Part of you wants to speak up. Another part would rather stay invisible. One part is sure you’re about to mess this up, and another just wants to scroll until the feeling goes away. Most of us talk this way without thinking about it. Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy takes that language seriously.
In IFS, you aren’t the problem. You have parts, and each one is trying to help in the only way it learned how. Our IFS therapists in Austin and online across Texas help you get to know those parts, so the ones that have been running the show can finally ease up.
Clinically reviewed by William Schroeder, LPC, NCC, co-founder of Just Mind. Last reviewed October 21, 2026.
Get Matched With an IFS Therapist
Not sure if IFS is the right approach for you? We’ll match you with a therapist who can help you figure that out.
What is Internal Family Systems Therapy?
IFS was developed by family therapist Richard Schwartz, who noticed his clients kept describing their inner lives as a cast of characters. It starts from a simple idea: having parts is normal. Your mind learns patterns the way your body learns to ride a bike. A child who grew up bracing for criticism may carry a part that still tenses up around anyone who sounds like that parent, decades later.
Parts can show up as a thought, a feeling, a tightness in your chest, an image or an inner voice. Some parts act as protectors. One keeps you busy, careful and pleasing so nothing goes wrong. Another steps in when feelings get too big, with a drink, a binge, a fight or a shutdown. Underneath them are often younger parts that still carry old hurt or shame, which IFS calls exiles.
There are no bad parts in IFS, even the harsh ones. A protector that criticizes you is usually trying to keep you from something it fears more. Fighting it tends to make it dig in. Getting curious about it tends to make it relax.
Beneath all of that is what IFS calls the Self: the calm, curious, compassionate you that shows up when your parts step back. The goal isn’t to get rid of any part. It’s to let Self lead.
Is IFS Therapy Right for You?
IFS tends to fit people who feel at war with themselves. You know what you “should” do, maybe from years of therapy or reading, but something inside keeps pulling the other way. It’s a good match for a loud inner critic, people-pleasing, perfectionism, procrastination, shame, and old hurt that still feels present.
It may not be the best first step if you’re in a crisis and need stability right away, or if you want a structured, skills-and-homework approach. Some pain, like fresh grief, needs room more than untangling. Your therapist will talk through what fits.
What Changes With IFS
- You react less and have more choice about how to respond, to yourself and to other people.
- You can notice a strong reaction as one part of you, rather than all of you.
- The inner critic gets quieter once it no longer has to work so hard.
- Old pain can be revisited at a distance that feels safe, so it stops replaying as if it were happening now.
- Over time, you learn to work with your own parts between sessions and come back for a tune-up when you get stuck.
- You treat yourself with more patience, and that usually carries over into how you treat other people.
How Our Therapists Use IFS
Our therapists took an IFS 101 training together in 2022 with Austin therapist Michelle Hawn, LPC-S. Some have gone on to formal IFS training; others draw on IFS ideas alongside other approaches. Either way, the client care team will match you with someone whose style fits.
- Gabi Ghag, LPC Associate (supervised by Kimberley Mead, LPC-S) has formal IFS training and blends parts work with somatic and expressive arts approaches.
- Malka Fenig, LPC, NCC is IFS trained and certified in EMDR. She works in English and Spanish, often with grief, anger and shame.
- Abi Tesfaye, LPC pairs IFS with narrative therapy for people working through faith deconstruction, cultural identity and family expectations.
- Courtney Lougheed, LPC uses IFS with DBT skills for relational trauma, shame, and neurodivergent clients.
- Marie-Michele Atkinson, LMFT combines parts work with EMDR and somatic therapy for trauma that lives in the body. Sessions are online.
- Bella Lyon, LMFT and Andrea Chavez, LMFT Associate (supervised by Brittany Whallen, LMFT-S) bring parts work into couples therapy alongside EFT. Andrea also works in Spanish.
Common Issues Addressed by IFS Therapy
Our therapists use IFS with:
- Anxiety and depression
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Relationship difficulties
- Low self-esteem
- Addiction and dependency issues
- Chronic stress and burnout
Not sure IFS is the right approach? Tell us what’s going on and we’ll suggest a therapist who fits.
What Clients Say
What an IFS Session Looks Like
A session usually starts with something that’s bothering you right now: a harsh inner voice, a habit you can’t shake, a reaction that felt bigger than the moment. Your therapist helps you notice it as a part of you, not the whole of you.
Then comes a question that surprises most people: how do you feel toward that part? If the answer is annoyed or afraid, that’s another part, and you get curious about that one first. Once you can meet a part with some curiosity, you ask what it’s worried would happen if it stopped doing its job.
Protectors set the pace. Your therapist won’t push toward painful memories before the parts guarding them are ready. When you do get there, the work is to see the younger part’s story from a steady distance, offer it what it needed back then, and let the protectors stand down.
