Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy

For the San Francisco Bay Area and virtually in California

 
 

“Your protectors’ goals for your life revolve around keeping you away from all that pain, shame, loneliness, and fear, and they use a wide array of tools to meet those goals—achievements, substances, food, entertainment, shopping, sex, obsession with your appearance, caretaking, meditation, money, and so on.”

— Richard C. Schwartz, No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model

 

 Part’s Language

You're feeling resentment that doesn't go away,

a constant companion that clouds your daily interactions and drains your energy. Other parts also chime in and get louder, saying that you are unworthy, unloved, and alone. This feeling isn't just a passing emotion; it's a part of you that has taken on a life of its own, influencing how you see yourself and the world around you.

Imagine for a moment that this resentment is not the entirety of who you are but rather a distinct part of your internal system, a part that has taken on the role of protector, albeit in a way that often feels more harmful than helpful. Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy invites you to engage with these parts of yourself, to understand them, and ultimately to heal.

Through IFS, we explore these parts with curiosity and compassion. We learn to listen to the story this resentful part is telling. Perhaps it believes it must keep you on guard to prevent future hurt. Maybe it developed out of a need to protect a more vulnerable part of you that has been wounded in the past. By acknowledging and understanding these parts, we can begin to release their grip on your life.

What if that resentment is not who you really are at the core but only a part of you?

By engaging in IFS therapy, you can discover your true self, a self that is calm, compassionate, and connected. This journey isn't about getting rid of parts of yourself but rather integrating and healing them so that you can live from your true self, free from the burdens of unresolved trauma.

 

Evidence-Based Trauma Therapy

  • Compassion and Empathy

    This Part’s Work naturally brings self-compassion and an opportunity for the inner child or the younger part to be heard and seen toward healing.

  • Self Energy

    We’ll work toward having all parts trust the Self and no longer be stuck in the past and the trauma.

  • Parts

    You are going to learn about different parts within you, which will help to separate or “unblend” yourself from them so you can look at them and understand them.

Asian American IFS Therapist in San Francisco

Hello there,

Ah Hyun “Ashley” Lee, LCSW105879 in California

My name is Ashley Lee. I am an IFS Level 1 trained therapist.

More than that, I am a trauma therapist utilizing different modalities of trauma therapy, including EMDR therapy and Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP). From all this training and clinical growth in trauma work, I’ve learned that these types of evidence-based trauma therapy involve some shared core elements.

My approach in EMDR, IFS, and AEDP is deepened greatly by one another.

My speciality is complex trauma - childhood trauma, family trauma, relational trauma, sexual trauma, etc.

 

IFS is great for those who want trauma therapy and to heal the inner child but not particularly looking for EMDR therapy. IFS is also useful when there is no one particular memory to process but a general pattern of negative experiences. Some people may not recall a lot about their childhood and will benefit from IFS.