Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy in Richmond, VA
Naxos Counseling offers internal family systems (IFS) therapy services in Richmond, Virginia, providing individuals with a transformative approach to healing and self-discovery. Internal family systems therapy is a powerful and innovative model that helps individuals explore and understand their inner world, fostering healing, resilience, and personal growth.
What is Internal Family Systems?
Official Description: IFS is a transformative tool that conceives of every human being as a system of protective and wounded inner parts led by a core Self. We believe the mind is naturally multiple and that is a good thing. Just like members of a family, inner parts are forced from their valuable states into extreme roles within us. Self is in everyone. It can’t be damaged. It knows how to heal.
IFS is frequently used as an evidence-based psychotherapy, helping people heal by accessing and healing their protective and wounded inner parts. IFS creates inner and outer connectedness by helping people first access their Self and, from that core, come to understand and heal their parts.
But IFS is much more than a non-pathologizing evidence-based psychotherapy to be used in a clinical setting. It is also a way of understanding personal and intimate relationships and stepping into life with the 8 Cs: confidence, calm, compassion, courage, creativity, clarity, curiosity, and connectedness. Professionals from many different backgrounds such as, but not limited to, body workers, legal mediation, school administration, life coaches, and religious leaders may utilize IFS to inform and guide their work. Our growing list of educational programs aims to serve not only therapists but the wider public and other professions.
The mission of IFS Institute is to bring more Self leadership to the world."
From IFS official website
See Dr. Dick Schwartz discuss IFS here
Who is IFS for?
We have found that IFS parts work is a flexible treatment for a range of issues. This model works well for people who are visual by nature and want to experience a guided, focused, and internal type of therapy. Your therapist will work with you and discuss this specific modality.
How does IFS work?
IFS works primarily by the therapist helping the client develop a relationship his themselves, i.e., their parts. The healing agent is within the client and progress happens when the client is able to tap into and embody what we call Self-energy. This Self-energy is able to bring light, relief, and compassion to the internal parts frozen or stuck in time, shame, and negative beliefs.