Internal Family Systems (IFS)

I completed my Level 1 training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) through the IFS Institute, the organization founded by Richard Schwartz, PhD, who developed the model. IFS is grounded in the idea that our systems are made up of multiple "parts," such as  protective parts that keep us safe through strategies like control, avoidance, or perfectionism, and wounded or exiled parts that carry pain from earlier experiences. At the center of every person is what IFS calls the Self: a core of calm, clarity, curiosity, and compassion that's always accessible, even when it's hard to feel. Rather than trying to eliminate or override any part of you, IFS work is about building a relationship with your parts from that Self-led place, so they can soften their extreme roles and you can move through life with more internal cohesion and less internal conflict.

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How I integrate IFS with somatic and trauma-focused work

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IFS pairs naturally with the other modalities I use, because parts don't just live in the mind, they live in the body.

• With Somatic Experiencing (SE): SE helps track how a part's activation shows up physiologically, tension, bracing, collapse, a held breath, and supports the nervous system in completing protective responses that got interrupted. Using IFS and SE together means a part isn't just understood conceptually; its felt sense in the body is honored and given room to discharge and settle.

• With EMDR: When a part is holding a specific memory or cluster of memories, IFS can help identify and build trust with that part before reprocessing begins, so the work feels more resourced and less overwhelming. EMDR's bilateral stimulation can then support the part in moving stuck material toward resolution, with Self staying present throughout.

• With Brainspotting: Brainspotting uses eye position to access where activation is held in the brain and body, often bypassing the need for a part to be verbally understood before it can process. This can be especially useful for parts that are pre-verbal, deeply exiled, or hard to access through talk alone. Brainspotting lets the body lead while IFS provides the relational container of Self-led curiosity and care.

In practice, this means our work together isn't locked into one modality. I move fluidly between approaches based on what a session and your system calls for, always working to build trust between your parts and your Self, and to help your nervous system feel safe enough to heal.