IFS Therapy Internal Family Systems- Naples, Florida | Danielle Sethi Therapy

IFS Therapy (Internal Family Systems)

What Is IFS Therapy?

Living with inner conflict can be exhausting. You may feel confused by your own reactions or frustrated by the gap between what you want and how you actually respond. When you’re stuck in these kinds of cycles, it can be hard to understand where they come from — let alone how to shift them.

You might catch yourself thinking, “Part of me wants to speak up, but another part shuts down,” or “I know this relationship isn’t right, but I’m terrified to leave.” These aren’t just simple contradictions or flaws. Th÷ey’re signals from different parts of your internal system (i.e., mind, body, or psyche), each trying to protect you in the best way it knows how. Their clashing voices and emotions can leave you feeling frozen, conflicted, or out of control.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapy model that sees the mind as made up of different “parts” that function like an internal family. Each part has its own thoughts, emotions, and role. These parts often form in response to pain or past experiences and are trying to help you survive and avoid pain but can wreak havoc when they are not updated and continue running on old programming or experiences.

IFS also holds that you have a core Self — a calm, wise, grounded part of you that can lead. In therapy, we work to build a relationship with your parts, reduce inner conflict, and help your system feel more connected and at ease so you can move through life with more clarity, choice, and confidence.

IFS therapy can help you understand the parts of yourself more deeply and heal past wounds so that you can stop living in constant inner conflict and start feeling more grounded, clear, and connected — both within yourself and in your relationships.

IFS Therapy

A Modern Way To Heal

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a research-supported, evidence-based therapy. Research shows that IFS can lead to meaningful, lasting improvements in anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

In one study, over 90% of people with complex PTSD reported fewer symptoms after IFS. Many clients say they feel calmer, more confident, and more in control of their lives after learning how to understand and care for their parts.

While the idea of working with parts might seem foreign, most of us experience this inner conflict daily. For example:

  • A part of you wants to rest, while another part feels guilty for not being productive
  • A part of you knows this relationship is not right, but another part of you fears being alone
  • A part of you longs for connection, but another part worries about getting hurt
  • A part of you feels excited about a new opportunity, and yet another part is anxious about failing

These internal push-pulls are natural, and IFS offers a way to understand and work with them, rather than simply trying to convince yourself to change your thoughts or “think positive.” It helps you get curious about why those parts exist in the first place, so change feels more lasting and resonate.

This approach also helps you access your Self: the calm, curious, compassionate center of who you are in between all of the parts (also known as essence, core, witnessing self, higher self, Atman, etc.). Accessing your Self helps you feel steadier, understand situations and your responses more clearly, and take confident action that aligns with what feels right for you.

IFS Therapy Can Help You Heal From The Root

IFS is a gentle yet powerful, structured yet flexible method for resolving internal conflict and fostering real, lasting change. The IFS model supports people who need something beyond traditional talk therapy.

It’s especially helpful when insight alone hasn’t been enough to create change. IFS helps you access and shift patterns held deep in the nervous system—so you can finally feel relief, not just understand what’s going wrong.

Internal Family Systems Theory

IFS Therapy is based on a revolutionary way of understanding the mind — especially from a Western perspective. Instead of seeing ourselves as one single, unified self, IFS recognizes that we are made up of multiple parts. Each part has its own feelings, thoughts, and roles, working together like an internal family.

This view helps us make sense of the inner conflicts that often show up as anxiety, depression, stress, or low self-confidence. Understanding these as parts of you with good intention— rather than flaws or failures — opens the door to healing and change.

In our sessions, I’ll help you slow down and tune in to what’s happening inside so you can start to recognize the different parts of you that show up in certain situations. Together, we’ll get curious about what those parts are trying to protect or communicate.

You don’t need to have it all figured out. My role is to guide you in listening to yourself with more clarity and compassion, so that over time, you feel more grounded, less reactive, and more in control of how you respond.

As we build trust within your internal system, many clients report feeling more calm, connected, and in control. Not because they’ve “gotten rid” of difficult emotions, but because they’ve learned how to relate to them differently.

