Parts Work and IFS Therapy Online and in San Francisco
Untangle the knots inside with therapy that gets to the core.
You know the real you is in there somewhere, but you feel at war with yourself – and it’s exhausting.
Do you feel at war with yourself, like you know the “why” behind your actions but can’t seem to change them, despite your best efforts? Or maybe you’re confused by your own actions and feelings, not sure why you think, act, and feel the way you do.
Imagine feeling grounded, centered, and at peace with even the most challenging parts of yourself. Imagine understanding, rather than battling, the internal voices fueling your anxiety, depression, or shame. Imagine healing not just the surface, but the very root of those issues, where hidden wounds have taken hold. Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an evidence-based therapy that can offer just that.
You’re tired of feeling caught in this cycle:
You know what you “should” do to feel better, but you’re not doing it - ugh!
Your emotions and behaviors seem “irrational,” and you think you should know better.
Your internal landscape is confusing, and you don’t know why you do and feel the things you do.
You’ve tried coping skills or CBT, and they worked for a while, but you always backslide to your old patterns.
Let’s do something different
IFS can help you work with yourself rather than against yourself. No more confusion, self-hatred, or band-aid solutions.
The truth is, we do everything for a reason, and when it comes to so-called “negative” behaviors, it’s almost always because we’re protecting ourselves in some way. Usually we rush to change our behavior, often without understanding the pain behind that behavior. This can lead to more pain and internal warfare – such as alternating rage with people-pleasing, or binging with restricting. Sometimes the behavior does change for a bit, but you still hurt inside.
With Internal Family Systems (IFS), we view the psyche as a system of inner parts. Exiles are parts that hold onto old wounds and emotions. Protectors try to make sure we don’t feel that pain again, sometimes with unhelpful behaviors – whether that’s criticizing every tiny mistake you make so you’re perfect, overplanning to avoid uncertainty, raging at your partner, binge-watching true crime, zoning out with an edible, or something else entirely. At the center of it all is your core Self. Like your immune system for physical wounds, your Self offers unconditional love and healing for the emotional wounds of both protectors and exiles, which can lead to lasting change and greater self-understanding.
In essence, IFS can help us go deeper to not only understand why we’re doing what we’re doing, but actually shift our patterns by healing our deepest wounds.
Here’s how iFS can help:
Meet your inner parts with curiosity and compassion
IFS teaches you to see your internal landscape with love and understanding, rather than judgment. The goal is to connect with and listen to your different parts, even the ones that seem "crazy" or difficult.
Through gentle, guided processes – and only with permission – you can help your wounded inner parts feel safe and heard, and ultimately, let go of their pain, shame, and helplessness.
Heal deep wounds
Unlock your inner wisdom and strength
IFS is the only therapy, to our knowledge, that believes that every single person on earth has a core Self, who is not only compassionate and wise, but can also help heal our wounds. As your wounded parts heal, you can gain more and more access to the inner wisdom and resilience of your core Self. Think of it as an inner loving parent, there to meet all your needs and guide you through the toughest of situations.
Our IFS clients have reported feeling:
More integrated and present.
Less activated by situations that have historically been triggering.
More in tune with their inner wisdom and strength.
Increased ability to self-soothe and regulate.
Greater compassion for themselves and others.
Less chronic pain and random ailments.
Greater attunement to their spirituality (not required!).
want to get unstuck?
This is real change – from the inside out.
If a part of you is curious about IFS (see what we did there?), schedule a no-pressure consultation with one of our therapists to learn more.
“As traumatized children we always dreamed that someone would come and save us. We never dreamed that it would, in fact, be ourselves, as adults.”
– Alice Little
faqs
Common questions about IFS
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Great question. The terms are often used interchangeably, though there are actually quite a few modalities that incorporate the idea of talking to parts, including the Model of Structural Dissociation and Ego State Therapy. They have many similarities, but here at Juniper we love IFS because of the theory of Self and its radical acceptance of, and compassion for, all parts.
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Definitely not. IFS can be great for a myriad of issues, including anxiety, anger, substance use, attachment issues, chronic pain, suicidality, and more. Interestingly, it’s also well-researched in its efficacy for relieving symptoms associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Our belief is that IFS is just an incredibly profound way to know and relate to yourself with compassion – and that, in turn, can create change. Schedule a consultation here.
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You bet! If you live in California or Nevada, then we’ve got you covered. Schedule a consultation here.
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If you live in California or Nevada, you don’t have to. All of our clinicians can work with anyone in California, and Laura works with folks in Nevada, too. If you’re in the Bay Area, you might be interested in working with Laura in person on Thursdays in the Presidio Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. Schedule a consultation here.
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Our IFS-trained and EMDR-trained clinicians definitely do. They both can be great modalities for healing, and they’re even better together. You can ask more about this during your consultation call.
Dive deeper. Heal stronger.