Why I Use the Term "Parts Work" Instead of "IFS" in My Tools and Consultation

Language, lineage, and liberation in parts work.

By Sam Bergstein, LISW-S (OH), LCSW (CA), REAT | EMDRIA-Approved Consultant | The Guided Studio

When I’m talking with clients in consultation or related to my products and content I create, I am often asked a variation of the same question: "Is this an IFS tool?" or "When you say ‘parts work,’ do you mean IFS?"

The short answer is no. While I have immense respect for the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model and have benefited greatly from my own IFS trainings, I intentionally use the broader, term "parts work" in all my clinical tools, resources, and consultation spaces.

This isn't just a preference. It is a deliberate clinical, ethical, and justice-oriented choice. Here is why I choose to frame this work outside the specific container of IFS, and why I believe doing so makes the work more accessible, trauma-competent, Queer-friendly, and neurodivergent-affirming.

Honoring the Ancient Roots of Multiplicity

Internal Family Systems therapy did not invent the concept of "parts." The connection to the idea that human consciousness contains multiplicity (distinct inner voices, impulses, and aspects with their own roles) is one of humanity's oldest psychological and spiritual concepts [1].

Long before modern psychotherapy existed, Indigenous shamanic traditions across the globe practiced forms of soul retrieval, understanding that trauma causes parts of the spirit to fragment and that healing requires embracing those parts. Philosophies such as Buddhism and Taoism have long acknowledged the existence of different aspects of the self and the importance of cultivating self-awareness and internal harmony [3, 4]. Buddhist psychology has long taught that the "self" is a collection of aspects of self, and that consciousness contains multiple minds [1].

Even within Western psychology, the lineage of parts work spans many eras. Carl Jung explored archetypes and complexities as unique energies within the individual’s psyche [1]. Gestalt therapy used the “empty chair” technique to facilitate dialogue between conflicting internal aspects [1]. Voice Dialogue focused on engaging with different subpersonalities [8]. Transactional Analysis introduced the concept of "ego states" that influence behavior [9]. Ego State Therapy provided a direct pathway to modern parts models by explicitly working with "ego states" that could be activated and interviewed [10].

When we use the umbrella term "parts work," we decolonize the practice. We acknowledge that the reality of inner multiplicity belongs to humanity, not to a single trademarked therapeutic model. We honor the diverse, global, and ancient traditions that have long understood the healing power of turning toward our inner world with curiosity.

As Natalie Y. Gutiérrez, LMFT, beautifully articulates in her book The Pain We Carry: Healing from Complex PTSD for People of Color, reclaiming wholeness and reconnecting with ancestral wisdom is a liberatory practice. For BIPOC survivors of complex trauma, parts work can be a vital tool for understanding how cultural legacy burdens like racism are carried in the body, and how healing those parts is an act of resistance and cultural empowerment [5]

Respecting Proprietary Language and Boundaries

From a practical and ethical standpoint, the IFS Institute has specific, proprietary language and a structured certification process. Terms like "Managers," "Firefighters," and "Exiles," as well are core components of their trademarked model.

I deeply respect the boundaries of the IFS Institute and the integrity of their training programs. By using the term "parts work" and avoiding proprietary IFS terminology (with the exception of the universally recognized concept of "Self," which we will discuss below), I ensure that my tools and consultation groups remain distinct and declare my respect for the IFS Institute.

It is also about creating space that honors accessibility to learning and the scope of practice each clinician has already built, whether that is EMDR, expressive arts therapy, somatic work, or general trauma-informed practice, and inviting parts-based thinking to enrich that existing foundation. Clinicians who want to go deeper into IFS specifically are absolutely encouraged to pursue that training through the IFS Institute's programs.

Adapting to Complex Trauma and Dissociation

While IFS is a powerful model, its structured nature can sometimes be overly directive for clients with complex trauma or clinically significant dissociative disorders.

One of the core tenets of IFS is the concept of a singular, centralized "Self" (often referred to as the "capital-S Self") that cannot be damaged and is meant to lead the system. However, as Dr. Jamie Marich, a leading voice in the field of dissociation and EMDR, has profoundly articulated, the concept of a singular "Self" does not align with everyone's lived experience [2].

For many individuals with complex dissociative systems, the pressure on finding a singular "highest self" can feel invalidating or even shame-inducing [2]. Some systems operate beautifully without a singular "host," and individual parts may have their own internal systems and their own access to "self-energy" [2]. As I often explain in consultation, some folks may have multiple "self-energy" centers in their system, much like clusters of solar systems in a bigger universe with multiple suns. All important and valid.

Note: This page is pulled directly from the EMDR + Parts Work Session Support Menu Toolkit. If you want more visual tools for your sessions, you can find the full toolkit in the shop.

