christian ifs therapy

Vanessa is a Certified Level 3 IFS Clinician

Licensed to serve North Carolina and South Carolina Clients

Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is an evidenced-based transformative model of psychotherapy offering people a process to heal from their emotional and traumatic experiences. IFS can help people take what they already know in their mind and  integrate it into their heart.

I often hear, “I know that God loves me, but I can’t feel his love in my heart,” or “I know that God is good, but I feel he’s mad and angry at me.” 

IFS allows you to work with the parts of yourself that experience psychological blockages with God and others. IFS also assists with the continual self talk you do in your mind. You may be aware of how you talk to yourself or you may even notice how your self talk feels internally. You may say to yourself, “A part of me wants to go to this event, but a part of me doesn’t.” You may also say, “I hate the way I talk and look,” and in the same minute you are thinking, “Oh, don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re doing the best you can.” Without even knowing it, you are constantly interpreting and talking to yourself in your mind. In IFS I help you focus and become curious toward this inner chatter and experience more self-compassion and understanding so we can address the underlying root cause of your inner dialogue.

The goal of my approach with IFS and Christianity is to help people experience the healing power of Christ in their deepest wounds and to feel more integrated, balanced, whole, and peaceful. IFS safely allows me to work with someone’s internal thoughts, feelings, and parts of their personality in order to begin a healing process.

IFS therapy is not talk therapy.

While we will be talking a lot in your sessions, when we begin the inner healing process of IFS we focus inward and follow a protocol that will safely allow you to process and heal. For Christians, we will invite Jesus, God, or the Holy Spirit to be with the part of your soul that needs attention, support, or healing. One of the beauties of IFS is we will never address trauma memories without permission. It’s a slower therapy approach, and each step is done only with your permission.

While the slow pace of IFS work may feel frustrating, it’s a very holistic approach and worth the time and energy given to heal. I think of it as a process of becoming whole, and this process should not be done with quick fixes or emotional band-aids. IFS can be completed in phases, and the work of healing does not have to be all at once. I’ll help you determine which direction we should go and give you some recommendations that will support your goals.

If you do not identify as a Christian I’m still able to provide traditional IFS therapy. I’ll respectfully provide IFS work that will safely help you heal and address the areas we identify as opportunities for emotional healing.

common areas of concern:

• Depression, lack of motivation, low energy
• Anxiety, perfectionism, worry, inner criticism 
• PTSD, childhood trauma, trauma symptoms
• Spiritual concerns regarding disconnect with God
• Potential tool for spiritual direction

For more information about IFS visit ths IFS Institue website.

Lastly, I am Licensed to serve both North Carolina and South Carolina clients through tele-health services. My office is located in Hendersonville, NC,  less than an hour from Greenville, SC where clients are welcome to comute for in person sessions.