Internal family systems therapy
IFS Therapy in Murrieta, CA
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You know what you need to do
Set the boundary, have the hard conversation, finally rest. And then another voice shows up: absolutely not, that's a terrible idea.
So you're stuck. Fighting with yourself. One part of you knows exactly what you need. Another part is convinced it's dangerous.
What is IFS Therapy?
Internal Family Systems is built on a simple idea: you're not one voice, you're many.
You've probably noticed this already:
Logically, you know you're safe, and your body won't relax into it.
You want to be taken care of, and you’re terrified of needing anyone.
You want to tell someone the truth, and you believe they’ll leave if you do.
You're desperate to rest and convinced everything falls apart the second you do.
That's not just indecision, that's parts — different, sometimes conflicting sides of you, each trying to protect you in its own way. Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a way of working with these internal conflicts directly, instead of trying ignore, hide or shame them away.
Parts aren’t bad — even when what they push you to do ends up backfiring. Think about the last time you snapped at someone you love over something small like a dish left in the sink, or a text left on read. That reaction was probably never really about the dish or the missed message. Somewhere underneath that reaction was a part of you that felt unimportant, and learned to get loud so it wouldn't get ignored again.
Most parts are running on old strategies that once worked. Once they feel seen, understood and safe, they can start to make space for you to heal the pain they’ve been protecting all along. So the next time your text goes unread, you can see clearly and decide how to respond with intention rather than impulse.
And Then There's You
IFS calls it Self — not another part, but the YOU underneath all the reactivity and protection. Self is compassionate, calm and capable.
When we work together to support, understand and unburden your parts of the roles, and pain they’ve been carrying they stop fighting each other and start trusting You to lead. Not just because you’re being kind, but because they learn that You can handle exactly what they've spent years guarding against. And you feel the inner strength to face what your parts thought would make you fall apart — the grief, the fear, the worry, the anger all while clearly seeing what you need to move forward and grow.
IFS Can
Help With
Anxiety and overthinking that won’t shut off
Burnout and chronic emotional and physical exhaustion
Perfectionism, harsh self-criticism, and shame
Single incident and complex trauma
Trouble feeling secure and trusting in relationships
Feeling torn about decisions: staying, leaving, changing course
Procrastination and avoidance you can’t push through
IMAGINE…
Not just being confident about what you do but being confident in who you are
Proving yourself and convincing others you’re making the right decision is no longer your first line of defense. You can set limits that are right for you without seeing yourself through the lens of someone else’s disappointment or criticism.
Shifting energy from hating who you had to be to supporting who you are today
Now you can offer yourself the same grace, patience and understanding you’d easily give a friend, and find it works better than you expected.
No longer needing other people to validate your reality
Something happened and you know it happened. You don't need someone else to confirm it, explain it or make sense of it for you anymore.
Trusting that you can handle whatever comes up
You’re not gritting your teeth and ignoring what you know is wrong. You've actually built the capacity to be with hard things without the fear that you’ll fall apart.
stop fighting yourself…
Start Leading Yourself
FAQS
What You Want to Know About IFS Therapy
(Internal Family Systems)
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IFS Level 1 Training is an intensive, roughly 90-hour program — small practice groups, hands-on work in both therapist and client roles, not a weekend workshop or something learned from a book. I'm one of only three therapists trained in IFS serving Murrieta and Temecula.
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IFS is an evidence-based model — it's listed in SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and has a growing body of clinical research behind it. The language of "parts" and "Self" can sound abstract at first, but the process itself is structured and grounded, not woo. Most clients find it makes intuitive sense fairly quickly, even if they were skeptical going in.
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Sessions are conversational, not scripted. I might guide you to notice where a feeling shows up in your body, ask what a part is afraid of, or invite you to get curious about a reaction instead of judging it. There's no lying down, no hypnosis — just focused, guided attention on what's happening inside you.
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No — most people find it clicks once we're working with an actual part together, not as an abstract idea.
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No. Everyone has internal parts with different feelings and reactions — IFS just gives you a way to work with them intentionally.
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No. IFS works well for everyday internal conflict — self-criticism, people-pleasing, procrastination — not just significant trauma.
Now OFFERING
Intensives with IFS, EMDR, or Both
Intensives give us several focused hours over one to three days, so we’re not stopping just as something important comes up. I can use IFS, EMDR, or a mix, depending on what fits you. You’ll have a planning session beforehand and an integration session after, so the work stays paced and contained.