Finding an IFS Therapist in Denver: Your Guide to Internal Family Systems Therapy
If you're searching for an IFS therapist in Denver, you're already taking an important step toward understanding yourself in a deeper way. Internal Family Systems therapy—or IFS—offers a compassionate approach to exploring the different aspects of who you are. It's not about fixing what's broken; it's about getting curious about the different parts of yourself and how they've been trying to help you all along.
At Mind, Body, Soulmates, we understand that finding the right therapist can feel overwhelming. You're not just looking for someone with credentials—you're looking for someone who genuinely gets it. This guide will walk you through what IFS therapy is all about, why it might resonate with you, and how to find a therapist in the Denver area who can support your journey toward inner harmony.
Key Takeaways
- Internal Family Systems therapy recognizes that we all have different "parts" with unique roles, feelings, and perspectives
- The goal of IFS is to help you connect with your core Self—the naturally calm, curious, and compassionate center of who you are
- IFS can address trauma, anxiety, relationship challenges, perfectionism, burnout, and the critical inner voice that never seems quiet
- Finding the right IFS therapist means looking for someone who creates a safe space and helps you approach your inner world with curiosity rather than judgment
- We offer both online and in-person sessions throughout the Denver area, including Wheat Ridge
What Is Internal Family Systems Therapy?
Understanding the IFS Model
Imagine your mind as a community rather than a single entity. That's the essence of Internal Family Systems therapy. Instead of viewing yourself as one unified person who should always feel and think consistently, IFS recognizes that we're made up of different "parts"—each with its own perspective, feelings, and protective strategies.
You might have a part that pushes you to achieve perfection in everything you do. Another part might shut down when conflict arises. There might be a part that criticizes you relentlessly, convinced that harsh self-judgment will keep you safe from failure. And yes, there's probably a part that just wants to scroll through your phone and avoid everything difficult.
Here's what makes IFS different: these parts aren't problems to eliminate. They're aspects of you that developed for good reasons, often to protect you from pain or help you survive difficult experiences.
The Core Self: Your Inner Compass
At the center of the IFS model is the concept of Self—and no, we don't mean your ego or identity. The Self in IFS refers to your core essence, the part of you that's naturally wise, compassionate, curious, and calm. It's the version of you that can witness your experience without being overwhelmed by it.
When your Self is leading, you can approach your internal world—and the external world—with openness rather than defensiveness. You can be present with difficult emotions without being consumed by them. Think of it as the difference between being caught in a storm versus watching the storm pass through while standing on solid ground.
The beautiful thing? This Self isn't something you need to create or earn. It's already there. IFS therapy simply helps clear the path so your Self can emerge and guide the rest of your internal system.
Why IFS Resonates with High-Functioning Individuals
If you're someone who appears to have it all together on the outside while struggling on the inside, IFS might feel like someone finally speaking your language. We work with many attorneys, nurses, engineers, business owners, and other high-achieving professionals who've spent years managing their internal chaos through sheer willpower and competence.
You might relate to that feeling of "never enough"—no matter what you accomplish, there's always a voice telling you it could be better, that you could be better. You might feel like you're constantly on the edge of burnout but can't seem to slow down. Or perhaps you've noticed patterns in your relationships that echo painful experiences from your past, even though you intellectually know what's happening.
IFS therapy doesn't ask you to dismantle the parts that have gotten you this far. Instead, it helps you understand why these parts work so hard and what they're afraid would happen if they relaxed. This approach can be profoundly healing for people who are tired of fighting themselves.
Core Principles That Guide IFS Therapy
All Parts Are Welcome
One of the most revolutionary aspects of IFS is its fundamental belief that all parts have positive intentions, even the ones that cause problems. That inner critic who tears you apart? It probably believes harsh self-judgment will prevent you from being blindsided by criticism from others. The part that numbs out with substances or distractions? It might be trying to give you a break from overwhelming emotions.
In IFS therapy, we don't try to exile or eliminate parts. We get curious about them. What are they trying to protect you from? What are they afraid would happen if they stopped their current strategy? This compassionate curiosity allows parts to relax and trust that the Self can handle things.
