Stop fighting yourself. Get to know the different parts of you and the work they have been doing, with a BACP accredited therapist.
This page is for anyone who has noticed that they are not always one consistent person inside. Maybe there is a part of you that wants closeness and a part that pushes people away. A part that wants to rest and a part that punishes you for resting. A part that knows what you want and a part that talks you out of it before you have even named it. The constant inner negotiation can be exhausting, and it can leave you wondering which one is the real you.
Parts work assumes that all of these are real, and that the goal is not to silence any of them but to get to know what each is doing and why. When the work goes well, the inner conflict eases — not because you have defeated the difficult parts, but because you have understood them.
Parts work is the idea that the mind is not one single voice but a system of distinct parts, each with its own perspective, feelings and role. Internal Family Systems (IFS), developed by Richard Schwartz, is the most well-known parts work model. It distinguishes between protective parts (managers and firefighters), exiled parts (the younger, vulnerable parts that hold pain), and the Self — the calm, curious, compassionate centre that exists in everyone and that can lead the inner system if given the chance.
What parts work is not: a religious or mystical practice, a way to dissociate from your feelings, or a clinical diagnosis of multiple personalities. Having parts is a normal feature of how the mind organises itself. The aim of parts work is integration, not fragmentation.
I work IFS-informed rather than as a certified IFS therapist. That means I draw on the IFS model and its core practices within a broader integrative approach. For some clients, parts work is the central frame for the entire therapy. For others, it is one tool among several, used when it fits what they are bringing.
In sessions, this often looks like slowing down and getting curious about the part of you that is most active in the moment. The part that is anxious, the part that is angry, the part that is criticising you for being here. We learn what it is afraid of, what it is trying to protect, what it would need in order to relax. This is gentle but powerful work, and it tends to shift things that have been stuck for a long time.
The early sessions focus on understanding what is going on for you in the present and starting to map the parts that are most active. We do not rush into the most vulnerable parts. We start with the protective parts, build trust with them, and only move deeper when there is enough safety to do so. The Self-led approach means you remain in charge of the work throughout.
Sessions are 50 minutes and cost £70. They take place online across the UK via a secure video platform. There is a free 15-minute consultation if you would like to ask questions before booking.
Parts work is the idea that the mind is not one single voice but a system of distinct parts, each with its own perspective, feelings and role. Internal Family Systems (IFS) is the most well-known parts work model. The aim is to get to know these parts rather than fight, suppress or override them.
I work IFS-informed rather than as a certified IFS therapist. That means I draw on the IFS model and its core practices within an integrative therapy approach, alongside person-centred work, EMDR, psychodynamic therapy and CBT, depending on what is most useful for you.
No. Parts work assumes that everyone has parts — it is a normal feature of how the mind organises itself. Dissociative identity disorder is a specific clinical condition involving distinct identities and significant memory disruption, and it is rare. Working with parts is appropriate for a wide range of issues, not just clinical dissociation.
Inner conflict, self-criticism, self-sabotage, anxiety, perfectionism, the legacy of childhood difficulty, protective behaviours that have become unhelpful (such as people-pleasing or emotional shut-down), and trauma all respond well to parts-informed work.
Sessions are 50 minutes and cost £70, online via secure video. There is a free 15-minute consultation if you would like to ask questions before booking.
The parts of you that have been the loudest were probably trying to protect you. Book a session and let us listen to what they have been saying.
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