It’s slower and more inward than skills-based therapy, and many people say it feels kinder.
Find an IFS Therapist in Austin
Each therapist below uses IFS in their work. Read a profile to see how they combine it with other approaches.
Not Sure Who to Start With? We Can Help.
FAQs About Internal Family Systems Therapy
What is the role of the 'Self' in IFS Therapy?
In IFS, Self is the you underneath your parts. It’s the steady, curious, compassionate presence that shows up when your protectors step back. IFS describes it with eight qualities: calm, curiosity, compassion, confidence, courage, clarity, creativity and connectedness. The idea is that you don’t have to build these from scratch. They’re already there, often buried under years of coping.
Is having parts the same as multiple personalities?
No. Having parts is ordinary. If you’ve ever said “part of me wants to go, and part of me wants to stay home,” you’ve noticed them. IFS gives those everyday inner voices a way to be heard. It isn’t a diagnosis, and it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you.
How long does it take to see results with IFS Therapy?
It varies. Some people feel a shift within a few sessions, especially once they can notice a part instead of being swept up by it. Deeper work with older pain often takes many months, and some people stay longer because it keeps helping. The pace is set by what feels safe for you.
Can IFS Therapy help with trauma?
Yes, and it’s one of the main reasons people seek it out. IFS is gentle by design: the parts that protect you from old pain decide when you’re ready to approach it. If a memory starts to feel too close, your therapist helps you step back to a distance where you can see it without being swept into it. Many of our therapists combine IFS with EMDR or somatic therapy.
What does an IFS session look like?
Your therapist helps you notice a part of yourself that is active, such as a critic or an anxious part, and get curious about what it is trying to do for you. It is slower and more inward than skills-based therapy.
Is IFS evidence-based?
IFS has a smaller research base than CBT or EMDR, and it’s growing. The clearest results so far are for depression, from small randomized trials, including a 2017 study with college students. Early studies on PTSD are promising, and the first randomized trial of a group IFS program for PTSD was published in 2026. The IFS Institute keeps a list of the research and notes that larger trials are still needed. IFS was rated as an evidence-based practice in SAMHSA’s national registry in 2015; that registry closed in 2018.
Can IFS be combined with EMDR or CBT?
Yes. Many of our therapists use IFS alongside EMDR for trauma or CBT for anxiety. IFS is often the piece that helps when a part of you resists the other work.
Can I do IFS therapy online?
Yes. IFS works well by video, since most of the work happens inside your own attention rather than through in-room activities.
Does insurance cover IFS therapy?
Yes, when it is used to treat a diagnosed condition. Many of our clinicians are in network with Aetna, EHN, Harbor Health, Nomi Health, and Sana.
What if I feel silly talking to parts of myself?
That reaction is normal and your therapist expects it. Most people find the language becomes natural within a few sessions, and you can describe parts in whatever words fit you.
Where To Find A Therapist In Austin, TX
Our Just Mind Counseling has two physical locations in Austin, TX:
If you’re unable to attend sessions in person, we also offer Telehealth and Online Therapy appointments for IFS.
Related Therapy at Just Mind
IFS often works alongside these approaches:
- Somatic therapy, for parts that show up in the body
- EMDR therapy, for trauma and memories that still feel present
- Anxious attachment therapy, for the part that panics when someone pulls away
- Self-esteem therapy, for a loud inner critic
- PTSD and trauma counseling
Is IFS Counseling not right for you? Explore our other therapy services.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- ADHD Counseling
- ADHD Testing
- Adult Counseling
- Affordable Counseling
- Anxiety Counseling
- Anxious Attachment Therapy
- Autism Counseling, Acceptance & Support
- Autism Testing
- Child Counseling & Play Therapy
- Childhood Trauma Counseling
- Cofounder Counseling
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy CBT
- DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)
- Dating & Relationships Counseling
- Depression Counseling
- Discernment Counseling
- EMDR Therapy
- Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Employee Mental Wellness
- Family & Parenting Counseling
- Food Struggles & Body Image Counseling
- Gottman Method Therapy
- Grief Counseling
- Immigration Hardship Evaluations
- Individual Counseling & Coaching
- Internal Family Systems Therapy
- LGBTQ+ Counseling
- LGBTQ+ Couples Counseling
- Marriage & Couples Counseling
- Multicultural Counseling
- Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy
- Personal Growth Counseling
- Postpartum Depression Counseling
- OCD Therapy
- Pregnancy and Perinatal Therapy
- Premarital Counseling
- Psychological Assessments
- PTSD & Trauma Counseling
- Self-Esteem Therapy
- Single Session Therapy
- Somatic Therapy & Somatic Experiencing
- Spanish-Speaking Therapy
- Stress Management Therapy
- Teen Counseling
- Telehealth & Online Counseling
- Therapy for First Responders
- Therapy for Men
- Therapy for Women