How Internal Family Systems Theory Changed My Practice

The Innovative Therapist

Episode 93. For this episode I recruited the wonderful Dr. Sapna Doshi back to interview me about my experiences in the past several months of immersing myself in the world of Internal Family Systems Theory. I've been learning IFS and beginning to apply it with several of my clients and have been seeing great results. It's also something I've been applying and to myself. Working with my parts (as IFS calls them) has been incredibly transformative for me. So in this two-part series, I will first share how Internal Family Systems has changed my 1 on 1 clinical practice, and in part 2 I will share how it has changed things for me personally and in my professional practice. Join Our Upcoming Workshop! Sign up today to join! What to Expect in This Episode In this episode I will answer: What is Internal Family Systems (IFS) and why should you care about it? How did I learn about it? How has it influenced my 1 on 1 practice? What are some of the biggest shifts I've seen? How can IFS merge (or not) with other forms of psychotherapy? Are a therapist, dietitian or helping professional who works individuals struggling with disordered eating? Are you unsure of the best ways to help clients who say "I really like intuitive eating and what we are doing, but ultimately I really want to lose weight." You empathize. You tell them the science about dieting. But ultimately, that desire for weight loss keeps coming up and often interfering with their focus in treatment. How can you help them explore what is right for them without imposing you own agenda? I created this free step-by-step guide to walk you thought my #1 favorite exercise (based on Internal Family Systems theory) to help clients navigate this nuanced dynamic with parts of them that still want to lose weight. As a professional, it's my favorite way to help clients build self-trust, while also taking some of the pressure off of you to know the exact right advice to say or give. Total win-win. Grab it for free today! Support Local Bookstores Near You! Did you know that that if nothing slows their momentum, Amazon will have almost 80% of the book market by the end of 2025? Look, I love the convenience of Amazon, but I’ve got a super cool way that you can support local bookstores and my blog and podcast simply by buying books like you already do! You can choose any bookstore on the list in the US (they plan to expand to other counties in the future) OR you can just let the donation get split between all stores. They have raised over 15 million dollars for local bookstores. On my bookshop, you will see my absolute favorite books related to health and wellness, courage and vulnerability, and even my favorite fiction and kids books! My recent favorite related to achieving a deeper level of healing is No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model. This model of healing has been incredibly helpful to me personally. I'm also using it with clients and seeing great results. This book isn't specific to eating or weight concerns, but is really one of the best ways I've found to help work with that deeper root cause of any behavior you are struggling with and I think you'll find it super interesting and valuable. So if you believe in supporting local businesses and want to support my blog and podcast, please consider buying your books through Bookshop from now on! The Psychology of Wellness Bookshop Link. Disclaimer: This blog and podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individual professional advice or treatment, including medical or mental health advice. It does not constitute a provider patient relationship. Disclosure: Using the Bookshop.org links in this post means that I would get an affiliate fee if you purchase from the online bookshop (this supports my business, and local bookstores too!).