INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS INFORMED THERAPY IN CALIFORNIA & WASHINGTON
Your whole self belongs in the room, the parts you’re proud of & still figuring out.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is a compassionate, non‑pathologizing approach that helps people understand and heal the internal parts of themselves with curiosity and care. Rather than focusing on what’s “wrong,” IFS assumes that the mind is made up of multiple parts (each with its own beliefs, emotions, and strategies) and that these parts can be understood, supported, and integrated.
Holistic support for processing deeply rooted beliefs and identities.
What is Internal Family Systems (IFS)?
In IFS, we work with the idea that your internal system contains different “parts,” such as protectors, critics, caregivers, or vulnerable younger selves. These parts often develop as responses to stress or past experiences, especially early attachment or trauma. IFS seeks to foster a trusting relationship between the “Self” (a calm, curious core of awareness) and these internal parts, allowing healing and harmony to emerge.
Good therapy doesn’t ask you to leave parts of yourself at the door.
At Tiny Cottage Therapy, therapy is a place to understand all the different sides of you. The ones you feel are helping you towards your goals and the ones that feel like they're hindering your progress. We get to know all these parts of you and work together to get them to support you and bring out authentic inner leadership.
Caitlin Blair, LCSW, LICSW · UC Berkeley MSW · AAPI specialist · Accepting new clients in California & Washington
Who does IFS help?
IFS can be especially supportive for dealing with:
Complex trauma or attachment wounds
Persistent self‑criticism or inner conflict
Anxiety, overwhelm, or perfectionism
Difficulty accessing a grounded sense of self
Feeling torn between pressures of what you want and what others expect
What to Expect from IFS Informed Therapy
Understanding Your Inner Parts
Explore how the different voices, motivations, and impulses in your mind work together (or not) to create patterns in your life.
Strengthening Inner Wisdom & Living Authentically
Develop a deeper connection and relationship with your self. Cultivate your inner knowledge and guidance to live a life where you feel confident, capable, compassionate, and curious.
Unburdening Old Beliefs
Learn what drives your deepest fears, criticisms, and beliefs. Unburden yourself from old beliefs to make room for what truly feels like you.
Reducing Inner Conflict
Do you ever feel torn between two different beliefs about who you are? Do you often find yourself thinking in extremes or black-and-white? IFS can help these parts understand each other and quiet inner turmoil.
HOW IT WORKS
Three simple steps
to becoming the version of yourself
you were always meant to be.
Telehealth · California & Washington · Accepting new clients now
Frequently Asked Questions
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IFS focuses on exploring your “parts” and how they interact, rather than only addressing symptoms. It helps you understand inner conflicts and tensions, while also helping you feel more like you’re leading from your authentic self. Sessions incorporate more mindfulness and inner awareness.
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Yes, IFS sessions are typically a combination of conversation and mindfulness-based practices that are paced to your comfort. This approach pairs well with my other therapeutic modalities like somatic work and trauma‑informed practices.
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Yes, I frequently integrate principles from narrative therapy into IFS. Narrative therapy is all about the stories we tell ourselves to understand the world and this is something our parts do as well. Learning what stories our parts are currently telling can help us understand what we need to unburden to move forward.
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Some clients experience shifts in self-awareness or emotional regulation quickly, while deeper integration may take several weeks or months.
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Yes. IFS is trauma-sensitive and allows exploration of difficult experiences safely and at your own pace.
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Yes, sometimes IFS can be confusing to explain in a general sense but it’s very intuitive for clients to use. We already have internal conversations and tensions, even if we don’t think of them that way.
READY WHEN YOU ARE
You've been just getting through it for long enough. You deserve to actually feel good, and that starts with one conversation.
A free 15-minute call is where it starts. No paperwork, no pressure. You don't even need to know what you need yet, you just have to decide there's another way.
Telehealth · Accepting new clients in California & Washington · caitlin@tinycottagetherapy.com