IFS-Informed Coaching
FACT: Internal Family Systems (IFS) has been subject to rigorous, independent research and is certified as evidence-based by the U.S. government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), as it has shown a significant, positive impact on mental health outcomes.
You know how sometimes a part of us wants something, yet another part DOESN’T?
Like feeling committed versus doubting ourselves, or feeling called to grow while also feeling terrified to take the next step? Internal Family Systems/IFS-informed or Parts Work-informed coaching is a powerful tool to uncover the many parts of us that are sometimes in conflict, so we can establish better lines of communication, build healthier relationships with inner parts, and help resolve what feels stuck. As any form of coaching, parts work-informed coaching is client-led and based on your own personally identified goals.
With IFS-informed coaching, you can learn to heal yourself now. It doesn’t need to take a lifetime.
Somatic (body-mind) parts work-informed coaching can help you get to a place of deeper connection with “Self” or “inner wisdom.” As we learn to notice, listen, and validate (but not necessarily agree with) all of our parts, we uncover who we are truly meant to be, the essence of us that has been present all along. It then becomes easier to feel safe and to act in alignment with our core values and beliefs, so we can live more freely and authentically, from the inside out. What makes this particular approach such a powerful tool is that there is scientific data to support its effectiveness. The IFS view of the human mind aligns with how a human brain actually works. Somatic IFS/parts work-informed Certified Trauma Recovery Coaching recognizes clients as creative, resourceful, and whole as opposed to being in need of fixing. As we peel the layers together, clients get to experience more of “Self,” their inner wisdom and resources, like a “homecoming.”
IFS-Informed Certified Trauma Recovery Coaching is not IFS therapy. Each client-led session is based on the support model of care as opposed to the medical model of care, so coaches do not help treat or cure symptoms of any diagnosable mental disorder, as this is not within our scope of competence and practice. Trauma Coaches never pathologize their clients’ responses.
survivors aren’t broken. We GOT INJURED, but with the right recovery tools, wounds AND scars DO heal.
Just like IFS, trauma recovery coaching never pathologizes clients with clinical diagnosis or symptoms. Both recognize that we all have “Self” consciousness that we can learn to access more fully and consistently. As you progress in your recovery, you’ll know you’re operating from Self instead of one of your parts when you feel one or more of the following 8 feelings, or a variation of them: Calm, Connected, Compassionate, Creative, Clear, Curious, Confident, Courageous.
TRIGGER WARNING: CHILDHOOD TRAUMA, ADDICTION & SUICIDE VISUALS: IFS-Informed Certified Trauma Recovery Coaches are qualified to help you notice and connect with your protective parts as well as the feelings and sensations connected to them. They can also help you explore your parts’ motives and how you feel towards them.
our authentic core “self” is Calm, Connected, Compassionate, Creative, Clear, Curious, Confident, Courageous. When we aren’t, a part of us is speaking.
You know you may be operating from one of your parts or blending with it if you feel emotions such as grief, rage, fear, or shame. These parts are called “exiles,” and they tend to be young, often developed in childhood as coping mechanisms. We also develop parts that protect us from being overwhelmed by those feelings. These parts are called “protectors.” There are no bad parts, as even the destructive parts (“firefighters”) are trying to protect us, but don’t yet know how to do it in more constructive ways. The good news is that you can teach them how with somatic parts work-informed coaching, and that parts can learn. All parts want the best for us, it’s just that as parts, they tend to miss the forest for the trees and may not make decisions that are most helpful in the long run.
TRIGGER WARNING: CHILDHOOD TRAUMA, BULLYING MENTION: IFS-Informed Certified Trauma Recovery Coaches can help you explore, notice, and map out your internal family system so that you can get to know your parts better, why they do what they do, and learn to build strong relationships with them to be more at peace with your Self.
somatic IFS-informed coaching helps you learn how to tell “Self” from parts to FEEL MORE ALIVE
AND reparent your Inner Child for deep Self-Healing.
In somatic IFS, we recognize that trauma can be stored in the body, leading to physical sensations and emotional dysregulation. Somatic parts work-informed coaching encourages survivors to connect with their bodily sensations, helping them release tension and process trapped emotions. By creating a safe space for clients to explore body-mind connections, I assist survivors in grounding themselves in the present moment and regain a sense of safety within their bodies. Instead of suppressing or disowning what hurts or scares us within, we can learn to communicate internally with all parts to promote self-awareness, self-compassion, inner-harmony, and resilience. Self -empowerment helps us make choices that align with our Self to lead more connected, meaningful, authentic lives.
"MY TRAUMA RESPONSES HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED, AND I FEEL LIKE I’M IN BETTER CONTROL OF MY TRIGGERS, LEARNING TO NOTICE AND LISTEN TO THE MANY PARTS OF ME HAS GIVEN ME A NEWFOUND SENSE OF PEACE, SELF-AWARENESS, AND SO MUCH HOPE FOR RECOVERY!”
—Louise S, New York, USA
The wound is the place where the light enters you.
—Rumi