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Understanding Internal Family Systems: A Contemporary Approach to Psychotherapy

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Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an evidence-based psychotherapy method developed by Richard C. Schwartz. The theory of IFS offers a way to understand and treat inner processes by applying systems theories and techniques. This therapy approach is designed to release internal constraints that prevent people from functioning at their highest level (Brenner et. al., 2023). IFS emphasizes the combination of inner harmony and self-leadership. In its simplest form, IFS considers the mind as a construct composed of multiple ‘subpersonalities’ or parts, each with autonomy in terms of perspective, emotions, and roles. According to Schwartz (2021), thinking involves the parts of the mind communicating with each other and with individuals about what needs to be done or discussing the best course of action.  “Parts” are governed by a core ‘Self.’ According to IFS, the self is in everyone; it cannot be damaged, and it knows best how to heal (Sutton, 2022). According to Schwartz (2012), all parts of individuals are inherently valuable, and the journey to recovery is facilitated by accessing the core ‘’Self, a compassionate, curious, and wise inner leader. 

IFS therapy aims to achieve holistic well-being by accessing and healing the protective and wounded inner subpersonalities or parts of individuals. IFS helps to alleviate the burdens that trauma places on individuals, enabling them to access self-energy and build fulfilling relationships with themselves and others. IFS creates internal and external connections by helping individuals first to access their Self, and then to understand and heal the parts of this core (Sutton, 2022). In addition, the IFS guides the making of sense of relationships, both personal and with others. IFS utilizes self-compassion to allow buried parts of the personality to rise up, releasing memories, emotions, and hidden beliefs (Sutton, 2022). IFS differs from other methods in that it represents a paradigm shift in the treatment of individuals with mental disorders. Instead of viewing the symptoms of mental disorders as pathologies that need to be eliminated, IFS considers them as protective parts of the self, shaped by the personal histories of individuals. This therapy sketch will introduce the IFS model, which offers a unique perspective on the individual, explores its core concepts, and examines its application areas. Let’s start with the key concepts about IFS!

What are the Key Concepts of Internal Family Systems?

As mentioned above, Internal Family Systems (IFS) includes basic assumptions like the mind is made up of different parts or subpersonalities, and all these parts are considered inherently good. Parts are divided into three categories: managers that represent the organizer of an individual’s daily life, exiles that represent wounded parts of the individual, and firefighters that represent emergency responders to emotionally triggering events. The self leads these parts and includes several qualities that every individual possesses, such as confidence, curiosity, creativity, and compassion. These qualities of self are named as the Eight Cs and the Five Ps. These terms seemed to be complicated at first, but let’s take a look at them to gain a better understanding of each concept. 

  1. The Self

The self is not a ‘’part or subpersonality’’; it observes and directs the individual’s internal system. The Self, the central concept of IFC, has many positive characteristics, including eight Cs and five Ps. These characteristics help to determine both how much of the Self is present and how much of the Self still needs to emerge. These qualities represent the essence of the self and the potential for healing and growth. According to Schwartz (2021), an individual’s thinking about the eight Cs will lead them to feel more connected to humanity. Individuals who are more connected to humanity will feel more curious about others and will have more courage to help them. 

  • Eight Cs: The eight Cs, which the IFS particularly emphasizes, reflect areas that engage with self-energy and self-leadership, which are stressed for the individual to step into life (Schroeder, 2025). The eight Cs function as follows:
    • Confidence: An inner certainty in the Self’s ability to lead.
    • Calmness: A sense of peace and balance.
    • Compassion: An empathetic understanding of the participants’ experiences.
    • Courage: The strength to confront painful emotions and memories.
    • Creativity: Innovative and flexible thinking in approaching problems.
    • Clarity: Clear insight into the nature of the self and its parts.
    • Curiosity: A non-judgmental interest in understanding parts.
    • Connectedness: A sense of unity and harmony within.
  • Five Ps: The five Ps included in Schwartz’s model also provide us with necessary information about the self:
    • Presence: The self can stay calmly with all the parts and give them full attention
    • Patience: The self gives every part to chance to speak and listens to them patiently.
    • Perspective: The self understands each part’s perspective and recognizes the reasons behind their behaviors.
    • Persistence: The self supports every part, even when the work is challenging and healing takes a long time. 
    • Playfulness: The Self brings playfulness and joy to the individual. This helps every part to feel more relaxed and open.
  1. Parts/Subpersonalities 

