Internal Family Systems

Internal Family Systems in Atlanta

You are multi-faceted, and we honor all parts of you.

Internal family systems therapy does not mean family therapy. It means the exploration of the internal family within you.

Have you ever said, “There’s a part of me that feels like… or there’s another part of me that feels like” or even felt that there was an internal tug-o-war between different thoughts or decisions within you?

IFS understands that humans are not just one thing. We are more than one feeling, emotion, thought, etc. We are multi-faceted. Made of many parts and layers. Internal Family Systems takes the time to explore the different parts of you.

Instead of fighting against your anxiety, depression, anger, or inner critic we slow down and get to know it.

Would it be nice to help your anxiety, depression, anxiety, or anger to get on the same page as you? Emotions are normal and a part of life. Instead of trying to fix them or get rid of them, let’s slow down and get to know them so that we can manage them better.

Emotions are within us for a reason to help alert us to what is going on within our inner worlds. Let’s pay attention to it instead of trying to stuff it down.

You have no bad parts.

Your many parts of you are often trying to help you in some strange way. Whether your anxiety is telling you to “never do that again”, your inner critic is trying to correct you in a harsh way, or your anger is trying to protect you from threats, they may have been working to protect you in the past from external threats. Oftentimes, these protectors have worked hard and long that they no longer are working in the way they used to. Getting to know your internal system creates self-awareness through mindfulness, somatic connection, and curiosity.

Working through IFS can also help us to heal your inner-child parts that have been hurting for so long.

Shae Ivie-Williams is trained in IFS (Levels 1 & 2)