In my tools and in consultation, I prioritize dissociation-affirming and client-centered language. Instead of forcing the concept of a centralized "adult self," we focus on "Self-Energy”, qualities of a “grounded presence" or whatever language lands with the specific client, encouraging clients to identify states of groundedness, calm, or ventral vagal connection in whatever way makes sense for their unique system. We move away from the goal of "integration" (which can imply a forced assimilation or reduction of multiplicity- a therapeutic practice that has historically been imposed upon and has caused harm to many clients who experience fragmented systems) and instead focus on building understanding and compassion toward parts, harmonization, cooperation, and communication. We also emphasize that all parts have an intention to help us survive or protect us, even if their methods no longer serve us or seem destructive from the outside. Our goal is never to "get rid" of a part, but to understand its story and lighten its load.

Creating Neurodivergent and Queer Affirming Spaces

The shift from a rigid model to flexible "parts work" is essential for neurodivergent-affirming care. Neurodivergent clients often experience their internal worlds in highly visual, spatial, or non-linear ways.

When we remove the pressure to categorize every internal experience into pre-determined categories (like "Managers" or "Firefighters"), we reduce pressure to conform or mask. We allow the client's system to reveal itself organically. You can offer open ended client self-definition or term for "parts" or provide a menu like this to reduce cognitive overload:

Note: This page is pulled directly from the EMDR + Parts Work Session Support Menu Toolkit. If you want more visual tools for your sessions, you can find the full toolkit in the shop.

This is exactly why my interactive parts mapping tool allows for complete customization of terminology, shapes, colors, and connections. It is designed to adapt to the client's mind, rather than forcing the client's mind to adapt to a specific therapeutic model.

Try the parts mapping tool here: https://partsmap.theguidedstudio.com/

This flexibility is equally vital for Queer and Trans clients. As Dr. Sand Chang a clinical psychologist and author of All Parts Welcome, emphasizes, queer and trans people often learn to hide or exile parts of themselves because they live in a world that has not welcomed their truths [6].

A rigid model can inadvertently replicate that lack of welcome. By keeping parts work spacious and customizable, we create room for the complex intersections of gender, sexuality, race, and neurodivergence without forcing identities and parts that have formed in relation to into pre-existing clinical boxes [6].

As somatic trauma healing expert Kai Cheng Thom points out, true healing for marginalized communities cannot happen solely on an individual level [7]. When we expand our view of parts work beyond a single clinical model, we can begin to see how our internal fragmentation mirrors the political and social complexities of the world around us [8]. Healing our internal parts becomes a practice of collective resilience, preparing us not just for individual safety, but for community connection and joy in a complex world [7].

The Invitation of Parts Work

I loved my IFS trainings, and I frequently draw upon the compassion, clarity, and concepts that they instilled in me. But by choosing the language of "parts work," we open the door wider for more clients and more clinicians. We respectfully invite in the wisdom of ancient traditions, the flexibility required for complex trauma, and the creativity needed for neurodivergent minds.

We recognize that multiplicity is not a pathology to be cured, but a profound and beautiful reality of human existence to be explored. “Multiplicity” and “parts” belong to us all.

Try the parts mapping tool here: https://partsmap.theguidedstudio.com/

Note about the parts mapping tool: This tool is intended for use by licensed clinicians. It is not a replacement for clinical training, supervision, or consultation. Clinicians are solely responsible for determining appropriate use with their clients and for maintaining compliance with all applicable professional, ethical, and legal standards, including data privacy regulations.

References

[1] Crossin, C. (2025). The History of "Parts Work": How IFS Therapy Built on Thousands of Years of Wisdom. A New Chapter. https://www.anewchapter.com.au/blog/history-of-parts-work-before-ifs

[2] Therapy Chat Podcast. (2024). Exploring Parts Work + Internal Family Systems (IFS) | Dr. Jamie Marich & Dr. Richard Schwartz. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi8YDCN8fzE

[3] Hoff, B. (1982). The Tao of Pooh. Penguin Books.

[4]. Lama, D., & Cutler, H. (1998). The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living. Riverhead Books.

[5] Gutiérrez, N. Y. (2022). The Pain We Carry: Healing from Complex PTSD for People of Color. New Harbinger Publications.

[6] Chang, S. C. (2024). All Parts Welcome: The Queer and Trans Internal Family Systems Workbook. New Harbinger Publications.

[7] Lumos Transforms. (2024). Beyond Safety: Kai Cheng Thom Redefines Trauma Recovery for Marginalized Communities.

[8] The Embody Lab. (2025 ). Healing Trauma with Somatics & Parts Work.

[9] Stone, H., & Stone, S. (1989). Embracing Our Selves: The Voice Dialogue Manual. New World Library.

[10] Stewart, I., & Joines, V. (1987). TA Today: A New Introduction to Transactional Analysis. Lifespace Publishing.

[11] Phillips, M., & Frederick, C. (1995). Healing the Divided Self: Clinical and Ericksonian Hypnotherapy for Post-Traumatic and Dissociative Conditions. W. W. Norton & Company.