Healing Happens Through Connection
IFS recognizes that many of our parts developed during times when we felt alone, unseen, or unsafe. These parts often carry burdens—beliefs, emotions, or sensations from past experiences—that they've been holding for years, sometimes decades.
Healing in IFS isn't about analyzing or intellectually understanding your past. It's about actually connecting with these parts from your Self, offering them the presence and compassion they needed but didn't receive at the time. When parts feel truly witnessed and unburdened, they can release their extreme roles and contribute their gifts to your life instead.
Your Internal System Seeks Balance
Just like a family or team, your internal system naturally wants to work together harmoniously. When one part takes an extreme role, other parts often react in extreme ways to compensate. The part that drives you toward perfection might trigger a part that wants to give up entirely. The part that desperately seeks connection might activate a part that pushes people away.
IFS therapy helps restore balance by addressing the underlying fears and wounds that keep parts locked in these extreme patterns. When parts trust that the Self is leading, they can settle into more flexible, age-appropriate roles.
Finding the Right IFS Therapist in Denver
What Makes a Skilled IFS Therapist
Choosing a therapist is deeply personal, and finding someone trained in IFS is just the starting point. You want a therapist who embodies the qualities of Self in their presence with you—someone who's genuinely curious about your experience, compassionate toward your struggles, and calm enough to hold space for whatever emerges.
Training matters. Look for therapists who have completed formal IFS training and continue deepening their practice. At Mind, Body, Soulmates, we integrate IFS with other evidence-based modalities like EMDR, Brainspotting, and Somatic Therapy because we've seen how powerful these combinations can be for healing trauma and attachment wounds.
Personal experience with IFS makes a difference. The best IFS therapists have done their own internal work. They understand from the inside what it's like to meet their protective parts, witness their vulnerable parts, and learn to lead from Self. This lived experience translates into more authentic, effective therapy.
Questions to Ask During Your Consultation
We offer a free initial consultation at Mind, Body, Soulmates, and we encourage you to use this time to get a real sense of whether we're the right fit. Don't be afraid to ask questions like:
- How do you integrate IFS with other therapeutic approaches?
- What's your experience working with issues like perfectionism, relationship patterns, or chronic stress?
- How do you help clients who feel disconnected from their emotions or who are highly intellectualized?
- What does a typical IFS session look like with you?
- How do you approach trauma work within the IFS framework?
Pay attention to how you feel during this conversation. Does the therapist seem genuinely present with you? Do they make space for your questions and concerns? Do you sense that they can handle the complexity of your experience without trying to simplify or rush the process?
Beyond Credentials: Finding Your Fit
Here's something we've learned after years of practice: the therapeutic relationship matters as much as the methodology. You can find the most extensively trained IFS therapist in Denver, but if you don't feel safe or understood with them, the work will be limited.
Think about what you need from a therapeutic relationship. Some people want a therapist who's more directive and will offer guidance and tools. Others need someone who can simply be present and follow where the work needs to go. Some people appreciate humor and lightness; others want a more serious, contained space.
We're a group practice with multiple therapists who each bring different personalities, life experiences, and specialties. This means you have options. If you start working with one therapist and realize a different member of our team might be a better match, we can talk about that openly. Our goal is your healing, not our ego.
How IFS Addresses Common Struggles
Working with Trauma and Attachment Wounds
Many of our clients come to therapy not recognizing that they've experienced trauma. They might say, "My childhood wasn't that bad" or "Other people had it worse." But trauma isn't just about dramatic events—it's about experiences that overwhelmed your capacity to cope and left parts of you frozen in protective patterns.
IFS is particularly effective for trauma work because it doesn't require you to relive painful experiences in detail. Instead, we help you connect with the parts that carry the burden of those experiences. These exiled parts often hold the fear, shame, or pain from the past. When the Self can witness and unburden these parts, healing happens without retraumatization.
For people with attachment wounds from childhood—maybe you felt unseen, judged, or like you had to earn love through achievement—IFS offers a corrective experience. Your therapist helps you provide for your own parts what you needed but didn't receive: unconditional acceptance, patient presence, and genuine curiosity about your inner experience.
