{"id":1385,"date":"2015-09-03T10:09:44","date_gmt":"2015-09-03T10:09:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bethesdacouplescounseling.com\/\/?page_id=1385"},"modified":"2017-05-20T17:06:18","modified_gmt":"2017-05-20T21:06:18","slug":"frequently-asked-questions-about-ifs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bethesdacouplescounseling.com\/frequently-asked-questions-about-ifs\/","title":{"rendered":"Frequently Asked Questions about IFS"},"content":{"rendered":"
IFS stands for Internal Family Systems therapy and is also sometimes known as\u00a0Self-Leadership<\/em>. This is an excellent description of IFS therapy\u00a0because the ultimate goal is for your overall self to be more in charge of your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, rather than letting the parts control you. For more information, you can read this article<\/a>\u00a0or view my Internal Family Systems article and podcast.<\/p>\n IFS is used as a “talking cure” for multiple mental health issues that teaches pathways to regulate your emotions and hone problem solving skills. These skills then impact every area of your life: relationships, career performance, mental and emotional performance, and elsewhere. IFS was originally developed to treat trauma and abuse, and is very effective with addictions, anxiety, body image disorders, compulsive behaviors, mood disorders like depression and bipolar, and phobias.<\/p>\n IFS can be used to address specific issues, like career or relationship decisions, or recurrent patterns and behaviors.<\/p>\n Your family is\u00a0not<\/em> the primary focus of this therapy, but rather on the internal. You will develop tools that allow you to\u00a0lead<\/em> all of your internal thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. These “parts” are responsible for your behavior.<\/p>\n Because of the nature of IFS, you will also gain insight into how your family works, and how to navigate conflicts. The same concepts you will learn in therapy are applicable to all other \u00a0communities in your life, be it in a church, work, familial, or school environment. Family is not the focus, but many clients who have undergone IFS therapy report the lessons transcend themselves and into their daily lives.<\/p>\n As we investigate your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, you will discover they are more than two-dimensional aspects of our personalities. They instead act similarly to autonomous and dynamic entities within us, much like a family. Every part plays a small role to serve the whole–you. As with all families, some of these members work well with others, and some don’t. If one player works against you, it causes discourse across the board and impacts all other parts involved. Using this approach, thoughts and behavior patterns can be considered using a previously inaccessible form of logic. IFS therapy helps you predictably integrate this groundbreaking logic into your life for impactful and lasting changes.<\/p>\n This is the way in which you will govern the individual pieces of your family “system” described above. Under the care of IFS therapy, these parts become more relaxed, resourceful, and responsive to your leadership. You, as the leader, will learn to rule your family system with clear, consistent, and confident care. If you are already in tune with your system, IFS will provide a more effective way to create the change you need. If the idea of knowing yourself this well feels impossible, IFS therapy is an excellent way to develop this powerful aptitude in Bethesda MD.<\/p>\nWhat is IFS used to treat?<\/h2>\n
Is IFS therapy going to focus on my family?<\/h2>\n
What does IFS have to do with my symptoms or disease?<\/h2>\n
What is Self-Leadership?<\/h2>\n
What other kinds of therapy are similar to IFS?<\/h2>\n