Internal Family Systems (IFS)
IFS Therapist in Vancouver | Queer and LGBTQ-Affirming Parts Work
If you’re looking for an IFS therapist in Vancouver who understands the complexities of trauma, identity, and inner conflict, you’re in the right place. I’m a queer, non-binary therapist offering Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy that is somatic, trauma-informed, and affirming of gender, sexuality and neurodiversity.
What Is Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy?
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a gentle and powerful modality that helps you connect with the different “parts” of yourself—those inner voices, emotions, and protective patterns that have developed over time. IFS holds that the mind is naturally multiple, and that every part of you has a purpose, even if it may feel conflicting or stuck.
Unlike other forms of inner child work, IFS focuses on building respectful, consensual relationships with your internal system. Rather than pushing parts aside or trying to change them, we get curious and listen. This approach makes IFS especially effective for trauma, as it moves at the pace your system can handle, offering an antidote to the “too much, too fast, too soon” experiences that can overwhelm the nervous system and retraumatize.
My Two Favourite Parts Work books are:
The Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors
My IFS Training and Approach
I am Level 2 trained through the IFS Institute and have completed many additional trainings, including:
• Stepping Stones, a Canadian IFS training program
• IFS for Complex Trauma with Colleen West
• IFS and Sexuality with Patricia Rich
My approach is deeply relational, somatically informed, and tailored to the needs of each client. I integrate IFS with nervous system work to support long-term healing from CPTSD, relational wounds, and dissociation. While parts work is often used for dissociative disorders, it’s also a beautiful model for anyone seeking greater self-understanding, compassion, and clarity.
Queer and LGBTQ-Affirming IFS Therapy
IFS can be particularly resonant for those exploring gender and identity. Many people clients find that different parts of themselves hold different expressions of gender, desires, and even pronouns. This model allows you to explore those internal experiences without pressure or pathologizing—each part is welcomed with curiosity. Read more about this on the blog.
For those who have had to navigate unsafe or invalidating environments, IFS creates space to unburden the parts that carry shame or fear and to develop an internal sense of safety, trust, and affirmation. Whether you’re questioning, transitioning, reclaiming, or simply exploring, IFS offers a deeply respectful, client-led approach that honors the multiplicity of identity.
Does this resonate with you? Fill out the form below to book a free 20-minute consultation!
