What is IFS therapy?

IFS (Internal Family Systems) was developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz and focuses on understanding and healing the different parts of a person's internal system, often referred to as "parts."

The therapy mission: to get inner vision.

The central concept in IFS is the "Self," which represents the core, compassionate, and wise aspect of an individual. The goal is to help the Self take on the role of leader and guide the other parts toward healing and cooperation.

Our Parts

  • Manager parts are responsible for maintaining order and control in our lives. They take on a proactive role to prevent emotional pain, stress, or chaos. Managers try to keep emotions in check, plan for the future, or act as a caretaker for other parts.

  • Firefighters feel compelled into their behavior. Firefighter parts employ various coping mechanisms like overeating, substance abuse, self-harm, impulsive actions, or other forms of escapism. The goal of these behaviors is to protect the individual from overwhelming emotional pain.

  • Exile parts hold emotional pain, trauma, and unresolved issues from our past. They are parts of the psyche that carry hurt, fear, sadness, and other distressing emotions resulting from past experiences. They may carry memories of past traumas, neglect, or significant life events that have left emotional scars.

Your Exile NeedsYou

In order to protect ourselves from feeling intense and painful emotions, the internal system often pushes exile parts out of conscious awareness. 

Although exile parts are suppressed, they can still have a significant impact on an individual's behavior, emotions, and relationships. Unresolved issues stored within exiles can influence patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior, often leading to emotional struggles.

Self: The Youest You

  • Beneath all our parts is the ever constant Self. It’s the most authentic, stable part of a person's internal system. It’s the “you” that is compassionate, calm, and curious. Don’t believe you have it? Trust me, you do. I have never met a client who didn’t.

Some Bravery Required

IFS therapy isn’t easy. Most of the time, our minds do an excellent job of tuning out our distress. They come up with constant solutions and distractions. IFS therapy helps look past the solution and distraction to the root cause which is often pain and heartache. Feeling these feelings is no cakewalk.

Get a Guide…

Having a guide in the process of IFS therapy can be very helpful. Some wounds to the psyche need the presence of a safe other to heal. I provide online IFS therapy services for anyone in South Carolina, including Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville, SC.

Appointment Information

Availability

I offer virtual IFS sessions with anyone in SC

I have openings on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday

8 am -5 pm

You can see me as much or as little as you need

Rates

$75  |  30 min session

$120  |  50 min session

Initial 15-minute consultations are available for free

Insurance

Clients are self-pay