Continuing My IFS Journey: Reflections from Training
Discovering the Model
Last week I attended an in-person training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy, led by Dr. Richard Schwartz and Dr. Jeanne Catanzaro. IFS is a model that helps us understand and relate to the different “parts” within ourselves, the emotions, thoughts, and inner voices within us that each play their own roles and carry their own intentions.
If you have seen the movie Inside Out, you already have a picture of what this means. The movie shows different emotions like Joy, Sadness, and Anger each trying to protect or guide the main character in their own way. While that captures the essence of parts work, IFS sees parts as more complex. They can hold a range of emotions, beliefs, and roles, not just a single feeling. Instead of trying to get rid of parts, we learn to listen to them and understand how they have been working to help us, even when their strategies cause pain or conflict.
In this post, I’ll share some of my reflections from the training, what stood out to me personally and professionally, and how I hope to thoughtfully integrate IFS into my therapy practice.
Witnessing and Curiosity
One of the most powerful moments during the training was watching Dr. Schwartz and Dr. Catanzaro do live demonstrations. Seeing clients and their parts in action made the model come alive for me. I noticed how protective parts show up when we feel judged or pressured and how curiosity and witnessing can be transformative. Witnessing means simply noticing a part with respect and compassion. It is not about fixing or changing the part. It is about understanding its role and allowing it to feel seen and heard.
During the training, I also got to know a protective part of mine in a whole new way. That experience has stayed on my mind since, and I have been thinking about how this insight might help my clients notice and connect with their own protective parts. It reminded me that these parts often carry deep stories of care beneath their defenses, a reminder I hope to hold in my work with clients.
The Self as Leader
Another highlight was learning more about the concept of the Self. The Self is the calm, compassionate core of who we are that can lead our parts with wisdom and care. Strengthening that connection helps us respond rather than react in life and in relationships.
Integrating IFS into Practice
I also reflected on how I can ethically integrate what I have learned into my work with clients. While I am not doing full unburdening work (certification required), in IFS this refers to the process of helping a part release painful beliefs, emotions, or burdens it has carried from past experiences. I can help clients notice and connect with their protective parts, understand those parts’ intentions, and strengthen the Self’s leadership. Even without unburdening, this work can create powerful shifts as clients learn to approach themselves with more curiosity and compassion.
A Faith-Informed Perspective
IFS itself is not tied to any particular belief system or worldview. It is a flexible, non-pathologizing model that can be integrated with a client’s own values, spirituality, or philosophy of life.
While I see both Christian and non-Christian clients at Brave Beginnings Counseling, my personal faith naturally shapes how I understand healing and human nature. From a Christian perspective, I believe the work of healing invites us to recognize that we all encounter moments or parts of ourselves that need attention and care, and that we are deeply loved.
Internal Family Systems, or IFS, resonates with this view by encouraging us to approach all parts of ourselves with compassion rather than shame. Just as God meets us with care and understanding, IFS invites us to turn toward the parts of ourselves that carry hidden pain, fear, or shame. These burdened parts are often trying to protect us in some way, and bringing attention, curiosity, and compassion to them can be a deeply redemptive and healing experience.
From a Biblical lens, the Self can be viewed as the redeemed person in Christ, inviting the Holy Spirit to guide the process of noticing and caring for our parts. At the same time, I hold space for clients of all beliefs, and IFS can be deeply transformative even without a spiritual framework. The model itself recognizes that each person has a core Self that is calm, compassionate, and capable of healing. Clients may understand that Self in different ways, whether through their faith, their inner wisdom, or simply their humanity, and the process can still lead to meaningful and lasting change.
This understanding continues to shape how I approach my own growth and how I walk alongside clients in theirs.
Continuing the Journey
Building on these reflections, I am excited to keep exploring IFS and to bring curiosity, compassion, and witnessing into my work with clients.
To your brave beginnings,
Alexis
Resources for Learning More
Internal Family Systems Therapy by Richard Schwartz
The official IFS website: https://ifs-institute.com
Introductory videos on IFS by Richard Schwartz on YouTube
No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz (book)
