Internal Family Systems (IFS)
therapy in Denver
Is IFS therapy for trauma?
If you’ve been asking yourself whether Internal Family Systems therapy is for you, we’re here to help. IFS is for individuals and couples whose feelings might seem like they’re in conflict and people who have feelings of shame and frustration with their actions. Research has shown that IFS, often known as parts work therapy, is such a powerful form of therapy that it can also help with physical ailments as well.
IFS has been helpful for people who struggle with:
- Trauma and PTSD
- Losing interest in activities or hobbies
- Feelings of guilt, loneliness, and associated insomnia
- Panic attacks or an inability to regulate emotions, including anger
- Low self-esteem or motivation
- Lack of confidence or feeling powerless
- Struggling with a need for perfection
- Problems maintaining relationships and friendships
IFS has been shown to improve symptoms of anxiety, depression, body image, trauma, health conditions, obsessive tendencies, and more. It has also been shown to help improve one’s overall wellness by having a positive effect on all aspects of your life.
When you meet with an IFS therapist in Denver, you might find that it’s unlike other forms of therapy. In sessions, we welcome all parts of ourselves with compassion, curiosity, and understanding. It helps people be more accepting of the different parts of our personality. When we accept ourselves, we can heal and transform in unique, powerful ways. We stay focused on what could be causing issues and want you to understand yourself as a whole.
We build trust and care for each part of you, and then take the right steps to help your whole self function in a productive, positive, and healthy way. Our Denver IFS therapists in Lone Tree, Cherry Creek, and Greenwood Village create an environment and experiences that help you heal in a uniquely empowering way that respects all aspects of who you are.
Benefits of IFS therapy
- Move forward: Whether you’ve experienced trauma, addiction, or other issues, you can find healing from your past and discover a path forward when you understand how different parts of you work.
- Understand yourself: Learn how you can live a more fulfilling, centered, and focused life.
- Change patterns: Once parts of you understand each other, they can let go of destructive behaviors or thoughts and help you make progress in your life. Personal development: By better understanding all parts of you, you can move forward to achieve what you’ve been held back from.
- A different treatment option: Every person is different, and if another method, like DBT or CBT isn’t working as well for you, IFS is a different way for you to seek help.
- Self-empowering: Develop the ability to rely on yourself over time, freeing yourself from having to seek support in others.
- Reduce internal conflicts: By resolving conflicting beliefs and experiences, you can move towards a place of healing.
What is Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS)?
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is an evidence-based, holistic approach developed by Dr. Richard C. Schwartz, PhD in the 1980s. Recognized for healing trauma, attachment wounds, shame, and self-criticism, IFS helps people reconnect with their core “Self” — the calm, compassionate center that exists beneath protective parts.
Rather than viewing the mind as a single unit, IFS recognizes that we are all made up of many inner “parts.” When these parts carry burdens from past experiences, they can create internal conflict, emotional pain, and patterns that feel impossible to break. IFS therapy gently helps each part feel heard and understood — so it can release its burden and allow the whole system to heal.
At My Denver Therapy, our IFS therapists work with clients in Denver, Greenwood Village, Lone Tree, and Arvada — and via telehealth throughout Colorado. IFS is one of the most powerful and compassionate forms of therapy available today, and our team is experienced in applying it to trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, and more.
Internal Family Systems
A central belief of IFS therapy is that humans are complicated, multi-layered, and made up of multiple parts that fulfill different roles, including these parts:
Exiles
Hold deep feelings of hurt, fear, and shame. They’ve often experienced trauma and become isolated to protect people from painful emotions. They can become desperate in hopes of being cared for or being able to tell their story.
Protectors
Protectors actively do things to protect you from harm for the sake of your everyday life.
Managers
Keep things working in everyday life and are focused on control and order. They try to keep control of situations and relationships to shield from negative feelings and rejection. They often keep exiles locked inside to hide their intense emotions from public view.
