IFS Therapy Explained

Introduction to Internal Family Systems Therapy with a Set of 2 Printable IFS Posters

These printable IFS posters can be also used by therapists as part of an introduction to Iinternal Family Systems therapy. They are useful for both eductational purposes and general use. Of course, as it’s with my other printable therapy posters, my Internal Family Systems posters can be used as worksheets too. In this case, pick the black and white worksheets version of the IFS printable posters.

My original Set of 2 Internal Family Systems Therapy Explained Posters are avaialble in my shop.

IFS Therapy Explained: Infographic

Take a look at my main infographic with the Internal Family Systems therapy model. The infographic shows Parts – Managers and Protectors, as well as the Exiles, orbiting around the Core Self. Also, the artwork is complete with long enough explanations of each type of Part and what its function is.

You can buy this printable IFS therapy poster in any size you like on Etsy. I also have different versions of the IFS therapy artworks and also Internal Family Systems mugs that you can check there too.

What Is IFS Therapy and Who Invented It

Internal Family Systems therapy, or IFS therapy, was created by Richard (Dick) Schwartz in the 1980’s. Back then he was working with patients with eating disorders, self-harm, etc. As the story goes, at some point Dr. Schwartz realized that parts of the patient’s psyche were acting against the patient’s will. It was as if those were different personalities, living in the same person.

Eventually, he had an epyphany of sorts and ceased his aggressive attempts to try to force those parts to do what he thought was “right”. He began an actual conversation, based on Gestalt therapy and Family therapy, and that’s how he created IFS therapy.

A Model of the Personality in IFS Therapy

The IFS therapy treats a person’s personality as made of multiple “parts”. Analogous to real families, different parts of us have different needs, desires, viewpoints and memories. In similar fashion, they operate in relationship to one another. So as it is with real families and if there’s a problem, “parts” may sometimes take on extreme roles and/or overpower the system.

Notably, an underlying principle of IFS therapy is that each part has its own reasons to take on and rule the system. They all think they are doing it for the good of the whole.

An Introduction to Internal Family Systems’s Model

Here’s an introduction to the Internal Family System’s model in my IFS Therapy Posters. Those are the basic principles of IFS therapy.

Basically, at the center of the Internal Family Systems model is the concept of the Core Self. Subsequently, around the Self are our different parts. According to IFS, these parts emerge naturally and represent different sides of us.

When they have not taken roles (for example, as a result of life events and trauma), they are actually nice to be around. Parts of us can bring us “awe and joy” (loosely quoting Dick Schwartz here, because I really like the concept).

However, sometimes we encounter life events and trauma and parts of us take on different roles. Some parts would develop a protective role, while others are supressed, as they experience the trauma. This is where IFS therapy steps in and is beneficial; especially so to people who can’t explain their actions sometimes.

An Overview of an Introduction to IFS Therapy Model

Some parts would usually run the show and present us to the world, while others are hidden and would surface sometimes. The first are called Protectors – Managers and Firefighters, while the latter are the Exiles.

To summarize, the infographics explain the  principles of Internal Family Systems therapy:

• Internal Family Systems model overview
• The 8 C’s 5 P’s of the Core Self (or the Self Leadership)

How I Made the IFS Infographic Posters

I first heard of IFS by Tim Ferris’ podcast, where he repeatedly mentions this type of therapy. Despite that IFS sounded too exotic for some clinicians, I noticed, this type of therapy showed promising results. In particular, for treating a wide range of conditions, including trauma and eating disorders.

Eating disorders in particular are interesting, because the IFS Therapy Model is very capable of easily explaining their models. For example, the dynamics of the bulimic cycle of eating and purging, in relationship to different Protectors and the Exiles.  

So I decided to make these printable posters for therapists and IFS enthusiasts as a quick and easy introduction to the IFS method. I designed them for both therapists and patients. But also, for personal coaches, leadership people, guidance counselors and other mental health worker, and their clients. Basically anyone interested in IFS and wanting a printable infographic of the model may benefit from these infographics.

Click the poster to get a detailed view of the Internal Family Systems therapy model. You can also purchase a high quality, printable version of the poster  from Etsy.

The Internal Family Systems Model

As you can see in the picture below, the Internal Family Systems model explores the idea that our internal world consists of different parts. Or rather, different personalities, so to speak, which operate in a relationship to one another.

This idea isn’t too surprising if we consider that we indeed often talk in “parts”. For example – “part of me wants this, but another wants that”. We are already differentiating between different parts of us, so IFS therapy takes this a step further.

Parts Work Therapy

Different parts of us have different needs, and this is where the work begins. In IFS the psychotherapist (or coach) actively encourages the client to talk to different parts of him or herself and pay attention to their needs and concerns. As you can see, the parts are grouped into types of parts, and each has its own agenda and role. 

In parts work therapy there’s a dialogue and active listening between the Self and the parts. The IFS method is holistic in its approach to mental health. Obviously this is in contrast with other therapies, where patients are actively fighting with a condition or a mental health disease. 

The Internal Life as a Family System

As I already said, you may benefit from viewing the IFS model as an actual family. Similar to real families, our internal lives may also consist of family members who take over the whole system. And of course, there are the black sheep – family members who are exiled or not liked too much by the rest of the crew.

Core Self, Managers, Firefighters, Exiles

Internal Family Systems therapy differentiates between a few types of parts, in addition to the Core Self.