Parts exist at the core of IFS. Each part, also called a subpersonality, has its own emotions, experiences, and beliefs. The role of the parts is to help the individual find their way in life. It is universally known that three different common roles parts adaptively assume in order to survive in the world, which become extreme in times of trauma and injury. Two roles, called ‘’firefighters’’ and ‘’managers,’’ are protective in nature. The protected parts are vulnerable and are called ‘’exiles.’’ Let’s take a closer look at these roles!

  • Managers (The Organizers): Managers are a protective group of Parts that manage the individual’s daily life and try to keep them in an orderly structure and safe. They are responsible for maintaining the person’s functioning and well-being by managing relationships and tasks. Managers strive to protect the person from emotional pain and harm of any kind by controlling the person’s behavior, emotions, and thoughts. Managers, who are proactive protectors, always plan ahead to prevent harm. In addition, these parts are responsible for ensuring that the person conforms to the norms within society. However, over time, they may tend towards perfectionism or cause harm in their search for security. On the other hand, the most easily accessible part of the individual’s internal system during the therapy process is the manager because they are closely related to the individual’s conscious, rational mind (Schroeder, 2025).
  • Exiles (The Burden-Bearers): They represent the wounded parts of the individual, the parts that are exposed to traumatic events. Firefighters and managers often suppress these parts to prevent their pain from coming to light. This can lead to a sense of isolation in the individual’s internal system. Exile can manifest as insecurities, weaknesses, and deep wounds that unconsciously influence the individual’s behavior and choices. In the IFS therapeutic process, the primary focus is on the healing and integration of the exiles. By accessing these burdened parts and acknowledging their experiences, the individual can begin to release the pain that they have been holding inside and bring balance to their internal system. Therapists utilizing the IFS model guide individuals to establish a relationship between the self and their exile that is both compassionate and nurturing, allowing healing and growth to take place (Schroeder, 2025).
  • Firefighters (Protectors): When a situation triggers an emotional response that managers cannot control, firefighters, acting as emergency responders, step in to extinguish the overwhelming emotions. They work to relieve that emotional pain at all costs. While they aim to protect the Self from feeling extreme emotions, their methods can lead to problematic behaviors.  They may engage in unhealthy behaviors such as alcohol and drug use and eating disorders under the guise of protecting the individual. However, their real motivation is to prevent the individual from feeling the intense pain that exiles carry (Schroeder, 2025).

To sum up, the Internal System is the name given to the network in which the parts within an individual are interconnected. Focusing on the internal systems, such as all of the parts and self of the individual, IFS suggests that if these systems change, external behaviors and relationships can be affected.

How Does IFS Work in Therapy?

The primary purpose of IFS is to enable individuals to understand and heal their wounded parts. Healing occurs when cooperation between the ‘’self’’ and the ‘’parts’’ improves and a more harmonious system is achieved. Conflict is inevitable between the parts; however, when the self is in charge, it leads the parts to stay calm. The self does not take sides or push parts away. The self listens to them and allows each part to speak. However, the Self might not control the parts when the conflict is intense. This causes inner harmony to deteriorate, and the person might feel out of balance. IFS not only addresses the inner world of the individual but also the dynamics between family members because this imbalance can be reflected in relationships with others (IFS Institute, 2025). 

When the model is used in therapy, the different parts of the individual are evaluated. Each part can show itself as thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, or images. If IFS is utilized in therapy, the therapist guides the person to notice these parts and talk to them with care. The therapist helps calm the parts and slowly brings back the Self. One important group of parts is the protective parts, which are managers and firefighters. A therapist helps individuals make a connection with protective parts to balance the harmonious system. A primary goal is to help all parts feel safe and let go of emotions or roles they have been holding. IFS uses a method called the “six Fs” to resolve the conflict between parts (Anderson, 2025). 

  1. Find the part that needs attention.
  2. Focus on the part that needs attention and give it full attention.
  3. Flesh it out by noticing how it looks, feels, or sounds.
  4. Feel toward it and talk about your feelings about that part.
  5. Befriend that part with curiosity and kindness.
  6. Fear – asking why that part is afraid of and what might happen if it stopped doing its job.

IFS aims to hear every part. It encourages individuals to build a better relationship with themselves and feel calmer, connected, and in control. 

What are the Working Areas of the IFS?

Individual therapy, couple therapy, and family therapy can be practiced through the IFS modality. The application areas of IFS, which has a wide working area, are as follows:

  • Anxiety
  • Panic
  • Trauma
  • Depression
  • Phobias
  • General Functioning and Well-being
  • Physical Health Conditions
  • Substance Use

Since 2015, IFS has been included as an evidence-based practice in the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices, a database created by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In a study demonstrating the effectiveness of IFS, the IFS modality was found to be effective in treating symptoms of depression in young women. In addition, it was found that IFS can help with pain, physical functioning, depressive symptoms, and self-compassion in rheumatoid arthritis patients (Shadick et. al., 2013).

IFS enables individuals to identify and understand their different parts, gaining important insight into themselves, while promoting healing and a greater sense of self-awareness. IFS enables individuals to identify and understand their different parts, gaining important insight into themselves, while promoting healing and a greater sense of self-awareness. Clients using the IFS modality in their therapy process report improvements in emotional regulation, reduced shame and self-criticism, and healthier coping strategies. The non-pathological aspect of the model promotes self-compassion and resilience, making it a powerful tool for mental health recovery (Schroeder, 2025). On the other hand, IFS contributes to personal development by increasing self-awareness, enabling individuals to develop compassion, courage, curiosity, connectedness, calmness, confidence, clarity, and creativity by recognizing and interacting with different parts of the self. Another area where IFS is useful is its powerful and unique framework that emphasizes self-reflection and healing. This framework enables individuals to access their inner strengths and resources, paving the way for deep transformation and a more harmonious internal system. In short, the Internal Family Systems modality offers a multifaceted and effective understanding of inner peace and healing through a deep understanding of mental health issues. Internal Family System’s emphasis on self-leadership and empowerment distinguishes it from other modalities and makes it stand out (Schroeder, 2025). 

To briefly summarize the positive results of IFS on some mental disorders in therapy processes carried out with the IFS modality (Schroeder, 2025):

  • Depression – Increase in self-compassion and mood stabilization
  • Anxiety – Improved emotional regulation and coping mechanisms
  • Trauma – Decrease in intrusive symptoms and self-criticism
  • Relationship Challenges – Enhanced communication and understanding 

Take Aways

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an evidence-based psychotherapy method that emphasizes the combination of inner harmony and self-leadership. 
  • IFS includes basic assumptions like the mind is made up of different parts or subpersonalities, and all these parts are considered inherently good. 
  • Parts are divided into three categories: managers that represent the organizer of an individual’s daily life, exiles that represent wounded parts of the individual, and firefighters that represent emergency responders to emotionally triggering events. 
  • The self leads these parts and includes several qualities that every individual possesses, such as confidence, curiosity, creativity, and compassion. 
  • Healing occurs when cooperation between the ‘’self’’ and the ‘’parts’’ improves and a more harmonious system is achieved. 
  • Individual, couples, and family therapy can be practiced through the IFS modality across a wide range of areas.

