Internal Family Systems | IFS Therapy
In-person IFS therapy Kansas City, MO
Online IFS therapy Missouri
Honor and heal your parts within
Do you feel like parts of yourself are working against you?
Some parts may be deeply hurt and stuck in painful memories. While others may be so controlling and reactive that they might fall into damaging habits.
You may struggle with anxiety, depression, relationship problems, and other issues as you try to fight or ignore these pieces of yourself.
But what if you open up space to honor and heal them instead?
That’s what IFS is all about.
What is internal family systems or IFS therapy?
Internal family systems (IFS) is an evidence-based treatment that sees your mind as a system divided into parts or sub-personalities led by the Self. The “Self” is considered to be the true, compassionate, and calm center of a person.
Some of your parts may be:
- Managers: Parts that run the show. They control situations, interactions, and tasks to avoid triggers and sustain your functioning.
- Firefighters: Parts that aim to extinguish your pain. This may result in harmful coping strategies such as drinking or binge drinking.
- Exiles: Parts that carry the pain of trauma and hurtful experiences. Manager and firefighters work hard to keep these away.
All your parts have a positive nature—they want the best for you! But as you endure challenges and wounds, they may adopt destructive or extreme roles to protect you.
The goal of IFS therapy is to help you access your Self to understand, mend, and unburden the parts that are stuck in extreme states to balance your internal system and support your well-being.
What can IFS therapy help with?
IFS therapy can help you navigate:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Self-esteem and body image issues
- Trauma
However, you don’t have to experience a specific condition to benefit from IFS. This treatment can help you pinpoint and restore parts of yourself that may be feeding limiting beliefs, unhealthy behaviors, or relationship problems.
IFS can also assist you and your partner in finding and caring for your core Selves to nurture a loving bond. By understanding and healing our internal relationships, we can improve our interactions with the outside world and cultivate healthier relationships.
If any of this resonates, IFS therapy is a fantastic model to try.
Benefits of IFS
- Gaining self-awareness
- Getting in touch with and trusting your true essence
- Restoring harmony in your internal system and relationships
- Releasing the burden of trauma and reducing symptoms
- Fostering the 8 Cs: confidence, calm, compassion, courage, creativity, clarity, curiosity, and connectedness
IFS Therapy at Ink Psychotherapy | IFS Therapist Kansas City | IFS Therapist Online Missouri
I’m Lori, an IFS therapist serving individuals and couples in person at my Kansas City office and online throughout Missouri. I love to work with women of all ages, people of color, and the LGBTQIA+ community.
I’m a systemic therapist—I seek to identify the systems that may contribute to your distress and consider them in treatment, which aligns with IFS. I also use mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy tools to help you soothe your parts when triggered or overwhelmed.
But I’m not the expert on YOU. Your Self knows how to heal; I’m simply here to guide you through the process.
We’ll work on connecting with that core Self, acknowledging your parts, and returning them to their natural roles. You’ll start using your inner voice to accept and love yourself while making changes to live by your authentic values.
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