IFS Therapy Online – for clients across Sweden, the UK, Europe & Asia

IFS offers a compassionate way to process the past and build a new relationship with yourself.

Here you’ll find an overview of what IFS is, how I use it in therapy, and what changes people usually experience.

A Gentle and Insightful Way to Understand Yourself

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a compassionate psychotherapeutic approach that helps you understand and care for the different parts of your inner world.

It’s a way of getting to know the voices, patterns, and emotions that drive your reactions – without judgment, and without forcing change.

IFS helps you reconnect with your Self – the calm, clear, compassionate presence that naturally knows how to heal.

From this place, it becomes easier to process the past, and relate to your thoughts and feelings with understanding and compassion rather than overwhelm.

How I Work With IFS

In our sessions, we always move at a pace that feels safe.

We begin by getting to know the protective parts of you – the ones that might criticise, organise, or shut down to keep you safe.

These protectors have important roles, and they’re always treated with respect.

As your protectors begin to trust, other parts that carry old pain or fear can be gently supported and witnessed.

This process helps your parts release what they’ve been carrying, creating more space, clarity, and balance.

IFS is not about analysing your problems from the outside. It’s about helping you connect with the compassion, curiosity and creativity that is already inside you.

Results I Often See in Clients

Over time, people usually describe changes that feel both deep and practical:

More self-compassion. The inner critic softens and people treat themselves and their parts with more patience and care.
Less overwhelm. Daily life feels steadier and more manageable.
Healing of old wounds. Parts carrying shame or pain feel understood and supported.
Better relationships. People feel less reactive and more present with others. They’re better able to express their needs and feelings.
Greater resilience. Clients notice they can meet challenges without old patterns of shame or overdrive taking over.

Every person’s process is unique, but these kinds of shifts are common when our parts begin to trust our Self to lead.

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The History of IFS

IFS was developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz in the 1980s while he was working with clients with eating disorders. Many of them described inner conflicts between parts of themselves.

Rather than viewing these voices as pathological, Schwartz recognised them as normal and meaningful aspects of the mind, each with a role and a good intention.

From this insight, IFS became a complete model of psychotherapy. It’s based on the understanding that the mind is naturally multiple: we all have parts and a Self that can relate to these parts with compassion and clarity.

The Theoretical Roots of IFS

IFS is grounded in several established psychological traditions:

Multiplicity of the mind. From William James to Gestalt, Schema, and Ego State therapies, psychology has long recognised that our minds hold many voices and perspectives. IFS embraces this multiplicity as normal, not pathological.
Systems thinking. Borrowing from family systems theory, IFS sees the inner world as a system; when one part changes, it affects the whole system. Even challenging behaviours often began as adaptive responses.
Dialogical perspectives. Theories like Hubert Hermans’ Dialogical Self describe the mind as a conversation among different voices. IFS builds on this, creating a structured, compassionate dialogue between the person’s Self and their parts.

Is IFS Therapy Evidence-Based?

IFS is a relatively new model, so its research base is smaller than for therapies that have been around longer, for example Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which has been studied since the 1960s.

The studies that have been done so far show promising results:

Rheumatoid arthritis trial: Clients receiving IFS experienced greater improvements in pain and physical function than the control group, with continued benefits one year later in joint pain, self-compassion and depressive symptoms.
PTSD pilot (multiple childhood traumas): A pilot study showed reduced PTSD and depressive symptoms following IFS treatment.
PTSD + substance use: An online pilot study found decreases in PTSD symptoms and substance cravings following an online IFS treatment.
Overall evidence review (2025): A comprehensive review of 27 studies on IFS concluded that IFS shows promise across trauma, depression, stress, chronic pain, and self-compassion, even though more research is needed.

Compared to older modalities, IFS currently has fewer large-scale randomised trials, but early findings consistently support IFS as a safe, flexible, and effective approach for a range of issues.

You can browse all empirical studies on IFS in this public Zotero database.

