internal family systems

My work is influenced by psychodynamic, feminist and humanistic theories. I am interested in knowing your story, so that together we can unpack the core beliefs that were developed early in life, make sense of them, create new meanings, and understand the sneaky ways in which the unconscious shows up.

I am trained with the Internal Family Systems Institute (Levels 1 and 2). The core of my therapeutic practice is based on the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, which suggests that we are all born with a unique essence, inner wisdom, a spirit, (you name it!) that we call Self. This Self contains the essence of human goodness in qualities such as kindness, compassion, connectedness and curiosity. In IFS we also believe that we are all born with sub-minds, or parts that are constantly interacting inside of us. Then life happens, and we get hurt, scared, shamed, or alone, and we lose that connection with Self. These parts become frozen in time and take on protective and reactive roles. Parts can become quite extreme and do a lot of damage in someone’s life, but when we get to know them, we can learn about their stories, secrets, fears and their good intentions. 

What I love about IFS is that when any of these parts take over, we don’t judge or shame them, instead we get curious to find what is driving them that needs to be healed. IFS honours what has kept you alive throughout your life and cultivates a strong, integrated and grounded sense of Self.