Internal Family Systems Therapy

                  Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS)  is an evidence based model of therapy that focuses on our inner experience and healing as we navigate the external world around us.  IFS views our human personality as the sum total of many parts, in the same way a family is made up of various family members.  You can also think of this as a puzzle, which forms a whole picture but is made of many pieces that make up the whole.  Most of us are already very familiar with this idea.  When was the last time you were craving a bowl of ice cream? Perhaps you said to yourself, “Part of me really wants ice cream and part of me knows I should stick to my healthy eating plan.”   This is an example of how parts present in our life. The parts that make up the whole of who we are allow us to have various perspectives on life, different sides to our personalities, different strengths, and different emotions.  While our parts are a beautiful gift and aspect of our humanity, struggles in life happen when there is conflict or disunity among parts, in the same way that family and relationship struggles happen when there is struggle among family members.  This can happen when parts become wounded, traumatized, or simply just need help learning how to work well together.  This can show up in our lives as overwhelming emotions, spiritual struggles, relationship struggles, and various mental health issues. 
IFS therapy provides the opportunity to explore and heal parts in our lives that struggle. Much of the work focuses on learning about our parts and in experiencing and learning to interact with our parts in a new way.  Clients find that IFS provides much deeper and lasting healing that goes far beyond learning a new skill or behavioral management. For those seeking spiritual growth as an aspect of therapy, IFS is one of the most effective means of therapy to incorporate Christian spiritual growth into inner healing work. IFS is also a highly effective therapy to treat trauma, addictions, and to address unwanted emotions and behaviors.

Ann-Marie is a certified IFS therapist  and has completed level 3 training 

(the highest available) through the IFS institute.  She is also trained in the

integration of Christianity and IFS.  She is approved as a Clinical 

Consultant with the IFS institute. 

You can learn more about IFS at  https://ifs-institute.com/.