Choose Your Future

Internal Family Systems (IFS) coaching is a therapeutic or coaching approach based on the Internal Family Systems model, which views the mind as made up of various “parts” or subpersonalities, each with its own feelings, desires, and motivations. IFS was developed by Dr. Richard C. Schwartz and is widely used in therapy, personal development, and coaching to help individuals understand and integrate these parts into a more harmonious and balanced self.

Core Principles of IFS Coaching:

1. Multiplicity of the Mind:

• Each person has different “parts” or internal voices, such as the “inner critic,” “protector,” “wounded child,” or “manager.”

• These parts often develop to help us cope with challenges or trauma but can sometimes act in ways that are not helpful.

2. Self-Leadership:

• At the core of every person is the Self, a compassionate, wise, and centered presence. The goal of IFS is to help individuals lead their internal system from this Self.

3. Healing Through Understanding:

• Instead of suppressing or fighting with parts of ourselves, IFS encourages curiosity and compassion toward them. This helps uncover their roles, intentions, and unmet needs.

4. Unburdening:

• Many parts carry “burdens,” such as shame, fear, or anger, from past experiences. IFS coaching helps these parts release their burdens and return to their natural, healthy states.

How IFS Coaching Works:

• Exploration: The coach helps the client identify and connect with different parts of their internal system.

• Dialogue: Clients are guided to engage in conversations with these parts to understand their purpose and how they might be protecting or influencing behavior.

• Self-Connection: The coach facilitates the client’s connection with their Self to provide clarity, healing, and integration for the parts.

• Transformation: By working through internal conflicts and releasing burdens, clients often experience greater self-acceptance, emotional resilience, and harmony.

Benefits of IFS Coaching:

• Resolves internal conflicts.

• Heals emotional wounds and patterns rooted in past trauma.

• Builds self-compassion and emotional intelligence.

• Encourages personal growth and clarity in decision-making.

• Helps individuals align their actions with their authentic self 

Anger Management is the process of engaging novelty through learning and promoting the Growth Mindset. This brings transformation of the individual. With the goal of integrating fragmented anger states, this approach ultimately increases an individual’s confidence, self-esteem and sense of inner personal power or OK’ness. Utilizing tools to cultivate Cognitive Awareness while using the latest in Mindfulness Techniques and addressing a client’s daily Lifestyle, Psycho- Active Anger Management is Neuroplasticity-in-action. The more connections between neurons are formed, the more we grow and develop. As those connection get stronger, the less we have to think about what we’re doing…The brain is designed to develop and evolve through Psycho-activity. Humans have the capacity to develop and grow as adults – beyond childhood and adolescence- and Psycho- Activity is your tool to activate it in your clients.

FM approaches life in a way that says, ‘that’s just the way I am’. This mindset see life basically as if there can be no change, development, or evolution.

GM approaches life in a way that says, ‘I have the capacity to grow beyond the way I am right now’. This mindset see life as an adventure in which making mistakes becomes an opportunity to learn, change, develop, evolve – in part because of ‘neuroplasticity’ and the simple knowledge that humans have the capacity to develop and grow as an adults – beyond childhood and adolescence.

Dima Alassaad is a certified anger management specialist recognized by courts in USA and Canada

which has important ramifications for mental health treatment. We must foster, teach and promote the capacity for a Growth Mindset.