Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Now significantly revised with over 70% new material, this is the authoritative presentation of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, which is taught and practiced around the world . IFS reveals how the subpersonalities or "parts" of each individual's psyche relate to each other like members of a family, and how--just as in a family--polarization among parts can lead to emotional suffering. IFS originator Richard Schwartz and master clinician Martha Sweezy explain core concepts and provide practical guidelines for implementing IFS with clients who are struggling with trauma, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, and other behavioral problems. They also address strategies for treating families and couples. IFS therapy is listed in SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices.



New to This Edition

*Extensively revised to reflect 25 years of conceptual refinement, expansion of IFS techniques, and a growing evidence base.

*Chapters on the Self, the body and physical illness, the role of the therapist, specific clinical strategies, and couple therapy.

*Enhanced clinical utility, with significantly more "how-to" details, case examples, and sample dialogues.

*Quick-reference boxes summarizing key points, and end-of-chapter summaries.



See also Internal Family Systems Therapy for Shame and Guilt , by Martha Sweezy.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Part I An Overview of Internal Family Systems Therapy
• 1 The Origins of Internal Family Systems Therapy (p. 3)
• 2 Individuals as Systems (p. 24)
• 3 The Self (p. 43)
• 4 Burdens (p. 55)
• 5 IFS and the Body (p. 63)
• 6 The Role of the Therapist in IFS (p. 81)
• Part II How to Practice IFS Therapy with Individuals
• 7 Setting the Table for Treatment (p. 95)
• 8 In-Sight and Direct Access (p. 111)
• 9 Finding, Focusing, and Fleshing Out Protectors (p. 122)
• 10 Feeling toward, Befriending, and Exploring Protector Fears (p. 132)
• 11 Changing Protector Polarizations (p. 147)
• 12 Unburdening Exiles (p. 160)
• 13 Doing Inner Work Safely (p. 173)
• Part III IFS Therapy with Families, Couples, and Larger Systems
• 14 The IFS Model's View of Families (p. 185)
• 15 Releasing Constraints in IFS Family Therapy (p. 199)
• 16 Unburdening in IFS Family Therapy (p. 216)
• 17 Treating Couples with IFS Therapy (p. 229)
• 18 Applying the IFS Model to Social and Cultural Systems (p. 240)
• Part IV Research and Conclusion
• 19 Research on IFS (p. 255)
• 20 The Laws of Inner Physics (p. 265)
• Glossary of Terms (p. 281)
• References (p. 285)
• Index (p. 291)

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Richard C. Schwartz, PhD, the developer of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, is on the adjunct faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He has devoted his career to evolving and disseminating IFS, which now is being taught all over the world. Dr. Schwartz founded the Center for Self Leadership in Oak Park, Illinois, which coordinates IFS trainings in the United States and internationally. He is a featured speaker at many national conferences and has published more than 50 articles and books about IFS and other psychotherapy topics. His website is https://selfleadership.org.



Martha Sweezy, PhD, is Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, part-time; Program Consultant and Supervisor at Cambridge Health Alliance; and former Assistant Director and Director of Training for the Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program at Cambridge Health Alliance. She has a therapy and consultation practice in Northampton, Massachusetts, and has a particular interest in how shame and guilt affect human behavior. Dr. Sweezy has published several articles and books on Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy.