What to Expect in an IFS Parts Work Therapy Session: A Friendly Overview

So You’ve Heard About IFS—Now What?

Let’s say you’ve stumbled upon Internal Family Systems (IFS) through a recommendation, or maybe you typed “IFS therapist near me” into a search bar. You might be intrigued but also a little unsure: What does “talking to my parts” mean? Does this involve props or puppet shows? (Quick spoiler: No puppets. Probably.)

Doing some sleuthing before starting something new is completely normal. IFS can look a bit unusual from the outside, so it’s only natural to want a preview. Here’s a friendly breakdown of what you might experience if we work together using IFS.

Quick overview on IFS

Internal Family Systems sees your mind as a community of different “parts,” each with unique roles, feelings, and perspectives. Picture them as little voices in your head, some supportive, some protective, some that might feel stuck or wounded. The ultimate aim? To help these parts collaborate instead of competing, to participate in your life from a place of passion and love rather than from a place of fear, and to strengthen your sense of calm, curious, compassionate Self that can lead them all.

Arriving at an IFS Session

At first glance, an IFS session might feel like a regular therapy conversation: How was your week? Anything big going on in your life? But behind the scenes, we’ll be paying close attention to your emotional responses—like a “not-good-enough” voice or an anxious feeling in your chest. We refer to those emotional responses as parts.

Talking About vs. Talking To Parts

• Talking About: We might start by identifying a part that shows up as body sensations or specific behaviours like perfectionism, self-doubt, fear, people pleasing, caretaking, avoiding, overthinking...

• Talking To: Once we zero in on a specific feeling or behavior, we may shift to addressing it directly—kind of like having a respectful inner dialogue. This can be done silently or out loud, whichever feels right to you, but I'll be guiding you step by step.

If it’s your first time, the concept might feel a bit strange (no shock there!). Think of it as giving a microphone to an emotion inside you. Over time, it often becomes second nature—and it can lead to major aha moments.

The Vibe, Session to Session

No two sessions will be identical:

• Some days, conversation takes center stage—maybe you need to vent or sort through a life event, and we’ll lightly connect the dots to various parts, starting to name them and validate them for their positive intention in their specific doing..

• Other times, we’ll focus more experientially—spending more time in guided reflection, noticing subtle shifts in your body, or gently probing deeper layers of an emotion that’s been waiting to be heard.

We’ll also follow your natural rhythm. If the same challenge arises each session, we’ll keep exploring it until it feels resolved. If something new pops up next time, we can pivot. IFS is wonderfully flexible that way.

Your First Session: Getting Our Bearings

During our initial meetup, I’ll want to learn a bit about you: your background, what brings you to receive support, and your hopes or goals (but if you fill up the application form, we'll focus less on these during our first session and have more time and space to start bringing the focus to your parts). There might be some brief “housekeeping” (like informed consent forms or a coaching agreement that you'll receive before we start our sessions) to ensure you know how this process works and what your rights are.

You don’t need to arrive with a grand blueprint. Just come as you are, maybe with a rough idea of what’s bugging you or what you’d like to experience in your life. We’ll sort out the rest together.

A Note on Nerves

It’s totally normal to feel awkward or anxious about trying a new therapeutic style—especially if it involves “conversing with your internal world.” There’s no right or wrong. If you aren’t sure how to “find” a part, that’s perfectly okay. My role is to help you gradually tune in, so you can approach your inner voices with curiosity instead of fear or judgement.

Subsequent Sessions: It’s All About Your Inner Dance

In ongoing work, you might:

• Check In: Let me know any internal changes you’ve noticed. Did a certain critic voice pop up less often after last week’s session? Did a new part step forward? Did you check-in with the part we worked with in the previous session?

• Share External Events (If Relevant): If something significant happened at work or home, we’ll see how your internal system responded. But there’s no pressure to detail every single life event. In our session we'll learn to focus on the dynamics, processes that happen internally in response to external factors...there is less focus on the content, on the narrative and stories that parts are attached to, and more on the How they impact the internal system and the external relationships.

• Refine Goals: Over time, you might discover deeper issues behind the ones you initially came in with, or you might gain clarity on how you want to feel, behave, or relate in daily life. You'll become more grounded and skilled at "unblending" (separating yourself from a part) and become aware of what is happening inside of you so that more agency and empowerment will be available to you.

  
  

What Does an IFS Therapist Actually Do?

When we'll speak, every part of your story is viewed through the perspective of parts who hold burdens or protective roles. We'll start wearing the "IFS-glasses" and interpret the inner and outer world through that lens".

Throughout sessions, I'll help you befriend your different parts, and allowing more Self-energy to surface, leading you to access your own Self-leadership. You're not to be “fixed”; rather, you're here to be guided to discover the wisdom, compassion, and healing capacity that’s already inside you, just waiting to be unleashed (and trusted).

How to Prepare for IFS Sessions

• Logistics: If there’s intake paperwork, filling it out ahead of time lets us dive right in. Payment pre-session to finalize the booking and scheduling the ideal time.

• Mindset: Come with an open mind (and some patience for the process). A little nervousness is fine; that’s often just a protective part trying to keep you safe. Be reassured that this modality is very gentle (but effective) and it doesn't push through or forces anything. If we encounter any resistance we'll focus on that part that is protecting and honoring it for what it's doing for you, and we get curious about it, moving forward only when there is consent and openness.

• Optional Tools: Some people like to bring a notebook to jot down insights or keep track of different parts that show up or even record the session. But you can absolutely just show up as you are.

  
  

Final Thoughts

Giving IFS a shot is like deciding to meet the different cast members of your inner world. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s emotional, but almost always it leads to moments of greater self-understanding and compassion. You might be surprised by what these internal voices have to say once they finally get the mic!

If you’re the type who likes to see things for yourself, reach out and fill up the application form or schedule a first session so you can experience this approach firsthand. And if you’d rather read every available resource first, that’s cool too, no judgment. Either way, I’m here to help you navigate your inner family and create more harmony, inside and out.

Ready to Explore?

Let’s see if IFS might be a game-changer on your journey of self-discovery and healing as well in your relationships.

Start Today =)