Over the past few decades, mental health care has made huge strides. We now have access to many evidence-based approaches to treat a wide range of mental health conditions that are rooted in different theories about how people change.
Among the most widely methods of therapy used are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Internal Family Systems (IFS). Both therapies are backed by scientific research, evidence-based, and used by thousands of therapists around the world.
In today’s post, I’ll walk you through the key differences and similarities between these two approaches to help you better understand how each therapy focuses on healing and emotional growth, and how you can choose the one that fits you best.
IFS vs CBT: How Are They Similar?
IFS and CBT are both talk therapies designed to help people cope with emotional pain and psychological distress. They are structured, evidence-based, and used to treat a variety of mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and relational traumas.
Both therapies involve paying attention to thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that contribute to emotional suffering. And both offer practical tools for working through stuck places.
The main similarity is that each therapy focuses on identifying patterns—whether those are thought patterns or internal emotional dynamics—that keep you feeling stuck. Yet, the approaches to moving away from that stuckness are vastly different.
Understanding both modalities can help you make an informed decision about the kind of support that feels most useful to you.
What Is IFS Therapy?
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a modern, transformational method developed by Richard Schwartz. It is based on the idea that our minds are made up of a system of inner parts (i.e., internal family), each with its own perspective, feeling, and role.
According to IFS, we all have an internal system of parts, and these parts can carry emotional pains and wounds as well as protective strategies. And just like members of a family, these parts can become in conflict with one another. For instance, one part may want to avoid a painful feeling, while another wants to confront it. IFS sees this inner system as natural and something to work with, not against, discovering and healing burdened roles from the root.
A central idea in IFS is that everyone has a core Self at the center of their parts—a calm, compassionate, curious core that leads and heals our internal system. From this place, we can build relationships with our parts and learn why they do what they do. Many parts develop protective roles in response to pain or trauma, often referred to as “wounded parts.” Learning about these origins presents an opportunity to heal.
Instead of trying to eliminate symptoms or fix a behavior, IFS helps you connect with and heal wounded parts. It’s less about fixing or modifying and more about understanding, listening, and building trust within yourself.
How Does IFS Therapy Work?
Internal Family Systems is a transformational model that offers a comprehensive way of understanding the human psyche and intimate relationships. Here are some of the mechanisms of the model:
Identify Parts
The therapist helps you notice and name different parts of your internal system. These might include a critical part, an anxious part, or a part that shuts down. You learn to view them not as problems, but as messengers with jobs to perform and stories to tell.
Build Relationship with Parts
Once you identify your parts, you begin building a relationship with them from your core Self. You approach each part with curiosity and compassion. Over time, this helps parts feel safer, more understood, and less extreme.
Understanding Protective Roles
You learn how protective parts step in to help you avoid pain, even if their strategies create new challenges. You understand their positive intent and shift from judgment and shame to empathy and self-understanding.
Access Self Energy
Accessing Self energy means connecting with the calm, curious, compassionate core (i.e., the 8 C’s of IFS) that exists beneath all your parts. Rooted in many spiritual traditions, Self reflects the innate presence or awareness that all humans posses (i.e., source, spirit, or essence).
Healing Wounded Parts
With trust and connection established between Self and parts, you can support wounded parts in releasing burdens they carry. These might be old beliefs, traumatic memories, or emotional pain that has been held for years and causes emotional strain on the system.
Reorganizing the Internal System
As parts unburden, the internal system begins to reorganize. You gain more clarity, confidence, and balance. You begin to operate more often from your Self, and your relationships and decisions reflect this shift.
Who Is IFS Therapy For?
IFS therapy can be especially helpful for:
- People who feel conflicted inside or struggle with self-criticism
- Those who have experienced trauma or emotional neglect
- People who want a deeper connection with themselves
- Anyone looking to heal wounded parts and build self-trust
- Those interested in a non-shaming, non-pathologizing approach to therapy
The idea of parts can be challenging to wrap your head around at first, and that’s okay. It’s a different way of understanding the human mind than most Western teachings prescribe to.
To dive deeper into the IFS approach to mental health, I highly recommend the books No Bad Parts and We All Have Parts.
What Is CBT Therapy?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most researched and widely practiced therapies in the world. CBT focuses on the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The idea is that by identifying and changing unhelpful thought patterns, you can adjust emotional and behavioral responses.
CBT is structured and goal-oriented. It often involves worksheets, thought logs, and weekly practice between sessions. Many therapists use CBT to help clients develop coping strategies and break unhelpful cycles of thought and behavior.
How Does CBT Therapy Work?
Identifying Distorted Thoughts
CBT helps you notice unhelpful or irrational thoughts that contribute to distress. These might include black-and-white thinking, catastrophizing, or personalizing.
Challenging Thought Patterns
Once you identify a pattern, you work on challenging and reframing it. This might involve asking yourself, “Is this thought realistic?” or “What evidence supports this belief?”
Behavioral Experiments
CBT encourages taking small, planned actions to test out new thoughts. For example, if you fear rejection, you might practice making small talk to test that fear.
Skills Practice
You learn practical coping tools like relaxation techniques, communication skills, or problem-solving frameworks. These skills are meant to be practiced and developed outside of session.
Tracking Progress
CBT often involves measuring symptoms or using goal-setting tools. This structure helps many people feel a sense of movement and clarity.
Who Is CBT Therapy For?
CBT therapy can be helpful for:
- People struggling with anxiety, depression, or PTSD
- Those who like structure and clear goals
- People who prefer a short-term, present-focused approach
- Anyone interested in understanding how thought patterns shape emotional experiences
Choosing Between IFS and CBT
Both IFS and CBT offer powerful paths toward emotional growth. CBT focuses on thought patterns and behavior change. IFS focuses on relationship with your inner world and healing wounded parts. Neither is better than the other, but depending on your needs, one may feel more aligned.
As a therapist, my personal preference is IFS because I believe that finding understanding for the reasons why we think, feel, or act a certain way—rather than simply trying to change our thoughts—leads to deeper insight and longer-lasting healing.
If you’re looking for a deeper, more relational experience with your own internal system, which translates to self-confidence and awareness, IFS may be what you need. Yet, if you’re drawn to practical tools and short-term structure, CBT may be a fit.
Therapy is personal. The best therapy for you is one that feels safe, respectful, and aligned with your goals.
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