are responsible for our beliefs and behaviors. Protective parts step in and operate for the Self when there is hurt and trauma.
IFS holds that parts generally fall into three categories: Exiles (younger, wounded parts, typically from childhood, that carry our pains and frustrations); Managers (functional, protective parts that operate in a preventative role to protect us from experiencing the exiles’ pain); and Firefighters (reactive, protective parts that operate in a destructive or distracting role to protect us from experiencing the exiles’ pain). All parts of you are welcome here!
No bad parts
A key tenet of IFS is that there are no bad parts of us. We may not like the behavior of some of our parts, but the part itself is not bad - in fact, it has a positive intention for the person! Where do parts come from in IFS? Read more here.
What is the Self in IFS?
The Self is the internal leader, the core being of You. The Self in IFS possesses qualities of calmness, curiosity, confidence, courage, compassion, clarity, connectedness, and creativity. IFS holds that we function best when we have greater qualities of Self present, and when the Self is the one leading our lives, not our parts.
Protective Parts in IFS
A large part of IFS focuses on understanding your protective responses as “parts,” and building a new relationship with these protective parts focused on curiosity. Protective parts are often the ways you’ve learned to cope with the world and survive. Oftentimes, tension arises when we find ourselves outgrowing these protective strategies, yet we can’t seem to stop. Protective parts may show up as perfectionism, over-functioning, people pleasing, over-eating, over-spiritualizing, self sabotage, anger, or chronic pain.
How do we use Internal Family Systems at Sea Glass?
INTENSIVE EMDR + IFS
Incorporating IFS techniques with Intensive EMDR therapy makes for a rich therapeutic experience. We may spend some time getting to know your protective parts as part of our EMDR work together.
IFS-INFORMED THERAPY
Some clients want only IFS work, no EMDR. Together we can explore the ways you've learned to cope with past pain, repair the harmful messages you’ve internalized, and develop compassion for yourself.
Get a taste of IFS with our signature 4-week virtual workshop
Guided by an experienced IFS-informed therapist, this intimate workshop is the perfect blend of education + exercises to allow you to build self-compassion and self-awareness using Internal Family Systems.
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