Internal Family Systems

With six years of education in marriage and family therapy, postgraduate training, and over 12 years of hands-on experience, I have become skilled in Internal Family Systems (IFS). My background allows me to help clients explore and understand the various parts of themselves, fostering emotional healing and integration. Using IFS, I guide clients to navigate their inner worlds with compassion, creating space for lasting personal leadership and healthier relationships.

This approach allows us to welcome all parts of us to the conversation, including the parts of us that we have the hardest time connecting with. My training in this modality allows client to confront their deepest wounds from a position of curiosity and compassion so that we can integrate all parts of us into the healing that we are seeking. IFS empowers my clients to unburden themselves from the trauma cycles that they often feel trapped by and create internal stability and wholeness.

I predominantly utilize IFS with my clients, which incorporates gaining an understanding of somatic expressions of internal experiences, what could be considered inner child work and legacy work, trauma processing, meditations/visualizations, and unburdening ourselves through conversations with our internal "parts." These parts include Protector parts and Exiles, as well as learning to feel more embodied with what IFS calls the "Self."

I utilize theory and techniques from systems theories like IFS to aid clients in understanding systemic dynamics and the messaging and context we receive from society/others/systems we are apart of and integrating these experiences. This includes identifying systemic factors within ourselves, opening up communication with previously repressed parts of ourselves, learning to integrate this awareness, committing to continuous awareness & having compassion for all parts of us and others.

I utilize several "parts work" modalities, including IFS, Ego State Therapy, and Structural Dissociation Theory.

IFS provides a path for better understanding the multiple parts of your psyche, developing self-compassion and healing from trauma and painful experiences.

I primarily work from an Internal Family Systems orientation. I am level 1 trained in IFS through the IFS Institute. IFS is an evidence-based practice that can be used for pretty much any type of issue, but it is especially useful for working through trauma. Using IFS, I can guide the process but my clients really lead us in whichever direction they need. IFS explains people in terms of "parts" rather than being single-minded, which tracks for people with religious trauma and eating disorders.

As a Level 2 trained IFS therapist, I believe there is nothing "wrong" with you! I view each problem as a burden that part of you has taken on, likely at a young age, as a way to help you cope with overwhelm. By nurturing your relationships with these parts, you will learn to access your true Self - a place of wisdom that embodies curiosity, calm, courage, confidence, creativity, compassion, connectedness, and clarity.

What I like about IFS is that it's very intuitive. As we go through life, difficult experiences can lead us to create defense mechanisms that we put in place to protect ourselves from feeling vulnerable. Although those protective parts are necessary and helpful to our survival, sometimes they can go on overdrive and overtake our entire being. IFS can ease those protective parts so that we can feel more connected to our pre-traumatized selves and learn to once again, live a full & balance life

Jordan finds that IFS pairs well with EMDR, psychedelic-assisted therapy, and treatment-resistant disorders as a way of normalizing clients' diverse inner experience and holding space for parts of self that may be hurting. She has trained with the IFS Online Circle and engages in weekly consultation using an IFS perspective.

We are all complicated, multi-faceted people! We naturally lean into different parts of ourselves as needed. Who you are as a coworker is different from who you are as a partner. This is an awesome, adaptive thing, but it gets us into trouble when more reactive parts are built to grab the steering wheel in stressful situations to keep us safe! I help folks to understand and build relationships with these reactive parts of us, so our adult selves can stay in the drivers' seat in tough times.

Internal Family Systems has been a major part of my own healing journey and it is my favorite way to work with clients. Working with parts is a creative and effective way to find the root of what is causing suffering in one's internal system. In IFS, the concept of 'Self' is what really brings the power. Self is described as a powerful and undamageable entity within that has the capacity to heal our deepest wounds. Helping clients access Self is my motivation and honor.

Internal Family Systems or IFS is a unique form of therapy that focuses on your internal “world” and how you interact with the different facets of yourself. It can be a helpful model to better understand patterns that you find yourself in and how to change your inner landscape. I have completed Level 1 training through the IFS institute as well as continue with ongoing supervision, practice and continuing education. IFS is a wonderful therapy treatment to heal from the inside out.

I predominantly utilize IFS with my clients, which incorporates gaining an understanding of somatic expressions of internal experiences, what could be considered inner child work and legacy work, trauma processing, meditations/visualizations, and unburdening ourselves through conversations with our internal "parts." These parts include Protector parts and Exiles, as well as learning to feel more embodied with what IFS calls the "Self."

Just like a family is made up of different individuals with their own unique personalities and roles, our internal world is composed of different parts. Each part has its own specific qualities, desires, and intentions. Our parts are often in conflict with one another which causes internal distress. Rejecting, hiding, or denying our parts does not make them go away - it primarily causes us to lose a chance for connection and understanding. IFS is a framework for building inner harmony.

I continue to add to my knowledge of IFS through readings and trainings. I have utilized IFS meditations with clients and recognize its power to cultivate self-compassion and improve one's knowledge of themselves.

I use IFS to help clients dig deeper and find compassion for their younger selves.

I completed a 14-week training in IFS and regularly incorporate parts work into unpacking and integrating unconscious material.