Addressing Perfectionism and the Inner Critic
If you're reading this, chances are high that you have a very loud inner critic. This part might sound like a harsh parent, a demanding boss, or just a relentless voice telling you that you're not doing enough, not being enough, never quite measuring up.
In IFS, we don't try to silence this critic through positive affirmations or by arguing with it. Instead, we get curious: What is this part afraid would happen if it stopped criticizing you? What does it believe its job is?
Often, critical parts believe they're keeping you safe from rejection, failure, or abandonment. They think that if they can point out every flaw first, you'll be prepared for others' judgment. When these parts can trust that your Self can handle feedback and imperfection, they often transform into advocates who still help you grow but without the cruelty.
Healing Relationship Patterns
Do you find yourself repeating the same patterns in relationships—attracting partners who are emotionally unavailable, sacrificing your needs to keep the peace, or pushing people away when they get too close? These patterns often involve parts that developed specific strategies to manage relationships based on early experiences.
IFS helps you understand which parts get activated in relationship dynamics. Maybe you have a part that desperately seeks validation from your partner, triggering a part in them that needs space, which then activates your part that fears abandonment. These part-to-part interactions create cycles that feel impossible to break.
Through IFS, you learn to recognize when parts are leading rather than Self. You develop the ability to pause, check in with yourself, and respond from a more grounded place. This doesn't mean you'll never have conflict, but it means you can stay present and connected even during difficult conversations.
We also offer EMDR for couples at Mind, Body, Soulmates, which can be particularly powerful when both partners are dealing with attachment wounds and trauma responses that show up in the relationship.
Managing Anxiety and Depression from an IFS Perspective
Anxiety and depression often involve parts that have taken on extreme roles in response to overwhelming experiences or unmet needs. The anxious part might scan constantly for danger, convinced that hypervigilance will keep you safe. The depressed part might have given up hope that things can change or that you deserve to feel better.
IFS doesn't pathologize these experiences. Instead, we explore what these parts need and what they're protecting you from knowing or feeling. Often, beneath the anxiety is a young part that feels unsafe. Behind the depression might be a part that's exhausted from trying so hard for so long.
When we can help these protective parts relax by addressing the underlying wounds, anxiety and depression often shift naturally. You're not just learning coping skills to manage symptoms—you're addressing the root causes that keep these parts activated.
IFS Techniques and What to Expect in Sessions
Parts Mapping and Getting to Know Your System
Early in IFS therapy, we often spend time mapping your internal system. This isn't a clinical assessment where we're diagnosing you—it's a collaborative exploration where you learn to notice and identify your different parts.
You might become aware of a part that always needs to be productive, a part that feels deeply lonely, a part that gets defensive when criticized, and a part that just wants to be seen and appreciated. Some parts are more obvious; others have been hiding in the background for years.
This process itself can be incredibly validating. Many people experience relief just from naming their parts and realizing they're not "crazy" or "broken"—they're just complex, which all humans are.
The Unburdening Process
One of the most powerful aspects of IFS is the unburdening process. When a part has been carrying a burden—maybe a belief like "I'm not enough" or "I'm unlovable," or an emotion like terror or shame—it affects your entire system.
Through IFS, we help you connect with these burdened parts from your Self. Once a part feels truly witnessed and safe, it can release the burden it's been holding, often through imagery or somatic experience. People describe feeling lighter, more spacious, or like a weight they've carried for years has finally lifted.
This isn't a one-time event. We often work with multiple parts over time, and each unburdening deepens your capacity to live from Self.
Integrating IFS with Other Modalities
At Mind, Body, Soulmates, we don't believe in rigid adherence to a single approach. We're trained in multiple evidence-based modalities because different situations call for different tools.
IFS and EMDR work beautifully together for trauma processing. EMDR can help reprocess traumatic memories while IFS helps you understand and heal the parts that developed in response to those experiences.
IFS and Somatic Therapy complement each other perfectly. Many parts hold their protective patterns in the body—tension, numbness, or specific sensations. Somatic awareness helps you notice these patterns, while IFS helps you understand their meaning and purpose.