Firefighters:
Protect the exiles from their intense feelings by putting out fires when they appear; think excitement, intensity, and thrills. When protecting the exiles, this can often happen in negative ways, including substance abuse, self-harm, bingeing, and more. Over time, this can be more harmful than helpful because people lose connection to the source of their intense emotions. They have the same goals as managers, but use different methods.
Steps of IFS and “the 6 F’s”
The steps of IFS are used to work with different parts, including protectors, that are creating problems in someone’s life. Protectors actively do things to protect you from harm for the sake of your everyday life. Using these steps, we help you reconnect with the different parts of you and put you in position to nurture them. Learn more about the 6 steps.
The basic goals of the 6 F’s are to connect with your protectors, understand them, and create a relationship between the Self and the protector. In IFS, the 6 steps include:
The part in and around your body. Understand where it needs your attention.
Turn your attention inwards, towards the part. Putting yourself in position to learn about it and its qualities.it act the way that it does? What does it want for you?
Learn about the part. How does it look or feel? Are you close or far from it?
How do you feel about the part? Different parts often need to feel heard and noticed.
Find out more about the part and build a relationship with it. This establishes a good relationship between the Self and part.
What creates fear for this part that makes it act the way that it does? What does it want for you?
If you’re interested in learning more about the 6 F’s, here’s a video that explains the 6 F’s in more depth.
Self-energy and “the 8 C’s”
In IFS therapy, there’s a concept known as self-energy, a quality that lets us feel like we know ourselves, our tendencies, patterns, potential blind spots, weaknesses, and our strengths. We can empower ourselves to meet our own needs, and IFS therapy provides a guide to nurture yourself and grow.
IFS uses the 8 C’s “Calm, Connection, Compassion, Creativity, Clarity, Curiosity, Confidence and Courage” to expand upon the concept of self-energy. These all sound like positive words on their own, and IFS helps break away from the thoughts and behaviors that cover up the C’s.
Here are some more specifics about what each of the C’s means:
Calm – Being able to go through the ups and downs of life without being overwhelmed. Whatever happens, you’re along for the ride and feel at peace with it.
Connection – Feeling accepted and safe being who you are. Being connected means spending time with healthy relationships and doing things we feel connected to.
Compassion – Understanding and caring about others. Instead of feeling defensive, having empathy and wanting to help others where we can.
Creativity – Inspiration and connection to how we feel and think. This might be less rational, logical thinking, and more how we express ourselves through writing, art, music, and more. Creativity can lead to feeling completely engaged with an activity, which leads to a feeling of freedom and joy.
Clarity – Seeing situations for what they are, without being distracted by thoughts or emotions. Making the right decision becomes clear in many contexts, which can lead to improved confidence.
Curiosity – Being open and wanting to learn. Instead of making assumptions, we can ask questions to learn more about what might be unknown to us, helping us become less defensive in our interactions.
Confidence – Feeling balanced and steadfast about ourselves. Whatever happens, we’re capable handling it because we trust ourselves to think clearly and make decisions.
Courage – Embracing internal strength and feeling confident in our abilities. We can face what comes our way head on, instead of being a passive bystander. With courage, we can stand up for what we believe in and explore things that might once have seemed intimidating.
Getting started with IFS and parts work therapy
In-person and online IFS therapy are available now at our Denver, Greenwood Village, Lone Tree, and Arvada offices — and via telehealth for anyone in Colorado. If you’re thinking about getting started with IFS therapy, here are some things to consider:
- Focuses on how the different parts of you interact, think, react, and express emotions.
- While people are complex, there are no “bad” parts of our internal systems. IFS puts emphasis on developing a relationship between the different parts of our selves.
- Creates understanding of how to work out internal conflicts and move towards a state where you can heal.
- Helps you find balance instead of experiencing feelings of stress or discomfort.
- Finds your voice to listen, guide, and support the different parts of yourself, instead of being held captive by reactive responses.
- Gives you hope that you can change the way that you experience life, react what to things that happen, and understand the way that you think.
