IFS Therapy


Are you hoping to gain insight into your internal experiences, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors?


A young woman with long hair stands in front of a wall painted with greenery representing someone who could benefit from IFS Therapy in Washington, DC and Online in VIrginia.

Get to Know Your Inner World

A young woman with sunglasses on listens to music representing the young adult who is on a journey of self-discovery. IFS Therapy in Washington, DC can help you understand all the parts of yourself!

We all come into this world as a unique and whole individuals. As life goes on, your experiences shape you and lead you to develop protective ‘parts’ of yourself to cope with the challenges that arise in your life. These parts can emerge from trauma, relationships, lived experiences, or circumstances. As a young adult, your inner world consists of all the parts that you have developed throughout the course of your life. Each of these parts has a unique set of feelings, needs, and beliefs.

A Lack of Understanding of Self Can Be Overwhelming

It can be overwhelming and confusing to feel distanced from your true self and unable to identify the sources of why you feel, think, and behave the way you do. IFS is a therapy modality that can help you better understand and heal these parts!

What is IFS Therapy?

A happy young man with sunglasses and red shoes smiles at the camera representing someone who has found inner calm through IFS Therapy in Washington, DC.

Despite its name, Internal Family Systems is not actually about your ‘family’ at all! IFS evolved out of the idea that you come into this world as a whole individual, with inner parts – like an ‘internal family’ – and these parts are in relationship with each other. These parts of yourself developed out of necessity and often at a much younger age. IFS therapy allows you to get to know your different ‘parts’ in a safe, curious, compassionate, and healing environment.

Learn More About How Your Different Parts Have Protected You

Through IFS, you can learn more about each part, their stories, and how they’ve helped you, and gain a better understanding of what these parts need from you now. IFS can help shift your self-view from a monolithic being to one that is comprised of multiple parts. IFS aims to help you stop identifying your mental health struggles, but, rather to understand how these parts have helped you cope and protected you. The result? A transformed relationship between you and your parts in order to create harmony within.

You Can Connect to Your True Self 

IFS therapy allows you to connect with your true self – the core being of you who is capable and worthy of love and belonging. Your self is who you really are from the day you got here, the parts of you have developed to take on jobs for your system. But, by healing these relationships with your parts, they begin to trust that this Self is a grown adult, one who can meet these parts with the compassion, love, tenderness, and care they have been craving all along.  

For example, if you struggle with perfectionism at your job, you’ll be able to identify that perfectionism is the part within yourself that is trying to cope with a certain feeling or need. This knowledge allows you to separate from the part and develop an understanding of what it needs for it to feel safe and secure. In IFS therapy, your therapist can help guide you to the part of yourself that is responsible for this behavior. 

Shifting Your Relationship With Yourself

Your IFS therapist will support you in getting to know this part of you that is stuck in the perfectionistic mode and help you find adaptive ways to meet its needs. IFS therapy helps you to rebuild a relationship with your parts. As an adult, you can be there for them from a place of understanding, connection, and compassion. This relationship will shift how the part operates and allow it to make new choices that serve its highest potential rather than operating on autopilot. 

What are the Benefits of IFS Therapy?

A young man with a gray shirt and jeans smiles happily as he has reconnected with himself in IFS Therapy for Young Adults in Washington, DC.

IFS Therapy allows you to learn about the parts of you that have formed out of necessity but have not grown with you in an adaptive way. Learning and helping to heal the parts by updating them on today’s reality can have many benefits. Through IFS, you can:

  • Reduce anxiety

  • Process and heal from trauma

  • Increase your ability to problem-solve

  • Improve intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships

  • Gain increased insight and self-awareness

  • Reduce symptoms of depression and other mental health challenges

  • Better manage substance use

  • Manage disordered eating or food behaviors more effectively

  • Gain a better understanding of self and others

IFS Therapy is an empowering and gentle way to reconnect with yourself, get to know your inner world and recognize the roles that different parts of you play in your life. By understanding and allowing yourself to connect with all of these parts, you can foster a relationship of compassion and healing within yourself. With this newfound connection, you can create positive changes in both your inner and outer worlds. 

We Are Here to Support You In Your Inner Journey 

At The Sterling Group, our IFS therapists have specialized training and years of experience in helping individuals through the IFS process. We offer a safe, confidential, and non-judgmental space to explore your inner world. You will be supported and guided as you navigate difficult feelings, challenging thoughts, and maladaptive behaviors. This way you can gain an understanding of the roles that different parts of you play in your life. 

Our IFS therapists understand that discovering more about your true Self can be overwhelming and they are here to provide a compassionate and supportive environment for you to do so. Together, we can work to help you develop an understanding of your inner world and establish relationships with all of your parts, allowing you to create positive changes in both your inner and outer worlds. 

You Will Be Able to Reconnect With Yourself In a Safe and Healing Way

IFS is an experiential approach, meaning it goes beyond traditional talk therapy. It works to heal your mind, body, and soul. Allowing you to do deeper healing work and supporting you in your journey to feel more connected with yourself. Our experienced therapists have completed extensive IFS training, and many have also engaged in some form of other training or psychoeducation where they use and integrate elements of IFS into their work. 

Begin IFS Therapy in Washington, DC Today!

At The Sterling Group, we believe in the power of IFS therapy to help you gain insight into yourself, create meaningful relationships with your parts, and foster healing. Our experienced therapists offer IFS therapy in Washington, DC, and are here to help guide you through your inner journey toward self-discovery and connection. Gain insight into yourself and your inner world, and discover the power of IFS therapy today. 

  1. Schedule a consultation with us using our contact form.

  2. Meet with one of our IFS therapists.

  3. Begin your journey towards reconnection with yourself!

Other Therapy Services at The Sterling Group

At our Washington DC-based therapy practice, we understand the parts of yourself developed out of protection and help you to reconnect with your true self. With IFS therapy, we can help you to move towards healing and inner balance. That’s why we also offer other therapies to empower you on your journey. Our services include therapy for relationship challenges, therapy for developing identities and self-esteem, depression treatment, therapy for stress & anxiety, as well as executive function support. We also offer couples therapy for those who are looking to grow in their relationships. We would love to chat with you today about the ways we can support your growth at our counseling practice serving the Washington, DC area and Online in Virginia!