IFS and Art Therapy can be powerful for people who are more visual or who struggle to verbalize their internal experience. Drawing, painting, or creating images of parts can make the work more accessible and less overwhelming.
IFS and Mindfulness practices support each other naturally. Mindfulness helps you develop the capacity to witness your experience without getting caught in it—which is essentially the practice of Self-leadership that IFS cultivates.
We also integrate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Emotionally-Focused Therapy depending on what you need and what's emerging in the work.
IFS for Different Life Stages and Situations
IFS Therapy for Individuals
Individual IFS therapy creates a safe container for you to explore your internal world at your own pace. Whether you're dealing with chronic stress, burnout, identity questions, life transitions, or just a sense that something isn't right despite external success, IFS offers a framework for understanding yourself more deeply.
We work with adults across the age spectrum—from young adults navigating early career and relationship challenges to elderly individuals processing grief, loss, and life review. The beauty of IFS is that it adapts to where you are in life and what you're facing.
IFS for Couples: Healing Together
When both partners in a relationship are dealing with their own attachment wounds and trauma responses, the relationship itself can become a place where everyone's protective parts get triggered simultaneously. One person's critical part activates the other person's defensive part, which triggers the first person's abandoned part, and suddenly you're in a fight about something that isn't really about what you're fighting about.
IFS helps couples understand these part-to-part interactions. When both partners can recognize when they're being led by parts rather than Self, they can pause, connect with their core selves, and actually hear each other. This creates the foundation for genuine intimacy and repair.
At Mind, Body, Soulmates, we work with couples dealing with communication breakdowns, betrayal recovery, and the complex dynamics that emerge when both partners are high-functioning individuals with their own trauma histories. We also specialize in working with couples where one or both partners are neurodivergent, which brings its own unique patterns and needs.
IFS for Families: Mending Important Relationships
Family therapy through an IFS lens recognizes that each family member has their own internal system, and these systems interact in complex ways. We particularly love working with parent-adult child relationships, especially mothers and daughters navigating the legacy of intergenerational trauma and attachment wounds.
IFS can also be powerful for siblings who are healing together after loss or chronic illness in the family. When everyone in the family understands that they each have parts with different needs and perspectives, it creates more space for compassion and less blame.
Play Therapy for Children Using IFS Principles
While traditional IFS is more appropriate for adolescents and adults, we use IFS-informed play therapy for children. Kids naturally think in terms of different feelings and "parts" of themselves—they might talk about their "angry guy" or their "scared part" or their "brave self."
Through play, art, and storytelling, we help children develop healthy relationships with their internal world and learn that all their feelings are welcome and make sense. This early intervention can prevent parts from becoming frozen in extreme protective roles as children grow.
Specialized Support We Offer
Working with Neurodivergence
Many of our clients discover during therapy that they're neurodivergent—they might have ADHD or be on the autism spectrum without ever receiving a formal diagnosis. For high-functioning individuals, neurodivergence often gets masked by coping strategies that eventually lead to burnout.
IFS is particularly helpful for neurodivergent individuals because it validates the experience of having a mind that works differently without pathologizing it. We explore how different parts have developed to manage sensory overwhelm, executive function challenges, or social navigation. We also work with couples where one or both partners are neurodivergent, helping each person understand how their own and their partner's internal systems interact.
Medical Trauma and Chronic Illness
Experiencing medical trauma—whether your own or watching someone you love go through it—leaves lasting imprints on your internal system. Parts develop to manage the fear, helplessness, and grief that come with serious illness or medical intervention.
We specialize in working with parents of children who have chronic illnesses, siblings who lost a brother or sister to illness, and individuals navigating their own health challenges. IFS provides a framework for processing these experiences without bypassing the very real pain they involve.
Life Transitions and Identity
Life transitions—career changes, becoming a parent, caring for aging parents, divorce, retirement, or approaching end of life—often trigger parts that feel lost, afraid, or uncertain about who you are without the roles that have defined you.
IFS helps you navigate these transitions by connecting with the parts that are struggling and the parts that might have been suppressed by your previous life structure. Often, transitions become opportunities to live more authentically from Self rather than from the expectations of protective parts.
