Therapy Approach

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

There is no part of you that is bad, broken, or needs to be eliminated. Every part developed for a reason. IFS therapy helps you get curious about all of them, so that you can finally feel at home.

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What Is IFS?

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapy model developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz that sees the mind as naturally made up of multiple parts, each with their own feelings, beliefs, and protective roles. Rather than treating difficult emotions or behaviours as problems to be fixed, IFS approaches them with curiosity, asking what each part is trying to do and what it might need.

At the centre of IFS is the concept of the Self, a calm, compassionate core that exists in everyone. The goal of therapy is not to create the Self, but to help it lead, so your parts no longer have to carry such heavy burdens alone.

The core idea

Every part of you, including the inner critic, the people pleaser, and the part that shuts down, developed to protect you. IFS helps you understand what each part is carrying and offer it something better than the job it has been doing.

What makes it different

IFS does not pathologize. There are no bad parts. This approach is deeply non-shaming, which makes it particularly effective for people who have struggled with self-criticism, shame, or feeling fundamentally flawed.

What IFS Helps With

Because IFS works with the underlying structure of how we protect ourselves from pain, it is effective across a wide range of experiences:

Trauma and PTSD

Shame and self-criticism

Anxiety and inner conflict

Depression and emotional numbness

Low self-esteem and unworthiness

People-pleasing and perfectionism

Eating and body image concerns

Relationship and attachment patterns

Feeling at war with yourself

Difficulty with self-compassion

Is IFS Right for Me?

IFS tends to resonate deeply with people who have a rich inner life and who are curious about themselves. Here are some things to consider:

It may be a good fit if

You often feel conflicted or pulled in different directions
You have a harsh inner critic you cannot seem to quiet
You carry shame or feel fundamentally flawed
You want a gentle, non-shaming approach to deep work
You are curious about understanding your inner world

Things to discuss first

Significant dissociation
Preference for a purely skills-based approach
Current crisis needing immediate stabilization

Curious whether IFS might be right for you? Book a free consultation and we can explore it together.

Frequently Asked Questions About IFS

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapy model developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz that views the mind as made up of multiple parts, each with their own feelings, beliefs, and roles. Rather than trying to eliminate difficult parts like the inner critic or the part that feels shame, IFS helps you develop a compassionate relationship with all of them, led by your core Self.

Most people instinctively understand the idea of parts. You might notice one part of you wants to reach out to someone, while another part holds back. One part feels confident at work while another feels like a fraud. IFS gives language and structure to these inner experiences and helps you work with them rather than against them.

In IFS, the Self is your core essence, the calm, curious, compassionate centre that exists in everyone regardless of their history or trauma. It is not something you need to create. It is already there. The goal of IFS is to help your Self lead, so that your parts no longer have to work so hard to protect you.

No. Having parts in the IFS sense is a normal feature of human psychology, not a disorder. Everyone has an inner critic, a people pleaser, a part that shuts down under stress. IFS simply gives these experiences a name and a framework for working with them compassionately.

IFS sessions are often described as surprisingly gentle and even peaceful. Rather than pushing into difficult material, the process involves getting curious about different parts of your experience with warmth and without judgment. Many people find it feels quite different from traditional talk therapy.

Yes. I offer IFS therapy virtually to anyone located in Ontario. The introspective nature of IFS actually lends itself well to online sessions, and many clients find working from home supports a greater sense of ease and safety.

Every Part of You Deserves Compassion

Even the parts that have caused you the most trouble were trying to help. IFS offers a way to finally make peace with your whole self. I would love to explore it with you.