Why Work With Me

I’m a fully trained IFS Practitioner and have completed the official Level 1 and Level 2 trainings through the IFS Institute in 2019.

I was lucky to study directly with Richard Schwartz, the founder of IFS, during my Level 1 training.

Over the years, I’ve worked with many sensitive, deep-thinking, and neurodivergent adults who wanted therapy that feels respectful and goes beyond surface-level tools.

My approach is gentle and collaborative – we move at a pace that feels safe and make sure every part of you is truly listened to.

I also stay up to date with how IFS connects with areas like neurodivergence and OCD, making sure I use the model in a way that’s affirming and helpful for each person.

My goal is always to create a space where you can feel deeply understood and supported.

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FAQs

CBT often focuses on changing your thoughts and behaviors by reframing patterns, challenging beliefs, and practicing new skills. For some people, that can feel helpful. But for many, it can feel like trying to force yourself to think differently when the deeper pain hasn’t been addressed.
IFS works differently. Instead of trying to change your thoughts, we get curious about the parts of you that think and believe these thoughts. With IFS, we have ways to help and heal vulnerable parts of our system – and thoughts and feelings begin to shift as a natural consequence.
If you’ve tried CBT or other therapies and felt stuck, IFS may be a better fit.
IFS (Internal Family Systems) sees your mind as made up of different “parts.” Some of our parts try to protect us, and some hold painful emotions and beliefs. Instead of fighting these parts or trying to silence them, IFS helps you befriend them and heal what’s underneath. That creates lasting change from the inside out.
Yes. IFS is especially powerful for issues that feel stuck or overwhelming. Whether it’s constant worry, the edge of burnout, or the weight of old experiences, IFS gives you a way to work with what’s happening inside so you’re not just coping, but actually healing.
Not at all. You don’t need to prepare or study anything before sessions. I’ll guide you step by step, and we’ll go at a pace that feels safe. Many clients say it feels intuitive once they get started.
That’s a very common concern. In IFS, we don’t force anything. We always start with the parts of you that are ready, and we move at a pace that feels right for you. You’re in control of how far we go.
Yes. Many of my clients do IFS online from home, and they find it just as powerful as in person. Being in your own space can make it easier to open up and connect with what’s happening inside.
If you’ve tried other therapies that felt surface-level or focused on quick fixes, IFS might be what you’ve been looking for.
It’s especially helpful if you’re curious about how your mind works and open to discovering new sides of yourself. If you’ve already done therapy before, it can be a way to get deeper into those stuck points that still remain.
The best way to know if it’s right for you is to try it in practice and see how it feels. You can book a free consultation if you’re interested in seeing if we might be a good fit.
Many therapists mention using IFS in their work, but not all have completed the official IFS training by the IFS Institute.
I recommend checking what type of IFS training a therapist has done before starting therapy with them. In order to call themselves an IFS Therapist/Practitioner, they should have completed at least the Level 1 training by the IFS Institute.
I’m a fully qualified IFS Practitioner and have completed both Level 1 and Level 2 with the IFS Institute. I was fortunate to complete part of my training directly with Richard Schwartz, the creator of the IFS model.
The IFS Institute’s directory lists only those practitioners who have completed the official training. You can see my listing here.
Some therapists blend IFS with other approaches, while others (like me) choose to work primarily within the integrity of the model. I find that staying close to the original framework allows for deeper and more authentic transformation – it lets all parts of you be met in the way IFS was truly designed for.
That being said, I keep up to date with new developments in the IFS field and related areas. For example, I’ve been learning from leading IFS experts on how to apply the model when working with OCD, incorporating well-established techniques such as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) into the IFS approach.
I also continue to learn from qualified IFS therapists who specialise in neurodivergence. It’s important to me that the work reflects a neurodiversity-affirming perspective – meaning we don’t view for example autism or ADHD as “burdened parts” that need to be healed, but as aspects of your natural wiring. IFS can be deeply supportive for neurodivergent systems, and I keep expanding my knowledge to make sure the approach stays both authentic and inclusive.