SEAN CUTHBERT 

Therapist burnout is a hot topic in the field of psychotherapy. Taking an IFS Lens on the topic reveals that burnout is the result of hardworking caretaker parts leading the therapist's system, resulting in exhaustion for the therapist, and invisible limits placed on the client's progress through rescuing rather than empowering.

Many new to IFS Therapy think parts must be classified as Managers, Firefighters, or Exiles. Yet true freedom comes from seeing that parts aren’t fixed types and they simply take on roles that evolve, revealing the deeper flexibility and healing potential within our inner system.

Protective parts in IFS Therapy are driven by fear. Find out what the 10 most common protective fears are, and how to negotiate effectively with protective parts so they will relax and trust.

This post examines people pleasing through the lens of Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy. Learn how people pleasers come to be prominent parts of the psyche and how you can befriend and help them transform through the IFS Therapy process.

Suffer from Perfectionism, or get called a Perfectionist? Here's an IFS Understanding of Perfectionism and Perfectionists and how to connect to this systems of parts.

What are the 6F's in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy, and why are they so important in the process of getting to know your parts? Find out in this insightful blog post.

In Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy, distinguishing between parts and their burdens is essential in understanding the change process. Here I write about this important difference.

In Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy, Self is characterised by the 8C's. There is a 9th "C" quality that can be added to these qualities which is very important: choice. Choice promotes the empowerment that is inherent in the other qualities of Self-energy. This post digs into how supporting clients to find choice is vital in the therapeutic process.

Unblending is a key concept in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy. This post explains what unblending is, how to do the unblending process, and the benefits for people when they unblend from parts and lead from a place of Self using the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model.

Caretaker Parts are one of the most socially rewarded, but internally burdened parts in IFS Therapy. Learn how they are formed, and how we can help them become less extreme, by approaching them with compassion and curiosity, using Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy.

The Self is the primary healing mechanism in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy. Find out how accessing the Self can minimise the pain of accessing the past in trauma therapy using IFS.

What are parts in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy? How do they operate, and how do they cast into their roles? Find out in this blog post.

Polarizations are common in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy. Here, you will learn what they are and how to work with the effectively.

The Internal Family Systems (IFS) model holds that each of us has a Self - who each of us is at our core with our parts separate. In this post, discover what the Self is in IFS, and why it's important to the change process.

Harsh Inner Critics are some of the most challenging parts to deal with both in therapy and in life. Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy doesn't try and shut the Inner Critic down or push it away; instead we turn toward it with curiosity and ask it how it is trying to help us? This sets the scene for a new relationship to build, and change to happen.

How is the parts model of Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy so instrumental in client's recovery from complex trauma, and why is likened to "soul retrieval"? Learn more in this post.

Many people don't know that their chronic mental health issues are related to unprocessed childhood trauma. This post lays out why non-realisation from childhood trauma happens and how to start working with your personal history to metabolise past adverse childhood experiences.

What are trailheads in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy, and how are they different from what is commonly known as a "trigger"? Find out why the trailhead is a more useful concept for therapy and the change process by reading more.

In Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy, shame is a two-part problem: critics that shame, and exiles that hold that shame. In this post found out more about how we can help the parts involved in the shame process, and transform them back into their original state.

Unless you’re living in a cave (like a monk), you’ve probably noticed that mindfulness is everywhere. There are many well-known apps...