IFS Therapy Can Help With…

With time, you’ll start to notice more space between your reactions and your choices. You’ll become more grounded in your true Self and more capable of leading your life with clarity and care.

IFS therapy helps you develop a deeper understanding of your inner world so that you’re no longer controlled by anxiety, self-criticism, guilt, or old patterns.

Instead of fighting with parts of yourself, you’ll learn how to listen to them and respond with clarity and compassion. Over time, many clients experience more calm in their day-to-day life, improved relationships, better boundaries, and a stronger sense of who they are—without shame and outdated patterns leading the way.

IFS Session Format

I offer IFS in weekly individual therapy sessions, as well as in a more focused intensive format.

Intensives are ideal if you’re feeling stuck, want to go deeper faster, or prefer to carve out dedicated time for healing without the stop-and-start of weekly sessions.

We’ll begin with a few prep sessions to get to know your system, then spend several hours together in an extended session tailored to your goals.

Why I Specialize In IFS- Internal Family Systems

As a relational therapist in Florida with a degree in Marriage & Family Therapy, I naturally think and work from a systems perspective.

That means instead of labeling behaviors as “bad,” I look at their context and function — understanding what purpose they serve — so we can find ways to change them that actually last.

Because the truth is, if you try to modify thoughts or behaviors but needs are not met, the change isn’t going to stick.

newsletter

It helps us zoom out and see the full context — how different parts of us have learned to protect, cope, or react based on past experiences. Importantly, it doesn’t mean we excuse or ignore these parts. Instead, we welcome them with curiosity and compassion so they can feel safe enough to heal and change.

I find this approach both deeply compassionate and profoundly effective. It doesn’t shame you for your patterns. And the reality is, shame and self-hate keep us stuck.

Instead, helps you make sense of your parts, so that real, lasting change can begin at the root.

More Questions About Internal Family Systems Therapy?

IFS As A Therapy Method

That’s completely normal—many of us feel disconnected from ourselves at first. You don’t need to have it all figured out. Many people come to IFS unsure of where to start.

I’ll walk with you step by step, helping you slow down, tune in, and begin the process of building trust with your internal world.

IFS is paced in a way that respects your nervous system. We only go as far as you feel ready for.

Often, just witnessing a part with compassion can bring surprising relief, even without revisiting the full story behind it. Attention and focused breath are healing.

Everyone’s process is different, but clients often feel shifts early on, even just from being able to name and connect with their parts. Over time, those shifts deepen, leading to more ease, clarity, and emotional freedom.

Logistics

Please review frequently asked questions and information about up-to-date rates.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a sophisticated, evidence-informed therapeutic approach that offers deep and lasting change by addressing the complex parts within you. This advanced model requires specialized training and skill to guide clients safely through profound healing.

By working with IFS, you’re investing in therapy that goes beyond surface-level symptoms to help you transform core patterns, leading to more sustainable growth and wellbeing.

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology (Villanova University)
  • Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy (University of South Florida)
  • IFS Trainings- IFS Level 1
  • Other Models- EFT and EMDR Trained

Read more about my background and approach to therapy here!

I’m so excited to explore this work together! Please fill our the form below to express your interest and state that you are looking for IFS therapy.

If I have availability, I will reach out to you for a brief phone call to see whether we both feel like we are a good fit.

If we agree that we’d like to move forward, I’ll send you paperwork to set you up as a client and get a session scheduled.

Alternatively, you may use this link to contact me.

Schedule Your Consultation & Request Information

Can’t wait to connect! The form below is the best way to find me.

p.s.— Before reaching out, I’d so appreciate if you took a peek at my FAQ page (fees, scheduling, and more!)

“The more we can be curious and open minded toward ourselves, the more we can learn and grow.”

-Dr. Richard Schwartz, IFS Founder

IFS Therapy Naples (Note: At this time, I am only seeing weekly clients virtually online).

2614 TAMIAMI TRAIL N, NAPLES, FL 34103