Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapeutic approach that helps individuals understand and heal the different “parts” or sub-personalities within themselves. Developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, IFS views the mind as made up of various parts, each with its own thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. These parts often emerge in response to life experiences, particularly traumatic or challenging ones. By exploring and healing these parts, IFS helps you cultivate self-compassion, emotional balance, and inner harmony.
What is Internal Family Systems?
Internal Family Systems is based on the idea that everyone has different parts within them, such as the “inner critic,” the “people pleaser,” or the “wounded child.” Each part has its own voice, needs, and role. Sometimes these parts can come into conflict, creating emotional distress or confusion. IFS therapy helps you identify and understand these parts and guides them towards harmony.
At the centre of the IFS model is the Self, a core part of you that is wise, compassionate, and capable of leading the other parts. The goal of IFS is to allow the Self to guide your internal system, helping wounded or defensive parts to heal and become integrated.
To learn more about the foundation of IFS, visit the IFS Institute.
How Internal Family Systems Works
In Internal Family Systems, the therapy process involves getting to know your internal parts and understanding their roles and motivations. Through guided self-exploration, you will become aware of how certain parts may be protective or reactive due to past experiences. The therapist helps you engage with these parts in a compassionate and non-judgemental way, allowing healing to occur.
Key principles of IFS include:
- Identifying Parts: Recognising the different parts of your personality and how they function in your life.
- Building Relationships with Parts: Engaging with these parts to understand their needs, fears, and roles.
- Restoring Balance: Allowing the core Self to take leadership, promoting harmony and healing among the parts.
Benefits of Internal Family Systems
IFS is particularly effective for individuals who have experienced trauma, anxiety, or emotional conflict. By addressing each part with compassion, IFS helps reduce internal conflict, fosters self-understanding, and promotes healing. This approach encourages self-compassion and empowers you to take control of your emotional world, leading to greater inner peace and balance.
Why Choose Restorative Counselling for Internal Family Systems?
At Restorative Counselling, I offer Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy in a compassionate and supportive environment. My goal is to help you explore the different parts of yourself and restore balance, allowing your Self to take charge. Through this process, we can work together to heal emotional wounds, reduce inner conflict, and create a sense of inner harmony.
If you’re ready to explore how Internal Family Systems can help you achieve emotional healing and balance, contact me today to learn more. Together, we can work towards building a more peaceful and integrated self.
FAQs
Counselling works best when you recognise that you’re struggling and can no longer continue as you are, and you want to make changes in your life but don’t know how. Sometimes, it may feel almost impossible to know what these changes should be. Often, the insights that arise are created during sessions through deep discussions and are developed between sessions.
Counselling can be challenging, as it may bring old memories, feelings, and past hurts to the surface. However, sharing these thoughts and feelings will give you a clearer understanding of why they still cause you pain, an ability to reduce that pain, and even help you find healing from those experiences.
I offer a Humanistic Integrative approach in a person-centred way. This means that we focus on you as an individual, working with your agenda, allowing you to explore those difficult memories and feelings. I use a combination of approaches to suit your individual needs because I believe one size does not fit all. We are all unique.
This is entirely up to you and something we can discuss during our initial consultation. Sometimes, starting with six sessions can be beneficial, and during these sessions, we can review whether you would like to continue or terminate them. Short-term counselling can be helpful during an immediate crisis to support you through it.
Long-term counselling allows for a deeper exploration of your problems, helping you understand how they affect you and where they stem from. We can start with weekly sessions and later move to fortnightly or every three weeks, depending on the situation and what would benefit you. Remember, this is your decision. At the end, we can have a final review and look at ways to help you move forward in your life, making the transition as safe and comfortable as possible.
Often, you will know when your counselling is nearing its end. You will feel more confident and at peace within yourself, and the memories will not cause you as much pain. You will be able to reflect on them in a way that no longer distresses you. We will discuss how you would like to conclude the counselling process.
We can have a final review a few weeks after counselling ends to see how you have been coping and how you’ve incorporated these changes into your daily life.
I currently charge £50 per session. I also offer concessions for those in need and will try to match your income, as I understand that affording regular counselling can be challenging.
For students studying for their Diploma or another qualification who need hours towards their personal counselling, I also offer a concession if needed.
Your first appointment may seem daunting, but it’s an opportunity for us to meet and get to know each other. We can then discuss how we can best work together and how I may be able to help you.
I also offer a free 20-minute phone call to briefly discuss the therapy and how we can begin.