Is IFS Therapy Evidence-Based?
Yes. IFS therapy is evidence-based and backed by peer-reviewed research. The model was developed by Dr. Richard C. Schwartz, PhD in the 1980s and has been recognized by the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP). Multiple randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have demonstrated its effectiveness for trauma, depression, anxiety, and chronic pain.
A 2013 RCT published in the Journal of Rheumatology found IFS significantly reduced pain and depression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Research also supports IFS for PTSD — often achieving meaningful symptom reduction in fewer sessions than traditional talk therapy. Additional studies show effectiveness for eating disorders, substance use, and relationship difficulties.
At My Denver Therapy, our IFS therapists are trained in the model and use it alongside EMDR, CBT, and other evidence-based approaches tailored to each client. Many people come to us after other therapies haven’t gone deep enough — IFS often reaches what talking about it alone can’t.
Frequently asked questions about IFS therapy in Denver:
How long does IFS therapy take? Most clients begin noticing meaningful shifts within 8–12 sessions. Deeper work with complex trauma may take longer, but IFS often moves faster than traditional talk therapy because it works directly with the parts carrying the burden.
Is IFS therapy the same as parts work? Yes — IFS is often called “parts work therapy.” It’s the most structured and research-supported model for working with the different sub-personalities that make up our inner world.
Can IFS help with trauma? IFS is particularly well-suited for trauma, including childhood trauma, complex PTSD, and single-incident trauma. Many MDT therapists combine IFS with EMDR for accelerated trauma processing.
Do I have to believe in the IFS model for it to work? No. Most clients arrive skeptical and find that the framework simply helps them understand and describe their inner experience in a new way. The results speak for themselves.
Is IFS therapy available in Denver without a long waitlist? Yes. My Denver Therapy has IFS therapists available now at our Denver, Greenwood Village, Lone Tree, and Arvada offices — and via telehealth throughout Colorado. Appointments are often available this week.
Meet our IFS therapists
ALLIE EVANS
Allie is passionate about helping people find joy in the present. Through IFS, she supports her clients through their healing journeys and treats every person’s journey as unique. Because of her expertise and training, Allie has become one of the most requested IFS therapists in the Denver area and also provides online IFS therapy in California.
Allie is also trained in EMDR and is a Certified Sandplay Therapist.
She provides in-person therapy for children, teens, and adults in our Greenwood Village office.
COURTNEYROSE CHUNG
Courtneyrose is one of the most requested trauma therapists in Colorado.. She uses IFS when working with clients who have experienced acute and complex trauma.
Courtneyrose is also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Ketamine-assisted therapy, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), She sees clients virtually via teletherapy.
Other specialities
When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.
Victor Frankl
Meet our therapists
As a therapist-owned practice, we care about helping you heal, grow, and thrive. We take a client-focused approach to counseling and approach each session with a commitment to your progress and growth.
Availability
We’re always accepting new clients at our conveniently located offices in Denver, Greenwood Village, Lone Tree, and Arvada. All of our therapists can meet with clients online.
We specialize in you
You are welcome here. Because we have a large team with a wide range of specialties and trainings, we work with clients of all ages, backgrounds, and life stages.
We can match you with a male or female therapist who matches your goals, location, and schedule. If you have a preference for gender, age, religious background, or a person with a specific type of training or life experience, we can match you with a therapist you feel comfortable with.
Trained in effective therapy modalities
To support your mental health journey, our team is trained in some of the most effective forms of therapy available today, including EMDR, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, Brainspotting, CBT, DBT, and IFS.
Whether you’re looking for help with anxiety, depression, trauma, or want to better understand your relationship and attachment styles, we can help.
Insurance information
We’re out of network with insurance and Tricare and are unable to take Medicaid or Medicare.
Unlike many Denver therapy practices, we don’t charge separate intake or administration fees or charge more for your first session or specialized therapy methods like EMDR.
Get matched with a therapist
Contact us today, and one of our therapists will reach out to you directly, usually the same day.