References

  1. Brenner, E. G., Schwartz, R. C., & Becker, C. (2023). Development of the internal family systems model: Honoring contributions from family systems therapies. Family Process, 62(4), 1290–1306. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12943
  2. What is Internal Family Systems? | IFS Institute. (2025, March 31). https://ifs-institute.com/ 
  3. Sutton, J. (2022, February 25). Internal Family Systems Therapy: 8 Worksheets and Exercises. PositivePsychology. https://positivepsychology.com/internal-family-systems-therapy/ 
  4. Anderson, F. G., Sweezy, M., & Schwartz, R. C. (2017). Internal family systems skills training manual: Trauma-informed treatment for anxiety, depression, PTSD & substance abuse. (No Title).
  5. Schwartz, R. (2012). Internal family systems. In Family therapy review: Contrasting contemporary models (pp. 196-198). Routledge.
  6. Schwartz, R. C. (2021). No bad parts: Healing trauma and restoring wholeness with the internal family systems model. Sounds True.
  7. Core concepts of IFS – Families First Counseling & Psychiatry. (n.d.). https://ffcpmaryland.com/core-concepts-of-ifs/
  8. Schroeder, W. (2025, March 20). What is the internal family systems model? – Just mind – just mind. Just Mind. https://justmind.org/what-is-the-internal-family-systems-model/ 
  9. Shadick, N. A., Sowell, N. F., Frits, M. L., Hoffman, S. M., Hartz, S. A., Booth, F. D., … & Schwartz, R. C. (2013). A randomized controlled trial of an internal family systems-based psychotherapeutic intervention on outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis: a proof-of-concept study. The Journal of Rheumatology, 40(11), 1831-1841. 
  10. Internal Family Systems therapy. (n.d.-b). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/internal-family-systems-therapy   
  11. The Internal Family Systems Model Outline | IFS Institute. (2025). https://ifs-institute.com/resources/articles/internal-family-systems-model-outline
  12. Anderson, Frank. (2025) The IFS 6Fs: Simple Steps to Helping Protective Parts Differentiate from the Self. Retrieved from https://www.pesi.com/blog/details/1857/the-ifs-6fs-simple-steps-to-helping-protective-parts

While our physical offices are located in South Loop and Lakeview neighborhoods in Chicago, Illinois for in-person sessions, we also welcome and serve clients for online therapy from anywhere in Illinois and Washington, D.C. Clients from the Chicagoland area may choose in-office or online therapy and usually commute from surrounding areas such as River North, West Loop, Gold Coast, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lake View, Rogers Park, Logan Square, Pilsen, Bridgeport, Little Village, Bronzeville, South Shore, Hyde Park, Back of the Yards, Wicker Park, Bucktown and many more.  

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At Roamers Therapy, our psychotherapists are here to support you through anxiety, depression, trauma and relationship issues, race-ethnicity issues, LGBTQIA+ issues, ADHD, Autism, or any challenges you encounter. Our psychotherapists are trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Acceptance, and Commitment Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, and Gottman Therapy. 

Whether you’re seeking guidance on a specific issue or need help navigating difficult emotions, we’re ready to assist you every step of the way.

Contact us today to learn more about our services and schedule a session with our mental health professionals to begin your healing journey. To get started with therapy, visit our booking page.

First, decide if you’ll be paying out-of-pocket or using insurance. If you’re a self-pay client, you can book directly through the “Book Now” page or fill out the “Self-Pay/Out-of-network Inquiry Form.” If you’re using insurance, fill out the “Insurance Verification Form” to receive details about your costs and availability. Please let us know your preferred therapist. If your preferred therapist isn’t available, you can join the waitlist by emailing us. Once your appointment is confirmed, you’ll receive intake documents to complete before your first session.

This page is also part of the Roamers Therapy Glossary; a collection of mental-health related definitions that are written by our therapists.

While our offices are currently located at the South Loop neighborhood of Downtown Chicago, Illinois, we also welcome and serve clients for online therapy from anywhere in Illinois and Washington, D.C. Clients from the Chicagoland area may choose in-office or online therapy and usually commute from surrounding areas such as River North, West Loop, Gold Coast, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lake View, Rogers Park, Logan Square, Pilsen, Bridgeport, Little Village, Bronzeville, South Shore, Hyde Park, Back of the Yards, Wicker Park, Bucktown and many more. You can visit our contact page to access detailed information on our office location.