What Is IFS Therapy? Understanding Parts Work

If you’ve ever thought, “Part of me wants this, but another part of me absolutely doesn’t,” you already have some sense of what parts work is about. Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy offers a way of understanding these different parts of ourselves with curiosity rather than judgment. Instead of trying to get rid of the anxious part, the critical part, the overwhelmed part, or the part that wants to shut everything down, we begin by getting to know what those parts are trying to do for us.
​

What Is IFS Therapy?
​

Internal Family Systems therapy is based on the idea that we all have different parts within us, each with its own feelings, beliefs, needs, and ways of responding. Some parts work hard to keep life under control. Others may carry fear, shame, grief, anger, or experiences from the past. Even the parts that create difficulties often developed their strategies for a reason.
IFS therapy helps us slow down and become curious about these different parts instead of fighting with them. As we understand what a part is protecting—and what it might need—there can be more room for choice, compassion, and connection within ourselves.

What Is Parts Work?
​

Parts work is a broader way of describing therapy that recognizes we can have different inner experiences at the same time. You might have a part that wants connection and another that pulls away, a part that knows you’re safe and another that still feels threatened, or a part that wants change while another is afraid of what change might mean.
Rather than seeing these contradictions as something wrong with you, parts work invites us to listen to them. Often, the reactions that seem frustrating or confusing make more sense when we understand what they have been trying to protect us from.
IFS is one approach to parts work. In my practice, I also integrate parts work with somatic and expressive approaches, which means we may pay attention not only to thoughts and emotions, but also to what you notice in your body, imagery, movement, creativity, or other ways your internal experience communicates.

What Can IFS and Parts Work Help With?
​

IFS and parts work can be especially helpful when you understand something logically but still find yourself reacting in ways that don’t seem to match what you know. You might recognize that you’re safe and still feel anxious, know that you deserve rest and still feel guilty when you slow down, or want closeness while noticing another part of you pulling away.
Parts work can be used to explore experiences related to trauma, anxiety, depression, relationships, self-criticism, perfectionism, people-pleasing, boundaries, and feeling stuck in patterns that are difficult to change.
The goal isn’t to eliminate the parts of you that struggle. It’s to understand them, help them feel less alone in what they’ve been carrying, and create more space for you to respond rather than automatically react.

Can I Do IFS Therapy Online in Utah?
​

​Yes. I offer online IFS-informed therapy and parts work for adults throughout Utah. Telehealth can work especially well with parts work because you’re able to explore your internal experience from the privacy and familiarity of your own space.
Sessions can include conversation, but they don’t have to rely on words alone. Depending on what feels supportive, we may incorporate body awareness, imagery, expressive arts, or other experiential approaches to help you connect with what different parts of you are communicating.

Interested in Exploring Parts Work?
​

You don’t have to have your inner world figured out before beginning therapy. In fact, curiosity about why different parts of you respond the way they do can be a meaningful place to start.
If you’re interested in learning more about how I use Internal Family Systems and parts work in therapy, you can read more about my approach to IFS and Parts Work in Utah.