IFS Therapy

Through IFS therapy in Walnut Creek & Los Angeles, CA, we can help you reconnect with your true self and heal from the patterns that hold you back.

Reach Out

Book a free call

Evenings and Weekend Appointments Available Online and In-Person

Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy: When Insight Alone Isn’t Enough

Do you ever feel torn between conflicting parts of yourself? Or like you end up caught in the same patterns even though you know better?

If you have ever felt like when you zoom out to examine your life choices, you think to yourself, This isn’t me, we get it. It can be frustrating to feel like you aren't showing up as your best self.

Most emotional reactions aren’t logical. They come from an underlying place of protection, often originating from previous experiences. These responses were formed as you learned how to survive, which is how feelings of heightened anxiety, emptiness, or avoidance can become the norm over time.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an evidence-based counseling approach that helps you work with the protective parts rather than against them. As our therapists guide you toward a calm, grounded way of moving through the world, you can begin to show up as the best version of yourself by targeting the source of what’s been holding you back.

What Is IFS?

The Internal Family Systems (IFS) model of therapy is based on a simple idea: we all have different “parts” inside us. You might notice this already. One part of you wants to take a risk. Another part wants to stay safe. One part is critical. Another feels small or scared. None of these parts are random or crazy—they all developed for a reason. IFS is often referred to as “parts work” therapy, allowing us to understand certain parts instead of fighting them.

Who Does IFS Benefit?

Though verbal processing is a significant aspect of IFS, this method goes beyond conventional talk therapy. Rather than focusing on endless analysis and symptom management, IFS encourages a deeper understanding of the Self, which is the key to long-term healing.

IFS can be useful for:

Anxiety
Depression
Trauma
Relationship patterns
People-pleasing
Self-criticism

It’s a particularly beneficial therapy method if you feel torn between different, often conflicting parts of your Self and repeat the same stress patterns. You may benefit if you feel “stuck” and want therapy that goes deeper than surface-level coping strategies.

Let's Connect

book a consultation call

How Does IFS Work?

IFS therapists believe that every part of the Self has a positive intention, even if the strategy isn’t working anymore. Therefore, the underlying goal of IFS therapy is to help you gain an understanding of each part and what role it’s trying to serve.

What Are “Parts”?

Think of your inner world like a team. Every part has a job.

Some parts try to protect you by staying in control, being productive, people-pleasing, or keeping emotions locked down. Other parts hold pain from earlier experiences, like shame, fear, rejection, or grief. And then there’s what IFS calls your “Self”—the steady, grounded core of you that can be calm, curious, compassionate, and clear.

The goal of IFS Therapy is not to get rid of parts. It’s to help them feel safe enough to relax, so your core Self can lead instead of fear, anger, or old survival strategies running the show.

How the Treatment Process Works

IFS therapy is structured, but it doesn’t feel mechanical. Here’s what typically happens:

We get to know your parts.
We understand what those parts are trying to do for you.
We work with deeper, wounded parts.
Your Self becomes the leader.

What IFS Is Not

IFS is collaborative. You stay in control of the pace, meaning we don’t push past what feels safe. This process is not about:

Blaming your parents.
Talking endlessly without direction.
Labeling you as disordered.
Forcing you to “think positive.”

You don’t have to be experienced in therapy for it to help—if you are reflective and curious about your inner world, IFS may be the therapy for you.

Ask a Question

Book a Consultation

IFS At Flourish Mindset Marriage And Family Therapy

As a trauma-informed therapy practice, we are committed to providing clients with the safest, most effective treatment approaches available. Many of our therapists have completed advanced training in Internal Family Systems, and we also have clinicians on staff who are trained in IFS-informed Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.

In both our personal and professional experiences, we’ve watched IFS therapy transform lives. Using this approach, clients often experience less emotional reactivity, improved relationships, and a deeper sense of self-trust. In fact, many of our clients report that IFS has dramatically reduced the shame they’ve felt throughout their lives.

At Flourish Mindset we approach IFS therapy by helping you build a healthier relationship with yourself. When your inner system feels safer and more balanced, your outer life is likely to follow.

Seek Flexibility—Not Perfection

Internal Family Systems (IFS) at Flourish Mindset Marriage and Family Therapy can help you overcome anxiety, depression, self-criticism, people pleasing, relationship conflict, trauma, and feeling stuck.

You don’t have to keep battling parts of yourself alone. Together, we can help your system feel calmer, clearer, and more balanced. Schedule a consultation today to see if this is the right fit for you.

CONTACT US

Request An Appointment

IFS Therapists

HANNA STENSBY

FOUNDER & THERAPIST
Hanna is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Founder of Flourish Mindset who specializes in complex trauma, using EMDR therapy and a holistic approach, and is Level One Trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS) through the IFS Institute.

Book with Hanna
Freyja Lentz

ASSOCIATE THERAPIST
Freyja is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist who uses IFS-informed parts work (trained through Syzygy Institute), Somatic Experiencing, and EMDR therapy to help teens and children heal from trauma, ADHD, and neurodivergence.

Book with Freyja
Christina Hourany

ASSOCIATE THERAPIST
Christina is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in couples therapy and uses EMDR Therapy and IFS-informed parts work (trained through Syzygy Institute) to help clients heal from relational trauma, intimate partner violence, and childhood trauma.

Book with Christina
Savannah Jaouhari

LICENSED THERAPIST
Savannah is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor who uses IFS-informed parts work (trained through Syzygy Institute) alongside other therapeutic approaches to support children, adolescents, and families navigating trauma, eating disorders, and racial bullying.

book with Savannah