Understanding the IFS Therapy Process at Mind, Body, Soulmates
Your Free Consultation Call
We believe the first step should be low-pressure and genuinely helpful. That's why we offer a free consultation call—usually 15 minutes or longer—where we explore what you're dealing with and whether we might be a good fit for each other.
During this conversation, we'll ask about your main concerns and what you're hoping to get from therapy. We'll share how we work and answer any questions you have about IFS, our other modalities, our approach, and what therapy with us actually looks like. Our goal is for you to leave this call with clarity about whether you want to move forward.
The Intake Session: Building Your Foundation
Your first official session is an intake where we gather information about your history, your current situation, and what brings you to therapy. This isn't just paperwork and questions—it's the beginning of understanding your unique internal landscape.
We might do some brief assessments depending on your concerns. We'll also start developing a loose treatment plan together. Notice we said "loose"—therapy isn't a rigid protocol we impose on you. It's a collaborative process that adapts as we learn more about your system and what you need.
We'll discuss frequency of sessions, which typically depends on what you're working on and what your life allows. Some people benefit from weekly sessions to build momentum; others prefer every other week. We also offer intensive therapy formats for clients who want to go deeper in a shorter time frame.
What Ongoing Therapy Looks Like
Once we've established care, your sessions become a space to explore whatever is most alive for you. Some sessions might be very parts-focused—getting to know a particular part, understanding its role, or doing unburdening work. Other sessions might feel more like checking in about your life and noticing patterns as they emerge.
We're not rigid about sticking to one modality. If you come in dealing with a recent triggering event, we might use EMDR to process it. If you're noticing a lot of body tension or disconnection, we might incorporate somatic work. If you're working on relationship patterns, we might explore attachment dynamics.
Between sessions, some of our therapists offer resources via email or text if something comes up that would be helpful for your current process. Some provide homework or practices to deepen the work; others prefer to keep everything contained in session. This is something you can discuss with your therapist to figure out what works best for you.
Crisis Support When You Need It
While IFS therapy isn't typically considered crisis intervention, we recognize that healing work can sometimes bring up intense emotions or parts that need more support. One of our therapists specifically offers crisis services for established clients, and some of our therapists allow after-hours text communication when needed.
That said, if you're experiencing a mental health emergency, we want to be clear: please call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to your nearest emergency room. Our practice is designed for ongoing therapeutic work, not acute crisis management.
The Benefits of Group Practice: Your Whole Family in One Place
Coordinated Care That Actually Coordinates
One of the unique advantages of working with Mind, Body, Soulmates is that we're a group practice with multiple therapists who genuinely collaborate. If you're working on individual issues while your partner is in couples therapy with another team member, we're actually talking to each other (with your permission) to make sure we're all moving in the same direction.
This matters because it prevents the common problem where one family member's individual therapist is encouraging something that conflicts with the couples therapist's approach, or where parents are getting different messages from their child's therapist. We're like-minded in our approach and coordinate our efforts on your behalf.
Life Experience That Informs Our Work
We're not fresh graduates reading from textbooks. We're experienced therapists who've lived life—who've faced our own struggles, navigated our own trauma, and done the deep personal work that makes us effective guides for others. We don't pretend to have all the answers, but we bring decades of combined experience both as therapists and as humans who understand that life is messy and healing isn't linear.
Practical Considerations for Starting IFS Therapy
Online and In-Person Options in the Denver Area
We offer both online sessions and in-person appointments to fit your preferences and schedule. Our physical location is in Wheat Ridge, and we serve clients throughout the Denver metro area.
Online therapy has become incredibly effective, especially for IFS work. You can be in the comfort of your own home, which sometimes makes it easier to access vulnerable parts. In-person therapy offers a different quality of presence and connection that some people prefer. You might even do a combination—meeting in person when you can and using video sessions when that's more practical.
Scheduling and Availability
After your initial intake, we'll work out a schedule that fits your life. Some clients have a standing appointment at the same time each week; others prefer to schedule more flexibly. We handle scheduling through email, text, or at the end of each session—whatever works best for you.
Investment in Your Healing
We don't list specific pricing on our website because therapy isn't one-size-fits-all, and we want to discuss your specific needs and what makes sense for your situation. During your consultation call, we'll talk openly about fees, payment options, and scheduling.
