Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
Nanaimo • Squamish • Online Counselling
Individual & Couples Counselling | Workshops & Intensives
IFS at a Glance
Best For:
Feeling Stuck, Childhood Trauma, Addiction, Problem Behaviours & Shame.
Key Benefit:
Addresses internal conflict by building a compassionate relationship with the different parts of you.
Session Length:
50 Minutes
Evidence Base:
Evidence-based practice listed on the NREPP.
Location:
Nanaimo (In-Person) & Online (BC-wide)
What is IFS?
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a non-pathologizing psychotherapy that focuses on addressing trauma and restoring self-leadership by working with the protective and wounded parts of the psyche. Rather than seeing anxiety, addiction, or reactivity as symptoms to get rid of, IFS sees them as parts of you that are trying to protect you from something painful that occured in the past.
When we experience trauma or adverse events, parts of us can take on extreme roles to help us cope. Over time, these roles become outdated, leaving you feeling stuck in patterns that no longer serve you.
IFS helps you understand these parts, release the burdens they carry, and return to a state of wholeness and self-leadership.
Is IFS Right for You?
IFS is often chosen by people who feel like they are constantly battling themselves. It is especially effective for:
- Inner Conflict: Feeling torn between two choices (e.g., "Part of me wants to change, but part of me is terrified").
- Harsh Self-Criticism: A relentless inner voice that judges or shames you away from passions or success.
- Addictive Patterns: Compulsive behaviors that feel impossible to stop despite your best intentions.
- Trauma & Attachment: Deep wounds from childhood or past relationships.
- Emotional Numbness: Feeling cut off from your feelings or detached from life.
- Feeling Stuck: Knowing what to do logically but being unable to make the shift emotionally or behaviourally.
The Parts & The Self
IFS operates on the idea that the mind is naturally multiple. We all have different parts, each with its own role:
1.
The Managers
Some parts try to keep you safe and away from pain through control, perfectionism, people pleasing, or isolation. Others, called firefighters, jump in to soothe pain quickly through numbing, substance use, rage, or other compulsive behaviours.
2.
The Wounded Exiled Parts
These parts carry the pain, shame, anger, or fear from past experiences. We often try to lock these away to avoid feeling them.
3.
The Self
At the center of it all is the Self. The Self is a calm, grounded, compassionate presence that can manage these manager, exiled, and firefighter parts.
4.
Our Goal
We don’t fight your parts, because there are no bad parts. We help them trust You (The Self) again so they can step out of their extreme roles and into more supportive roles in your present day life.
The IFS Roadmap: From Chaos to Leadership
The goal is to move from inner chaos to inner leadership:
1: “Unblending”:
We learn to step back so you can observe problem emotions and behaviours. We help you disidentify with trauma parts and help you see where they came from and why.
2: Befriending
We build a relationship of trust with your protective parts (managers) so they can relax and de-role, allowing us to work with wounded exiled parts.
3: Witnessing
We access the wounded parts and witness their story, giving them the validation and support they never received in the past. We also explore what these parts need to repair and release their burdens.
4: Unburdening
We help these parts release the painful beliefs and emotions (burdens) they have been carrying.
5: Integration:
We invite the parts to take on new, healthy, supportive roles in your life now that they don’t have to protect you from the past.
Meet Our IFS Clinicians
FOUNDER / THERAPIST
- Locations: Nanaimo, Online
- Specialities: Enmeshment Recovery, Sex/Porn Addiction, Process Addictions, PTSD, Complex PTSD, Mood Disorders
FAQs: Internal Family Systems Therapy
No. Everyone has parts. If you’ve ever said, “Part of me wants to go out, but part of me wants to stay home,” you are speaking for your parts. IFS simply gives us a framework to work with this natural multiplicity directly .
It can feel different at first! But most clients find it incredibly relieving. Instead of just talking about your problems, you are actually communicating with the internal dynamic that drives them. It often leads to shifts that logic alone cannot achieve .
Yes. IFS is widely used for addiction. Rather than just stopping a behavior, IFS helps you understand the protective role the addiction served (e.g., numbing pain). As wounded parts heal, the need for extreme protective measures naturally decreases.
Yes. Many parts manifest as physical sensations (tightness, pain, hollow feelings). By focusing on these somatic experiences, we can often uncover and resolve the roots underlying physical symptoms.
| Feature | Traditional Talk Therapy | Internal Family Systems (IFS) |
| View of Symptoms | Problems to be reduced or eliminated. | Manager Parts: Intelligent adaptations trying to keep you safe. |
| Approach | Analyzing thoughts and behaviors. | Relational: Building trust with internal parts of yourself. |
| Goal | Managing symptoms. | Self-Leadership: Restoring your core Self to the driver’s seat. |
| Mechanism | Talking about your feelings. | Talking to the parts of you holding the feelings. |
Ready to End the Internal Battle?
If you are tired of fighting against yourself, IFS offers a way to find peace.
Stone Reef Psychotherapy offers in-person IFS sessions in Nanaimo and online options for clients across Canada.
