Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
Online across the UK, with a Certified IFS Therapist
What is IFS?
Most of us know what it’s like to feel pulled in different directions. Part of you wants to stop, while another part insists you keep going. Part of you wants to speak up, while another part keeps you quiet. Perhaps there’s an inner critic that constantly shames you, or a part that never stops worrying.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) understands these as different “parts” of you, each trying in its own way to protect you, often in response to painful past experiences. Rather than fighting or trying to get rid of them, IFS helps you get to know them with curiosity and compassion.
Beneath all our parts is what IFS calls the Self: a calm, curious, compassionate core that is never damaged, however difficult life has been. As you connect with Self, protective parts can relax, and the hurt they’ve been guarding can finally begin to heal.
How IFS can help
IFS is gentle and works at the pace that feels safe for you. I use it with people experiencing:
• stress, anxiety and burnout
• a harsh inner critic, shame or self-doubt
• feeling stuck, procrastinating or self-sabotaging
• the effects of past and childhood trauma
• repeating patterns in relationships
• neurodivergence: understanding how your parts have learned to cope, mask and protect you
• wanting to understand yourself more deeply and live with more meaningIFS is supported by a growing body of research, and many people find it reaches places other therapies haven’t.
What happens in a session?
We’ll begin by noticing what’s present for you: a feeling, a thought, a sensation in your body, or a situation that’s troubling you. Together, we’ll gently turn towards the part involved, get curious about it, and find out what it’s trying to do for you.
You stay in charge throughout. We never push past a part that isn’t ready, and many people are surprised by how much shifts when their parts feel genuinely heard.
Sessions take place online, from somewhere private and comfortable for you. IFS works very well online. I offer 45, 60 or 90-minute sessions, and many clients find longer sessions give the work more room to unfold.
Why work with me
I’m a Certified IFS Therapist and have assisted on IFS trainings. I’m also a BACP-accredited counsellor, practising since 2013, with experience in private practice, NHS GP practices, mental health charities and education. I bring warmth, steadiness and curiosity to the work, and I continue to do my own IFS work too.
Space for the spiritual, if it matters to you
IFS also has room for the transpersonal. Some clients find that working with their parts opens up a sense of something larger: intuition, connection with nature, ancestral patterns, or spiritual experience. If this is meaningful to you, we can explore it, drawing on the work of IFS teachers such as Robert Falconer. If not, it simply won’t be part of our work. It’s always led by you.
Fees
Sessions from £80. A limited number of concessionary places are available.
Common questions
Do I need to know anything about IFS first?
No. I’ll guide you through everything. Many of my clients had never heard of IFS before.What if I can’t “find” my parts?
That’s very common at the start, and it’s fine. Even a part that’s sceptical or doesn’t want to engage is a part we can get to know.How many sessions will I need?
It varies. Some people notice real change within a few sessions, while others prefer longer-term work. We’ll review together as we go.
Ready to begin?
A free, no-obligation call is a gentle way to see whether IFS, and working with me, feels right for you.“Mia has a very sensitive approach and is very good at applying the IFS framework. This was a new form of therapy for me, and it has been really beneficial. I know myself much better thanks to my sessions with Mia, and feel confident that I can apply the skills I have learnt during future challenging times. It has been a truly empowering experience working with Mia.”
“I have found IFS therapy with Mia to be a gentle and deep approach to understanding myself and my feelings. It feels like a body first approach which has allowed me to truly feel my emotions and process situations which I would otherwise have intellectualised. The work has been fluid and shaped around my needs.”
Explore IFS furtherResearch on IFS
The latest studies and research on Internal Family Systems, from the IFS Institute.Videos about IFS
Introductory videos, free webinars and short talks from IFS trainers.Podcasts about IFS
The One Inside with Tammy Sollenberger is a warm, accessible introduction. Search for it in your usual podcast app.
IFS Talks offers more in-depth conversations for those who want to go further.Recommended reading
No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz: the best place to start
Self-Therapy by Jay Earley: a practical, step-by-step guide
Transcending Trauma by Frank Anderson: IFS and healing trauma
The Others Within Us by Robert Falconer: the spiritual and transpersonal side of IFS