We don't accept insurance, which allows us more flexibility in how we work with you and means we're not limited by what insurance companies deem "medically necessary." We know therapy is a financial investment, and we're happy to provide documentation for out-of-network reimbursement if that's an option with your plan.
Taking the First Step
If you've read this far, something is resonating. Maybe you're tired of feeling like you're at war with yourself. Maybe you're ready to understand why you keep repeating the same patterns even though you know better. Maybe you're just curious about what it would be like to live more from your core Self rather than from the protective strategies that have been running the show.
IFS therapy offers a path toward that kind of change—not through willpower or forcing yourself to be different, but through compassion, curiosity, and genuine understanding of your internal world. At Mind, Body, Soulmates, we're here to walk that path with you.
We know finding the right therapist is personal. We know you might be skeptical or hesitant or wondering if therapy can really help. That's all welcome here. Your parts that are protective about starting therapy? They make sense. They've probably kept you safe in important ways.
The invitation is simply to reach out for a free consultation call. See if we might be a good fit. Ask your questions. Get a sense of whether this approach and this team of therapists could support your journey toward healing and wholeness.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Frequently Asked Questions About IFS Therapy
What exactly is Internal Family Systems therapy?
Internal Family Systems therapy recognizes that your mind isn't one unified entity but rather a collection of different "parts," each with its own perspective, emotions, and protective strategies. At the center is your core Self—the naturally calm, curious, and compassionate essence of who you are. IFS helps you understand these parts, heal the ones that carry wounds from the past, and allow your Self to lead your internal system.
How long does IFS therapy typically take?
There's no standard timeline for IFS work because everyone's system is unique. Some people experience significant shifts within a few months; others engage in deeper work over a year or more. We also offer intensive therapy formats for clients who want to do more concentrated work. During your consultation and early sessions, we'll get a sense of what might be realistic for your specific situation.
Is IFS only for people with trauma?
Not at all. While IFS is incredibly effective for trauma work, it's also helpful for anyone wanting to understand themselves better, improve relationships, work through perfectionism or self-criticism, navigate life transitions, or develop more self-compassion. If you have different parts of yourself that sometimes feel at odds with each other—which is pretty much everyone—IFS can be valuable.
Can IFS help with anxiety and depression?
Yes. Rather than viewing anxiety and depression as disorders to eliminate, IFS explores what parts are creating these experiences and why. Often, anxious and depressed parts are protecting you from something deeper—perhaps old wounds or exiled emotions. By addressing the underlying system dynamics and unburdening vulnerable parts, anxiety and depression often shift naturally.
What makes IFS different from traditional talk therapy?
Traditional talk therapy often focuses on insight, behavior change, or developing coping skills. IFS goes deeper by helping you develop a relationship with your internal world. It's experiential rather than purely analytical—you're not just talking about your parts, you're actually connecting with them from your Self. This creates transformation at a more fundamental level than intellectual understanding alone.
Do you work with couples and families, or just individuals?
We work with individuals, couples, families, and even siblings or business colleagues. IFS principles apply to any relational dynamic. For couples and families, we help everyone understand how their own parts interact with others' parts, which creates more compassion and less blame in the relationship.
What if I can't identify different "parts" of myself?
That's completely normal at the beginning. Many people start therapy thinking of themselves as one unified person who just has problems or symptoms. As we work together, you'll naturally start noticing different aspects of yourself—the part that worries, the part that judges you, the part that just wants to be seen. Your therapist will help you develop this awareness gradually.
How do I know if Mind, Body, Soulmates is the right fit for me?
The best way to know is to schedule a free consultation call. During this conversation, you'll get a sense of our approach, ask questions, and see if it feels like we might be able to help with what you're facing. We want you to feel confident in your choice, so we encourage you to trust your gut about whether we're the right team for your healing journey.
Ready to explore IFS therapy in Denver? Contact Mind, Body, Soulmates to schedule your free consultation. Whether you're in Wheat Ridge, Denver, or anywhere in Colorado, we offer both online and in-person sessions to support your journey toward inner harmony and authentic living.