Family Systems Theory

Over the past two decades, Internal Family Systems (IFS) has transformed the practice of psychotherapy. With Introduction to Internal Family Systems, the creator of IFS presents the ideal layperson’s guide for understanding this empowering, effective, and non-pathologizing approach to self-discovery and healing. Here, Dr. Schwartz shares evidence, case studies, and self-care tools.

Dr. Schwartz’s Internal Family Systems (IFS) model has been transforming psychology for decades. With No Bad Parts, you’ll learn why IFS has been so effective in areas such as trauma recovery, addiction therapy, and depression treatment - and how this new understanding of consciousness has the potential to radically change our lives.

Who causes you stress? a member of the family, parent, or the society? They are unchangeable. However, you can alter yourself. If you read this book, you'll: Know the principles that guide how families work. Learn how to accept responsibility only for yourself. Find out how to maintain a calm presence in your family, workplace, and church. In the book, Each chapter takes a convoluted subject, family frameworks hypothesis, and makes it straightforward. It will show you how your upbringing influences your thoughts and actions, as well as how awareness and intentionality can help you discover ...

In this breakthrough book, clinical psychologist Lindsay Gibson exposes the destructive nature of parents who are emotionally immature or unavailable. You will see how these parents create a sense of neglect and discover ways to heal from the pain and confusion caused by your childhood. By freeing yourself from your parents' emotional immaturity, you can recover your true nature, control how you react to them, and avoid disappointment. Finally, you'll learn how to create positive new relationships so you can build a better life.

Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent more than three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust.

A Self-Guided Program for Healing Trauma, Managing Emotions, and Finding Inner Peace — Endorsed by Dr. Richard C. Schwartz, Founder of IFS Heal from the inside out with Internal Family Systems therapy — the evidence-based approach to emotional healing, trauma recovery, and self-leadership. You don’t have to stay stuck in cycles of anxiety, perfectionism, self-sabotage, or emotional overwhelm. This step-by-step workbook helps you connect with your “parts,” release the burdens of your past, and lead your life from a place of calm and clarity. Perfect for anyone seeking: ✅ Self-...

What Part of You Wants to Transform Others? This book shares specific strategies for parts work, ego state theory, and internal family systems (IFS). If you have a counseling or psychotherapy background, you will recognize the idea of parts work, ego state theory, and IFS as being a component of some of the work you have already done. You will be able to increase your skills, so when you have a client in your office, you can use the concepts from this book to directly impact them. In addition to the idea of parts work being a core of psychotherapy, it has also long been a core technique in ...

At this exact moment, your body is trying to tell you something—are you listening?It doesn't speak in words, but it IS communicating—through tight shoulders, shallow breaths, chronic headaches, clenched jaws, restless legs, sleep issues, gut problems, extra weight, fatigue, emotional numbness, a feeling of heaviness that just won't go away, and many more. These are somatic messages—your body's way of saying, "I'm NOT okay." And somatic therapy helps you understand and respond to these messages, enabling you to finally experience a true sense of calm and relief. 🌟 Inside: 70+ ...

At its heart, polyvagal theory describes how the brain's unconscious sense of safety or danger impacts our emotions and behaviors. In this powerful book, pediatrician and neonatologist Marilyn R. Sanders and child psychiatrist George S. Thompson offer both a meditation on caregiving and a call to action. By attending to the lessons of polyvagal theory—that adult caregivers must be aware of children's unconscious processing of sensory information—the authors show how professionals can play a critical role in establishing a sense of safety even in the face of dangerous situations.

This book is a concise and accessible guide designed to support your preparation for the Marriage and Family Therapy licensure exam. Covering essential content areas aligned with current test frameworks, it breaks down foundational concepts in systems theory, clinical assessment, case conceptualization, and evidence-based treatment planning. It also explores critical topics such as human development, cultural competence, legal and ethical responsibilities, and crisis intervention. Rather than providing exhaustive detail on every exam objective, this book serves as a focused supplement to ...

Discover how people grow, adapt, and thrive within the networks of relationships and environments that surround them. Growing Minds, Shaping Worlds: Understanding and Applying Ecological Systems Theory explores Urie Bronfenbrenner’s groundbreaking model of human development and reveals how family, school, community, culture, and history all interact to shape our lives. This accessible yet comprehensive book offers a clear guide to understanding the five systems—microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem—and shows why development can never be explained by ...