Internal Family Systems (IFS)
A way of exploring the different feelings and protective responses within you.
By Richard Mann · 15 October 2026
← Integrative therapy and the different approaches
One part of you wants to speak up while another tells you to stay quiet. You want closeness, yet feel an urge to pull away. You promise yourself you will stop a habit, then find yourself wanting the relief it brings. These conflicts can leave you feeling frustrated and divided.
IFS, developed by Richard Schwartz, uses the language of ‘parts’ to make sense of different feelings, needs and ways of coping. It encourages curiosity about what a response is trying to do for you. Parts are concepts within a therapeutic model, rather than literal structures in the brain or a diagnosis.
What does it mean to understand a protective part?
A harsh inner voice might be trying to prevent mistakes or rejection. An urge to withdraw might be protecting you from disappointment. In the IFS model, understanding this protective purpose comes before asking a response to change. Understanding a purpose does not mean accepting harmful behaviour.
The model also describes vulnerable parts carrying pain and a core ‘Self’ associated with qualities such as compassion and curiosity. These are ways of organising experience within IFS. You do not have to believe that your mind is literally arranged into separate people to find the language helpful.
What might happen in a session?
A therapist may invite you to notice a familiar response, the feelings or bodily sensations around it, and your attitude towards it. If you are angry with yourself for being anxious, the first task may be to make room for that frustration rather than force compassion.
You might explore what the anxious response fears would happen if it did not work so hard. Attention to more painful experiences should be gradual, with your agreement and enough support to remain present. There is no requirement to find a hidden memory, produce an image or speak to parts in a particular way. If the language does not fit, it can be changed or set aside.
How might it help outside the session?
The useful difference may be a less hostile relationship with yourself. Instead of moving immediately from an urge to self-criticism, you might recognise that you are seeking relief and ask what support is needed. That pause can sit alongside practical boundaries and changes to behaviour.
IFS has a developing research base. It should not be presented as a proven answer for every difficulty or as a replacement for a treatment better supported for a particular condition. Ask a practitioner about their IFS training, how they work with distress and what alternatives they would consider. A general article is not confirmation that a therapist holds specialist IFS certification.
The critic that will not let you rest
Imagine finishing a long day and hearing an inner demand to do more. Rather than arguing with the critic or obeying it, you might explore what it fears about resting. Perhaps it anticipates being judged or falling behind. A next step could be recognising that fear while testing a reasonable stopping point. The change is not making a part disappear; it is developing another way to respond to its concern.
What might change?
Less internal fighting
A difficult response can become something to understand before you judge it.
More awareness of your needs
You may recognise the fear or hurt beneath a protective habit.
More considered action
Curiosity can create room to choose a response while remaining accountable for it.
These are possible signs of progress, not promises. What matters is whether the work is making a useful difference to your life. You and your therapist can review that together.
How this fits with integrative therapy
Within integrative counselling, language about different parts of yourself can sometimes help us explore conflicting feelings. It is one possible way of understanding experience, not something you must accept. We can discuss what feels helpful, the relevant training and whether a specialist approach is needed.
Read about integrative therapy and explore the other approaches →Sources and further reading
- IFS Institute: Model outline
- IFS Institute: Development of the model
- BACP: Types of counselling and psychotherapy
This article explains an approach in general terms. The right support depends on your needs, preferences and the practitioner’s training.
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You do not need to work out which approach you need before getting in touch. I offer a free 15-minute consultation to talk about what is troubling you and whether working together feels right.
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