The Protectors – Managers and Firefighters, have a sole purpose of protecting the person from the Exiles. However, they use different means to do so.

And then there’s the Core Self which is the essence of who we are, according to IFS. This is the actual head of the house. However, because other parts don’t trust it, part of a therapist’s job is to convince the other parts the Self is capable of leadership. The Core Self is considered your true self, which spontaneously emerges when no other parts are “talking”, so to speak.

Internal Family Systems: Exiles

Exiles are forgotten or supressed parts of our psyche, according to Internal Family Systems therapy. The Exiles want to be heard, but are kept in silence. Much like a traumatised and disfunctional member of a family that wants to stay presentable to the society, toher force Exiles to stay in a remote room, so they usually rarely get to speak with the rest. Since they are hurting too much, nobody wants to talk to them.

See the parts called Exiles at the bottom of the infographic. If there’s unresolved trauma, for example from the past or childhood, an Exile would be a forgotten part of us. This part holds secrets, trauma and pain. They are stuck in the past, unable to process trauma (unresolved trauma).

Just like traumatised children, Exiles are egocentric and take things personally. They would develop limiting beliefs and feelings (and schemas) of the world. Consequently, their pain can be overconsuming if it surfaces. Memories, events, etc. may trigger it from time to time, but that pain is ususally kept in the subconcious.

However, feelings and thoughts such as “I don’t matter”, “I am not enough”, and emotions of shame and abandonment still emerge from the Exiles from time to time. This is when Protectors try to overprotect by coping mechanisms in an attempt to shut down the Exile’s pain.

IFS Therapy: Protectors – Managers, Firefighters

Other parts try to control stuff, and they’re called the Protectors (Managers and Firefighters). They believe they should run the family and say how things are done. A main reason they act as they do is to protect the personality’s mental health from the Exiles’ wounds surfacing into conciousness.

Protectors have taken that role because as our lives unfolded from childhood, there was a need for protection that wasn’t there. Perhaps attachment trauma happened when we were children, and copyng mechanisms took place. For example, a part of us received the wound to expect that we would be left alone, if we don’t cry loud enough and cling to an attachment figure (high anxiety traits). So then another part took over to develop protective behavior like demanding, protest behavior, etc.

IFS: Managers

Managers in IFS therapy are the critics, the proactive resistance that runs daily life and tries to “keep it all together” with your personality. As you can see in the infographic, they are often critical and overly judgmental. Managers try to avoid any situations that may provoke an Exile from showing their wounds. Accordingly, they would try to supress the hurt of past trauma by showing different traits like perfectionism, anxiety, procrastination, playing safe, self-sabotage etc.

However, sometimes Managers’ actions aren’t enough to supress Exiles’ attempt to surface. When the pain (from past trauma, for example) emerges, and the managers couldn’t control it, another type of protector emerges.

Internal Family Systems: Firefighters

Firefighters are like Managers in that their actions are much focused on containing the pain, or rather – the Exiles – from emerging into surface. However, unlike Managers, Firefighters have no interest in keeping face.

See it in the infographic – Firefighters are reactive, and they just want the pain to go away. So they resort to quick, often compulsive actions that may have devastating effects on a person’s life. These actions may involve binge-eating, alcoholism, gambling, any type of addictions or anger issues.

Protectors in Internal Family Systems Therapy Model

A quick note: it is important to realise that protectors have indeed taken roles that they ought not have taken. As I mentioned, in IFS Managers and Firefighters were originally parts of us that were nice and showed interesting sides of our personalities. However, after other parts became Exiles, Protectors had to take that role because they “thought” there was a need to protect the person’s mental health.

According to the Internal Family Systems model, essentially parts that are overpowered or took over the person’s self are like adulterated children. These parts don’t trust that the Self (or the Core Self) can guide a person’s life. Also, just like children they take things personally, egocentrically, think in black-and-white, all-or-nothing terms (what we learn to tackle in CBT therapy). They actually can’t heal, but rather, keep things at bay, mental-health wise.

IFS Therapy: The Core Self

An empowering part of IFS is the concept that beneath all the parts is the Core Self. The Core Self is the essence of who we are when we don’t talk with our other “parts”. It can mediate between all other parts and usually the therapist’s work revolves around making sure that other parts trust the Self again.

My second printable infographic poster from the set illustrates the Core Self’s basic qualities. Those are also known as The 8 C’s 5 P’s of Self Leadership.

Everyone has a Core Self, according to IFS. The Core Self has a certain definition, summed up in “The 8 C’s” and “The 5 P’s” of the Core Self.

As you can see, the 8 Cs and 5 Ps are the Qualities of the Core Self . They depict the personality that is experienced beneath all the Managers, Firefighters and Exiles. According to IFS Therapy, when the latter are asked to step aside, the Core Self naturally emerges as a combination of perceived feelings and viewpoint that is calm and content. These are some of the feelings depicted by patients when they describe the qualities of that personality that is the Self.

By the way, this pretty interesting PDF with a study about IFS is available. In this study people have ranked the qualities in the C’s and P’s by the way they perceive it. So in my posters I have tried to somewhat follow the study by listing qualities from most perceived to least described by participants.

IFS Posters – The Original Infographics

Compared to my previous version of the IFS therapy posters, these infographics have blue and purple gradients. Click below to see my original designs in soft gradients of white, blue and yellow.