What is IFS therapy about?

Internal Family Systems (IFS) was founded by Dr. Richard Schwartz Ph.D., and is over 30 years old. It is used around the world, and is helping to transform the way thousands of professionals approach mental health. Though Dr. Schwartz was originally trained as a family therapist, IFS isn’t actually about “families” as we think of them. IFS works with the family-like system of parts that makes up the human psyche. For example “I want cake!” is not the same part as “Let’s go to the gym.” According to IFS, both parts are trying to “help” us be safe in their own way. While undesirable behavior is frequently pathologized today, IFS is teaching us to view our parts with compassion and understanding. We become familiar with our parts, and work through a therapeutic process that allows our parts to heal, and to “help” in ways that are no longer frozen the in the past, but are responsive to the present.

A short description of IFS by Dr. Richard Schwartz

Are you a therapist?

I am a mental health practitioner. Choosing not to have a license means that legally, I cannot call myself a therapist. I received my Level #1 IFS training through the IFS Institute, and my Instinctive Trauma Response training through the ITR Training Institute. I have been actively involved in 12-Step programs for 35 years. Like other health professionals, my education is on-going. I select the training I feel is most relevant to the well being of my clients. I have regular consultations with an experienced IFS advisor. A core part of my education is personal IFS therapy. I can work with clients in any state or country. Though I am not legally required to follow the NASW Code of Ethics, I find it to be wise and reasonable and have adopted it in total for my private practice. I am deeply grateful for the leadership of mental healers that have come before me, both licensed and non-licensed.

How long will this take?

That’s a good question (as all questions are). As expected – the partial answer is “it depends, ” on your experience, your goals, and how ready your system is for change. Typically, the ideal pace is one session a week, with simple homework between sessions. Both IFS and ITR (my secondary method), are results-oriented. They are not about attempting to mute or mitigate the effects of trauma, but rather they seek to find and heal the root cause of the discomfort. My experience is that my clients begin to see shifts within weeks of starting IFS, though sessions continue for months as we find and work through areas of healing. To be clear, my approach is slow, careful, and respectful of each person’s “internal environment.” I like to tell my clients that “slow is fast, but fast is slow.” I start with new clients by reviewing their goals and creating a list of objectives. Though the path is non-linear, objectives are achieved so that before and after are markedly different. The greater the harm one has experienced, the more patience one needs to stay the course, building the needed trust to go forward.

Will you keep my information private?

Yes. The security of your information is a priority for me. Healing is thwarted when we don’t feel safe sharing our stories and thoughts. Trust is intrinsic to recovery. My practice is HIPAA compliant. This means, for example, that I have a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with Zoom, and that my Practice Management System (PMS) keeps all documentation and personal information secure. You can read more about my privacy agreements in my online intake forms.

Do we meet in person or on line?

Currently, I provide all my sessions on line using Zoom meetings. While this method is proving to be effective and flexible, I may eventually consider providing some sessions in person.

What is ITR?

Instinctive Trauma Response (ITR) is a form of trauma therapy that uses images and story-telling to connect pathways in the brain that have been interrupted by trauma. ITR can work with both single incidents and complex trauma. In my practice, ITR does not replace IFS, though I have found ITR to be extremely effective in certain situations. When the brain is triggered, and/or stuck in fight, flight, or freeze mode this trauma mode creates agitation and confusion. ITR can help clients reconnect to their executive functioning (frontal lobe), often in a matter of hours. The relief can be miraculous. Getting out of what I call “trauma mode” leaves one in a better state to do other healing work using IFS.
(ITR is a much broader discipline than I describe here. This represents my choice of use.)