I’m excited to welcome fellow therapists who are using Internal Family Systems (IFS) with their clients. You might have mixed feelings about IFS because it’s so popular right now—some therapists have even called it a “cult.” I’m happy to say I’m a proud member, and I truly love this approach. It has helped me and my clients in powerful ways, but I also know it’s not easy to master.

If you’ve read any of Dr. Richard Schwartz’s books, you probably have ideas about how to talk with clients about their “parts.” Most clients can relate to having different parts inside them—like when one part wants something, but another part doesn’t. We all know that tug-of-war feeling. Schwartz first noticed this while working with people who had eating disorders. Part of them wanted to change their eating habits, while another part was deeply committed to keeping things the same. He saw this same pattern in many people: parts wanting opposite things, keeping them stuck and unable to move forward.

In my work with clients—and in my own IFS journey—I’ve focused on highly protective systems. These are parts that don’t follow the straightforward scripts in the books. In No Bad Parts, it can seem simple: you talk to a part, it responds, you help it unburden, and then healing follows. But in real life, many managers are complicated. They don’t want to show us their exiles. They don’t trust the therapist, fear interventions, expect punishment, and are still stuck in the fears of the original trauma. They believe even helpers could be harmful. They are wise protectors, guarding their territory with their lives, and they don’t simply open up because we know the IFS model.

Because of this, I believe we all need support from each other as therapists. We need safe spaces to talk about the challenges we face when applying IFS to help people befriend every part of themselves and find the harmony this work can bring.

I’m offering consultation groups for 8–12 people. Each group meets for 90 minutes. You’ll have the chance to talk about client work, but more importantly, you’ll have a safe place to explore your own internal barriers that may come up in sessions. I know that sometimes our struggles with clients aren’t about us—but often, when we feel safe enough to look inward, we discover things we wouldn’t have found on our own.

That’s why I’m creating this space for IFS therapists—to work on their clients’ healing and on their own growth. If you feel inspired to join, click here for the next steps.