YOUR FIRST VISIT

During your initial IFS therapy intake, you'll be welcomed into a compassionate, nonjudgmental space where your comfort, safety, and confidentiality come first. Your therapist will gently guide you through a conversation about your life experiences, current challenges, and inner strengths - paying close attention to the parts of you that may be feeling overwhelmed, protective, or hurt. Together, you’ll begin to explore the internal system that makes you uniquely you, identifying both your immediate concerns and your hopes for healing. This first session lays the foundation for a trusting therapeutic relationship and sets the stage for meaningful, individualized work that honors all parts of your story.

BEGINNING THERAPY

In the early phase of IFS therapy, you and your therapist will begin to gently deepen your understanding of your internal system. Together, you’ll identify the different “parts” of you that show up in daily life - whether they’re protective, reactive, overwhelmed, or simply trying to help in the only way they know how. With curiosity and care, you’ll begin building trusting relationships with these parts, allowing space for their stories, emotions, and needs to emerge at your pace. This phase of therapy focuses on cultivating your connection to your core Self - the calm, compassionate inner leader who can guide your healing from within. Through this process, you’ll lay the groundwork for lasting transformation rooted in safety, self-awareness, and internal harmony.

MIDDLE OF THERAPY

In the middle phase of IFS therapy, you’ll begin to engage more directly with the parts of you that carry pain, fear, or outdated beliefs - often shaped by earlier life experiences or trauma. With the support of your therapist and the growing strength of your Self, you’ll gently help protective parts step back so that vulnerable or exiled parts can be heard, witnessed, and unburdened. This phase is often where meaningful emotional shifts take place: long-held burdens begin to lift, internal conflicts soften, and new patterns start to take root. As you deepen your connection with your inner system, you may notice greater clarity, calm, and confidence showing up in your daily life. Healing becomes not just possible - but already unfolding.

ENDING THERAPY

As you near the end of your IFS therapy journey, the focus shifts toward integration, reflection, and celebrating the growth you've cultivated from within. By this stage, many of your parts have been seen, heard, and supported - and your relationship with your internal system has become more trusting, balanced, and resilient. Together with your therapist, you’ll review the progress you’ve made, acknowledge the healing that’s occurred, and identify the strengths and tools you now carry forward. While therapy may be ending, your connection to your Self remains - serving as an ongoing source of clarity, compassion, and confidence. This phase honors the work you’ve done and helps you feel prepared, grounded, and supported as you continue your path with greater ease and self-leadership.