Internal Family Systems Model Research Articles

Development of the internal family systems model: Honoring contributions from family systems therapies.

We describe Richard Schwartz's development of the Internal Family Systems model (IFS) from his position as a Structural/Strategic family therapist. Four decades ago, Schwartz struggled to help clients who exhibited serious risk of harm to self and others. Through a process of inquiry, he began to work with the positive intentions behind his most challenging clients' harmful thoughts and behaviors. He applied foundational ideas from family systems thinking to patterns of internal experiences. As he experimented with ways of applying these ideas, he created an approach to healing. We summarize the IFS model delineating ways a range of family systems theory and practice inform its development and contribute to its best practice. Our purposes are to inform IFS practitioners who are not trained in foundational family systems models as well as to acknowledge the significant contributions family therapy theories made in the development and best practice of the IFS model.

No Bad Parts: Healing trauma and restoring wholeness with the internal family systems model By R. C.Schwartz, Boulder, CO: Sounds True. 2021. pp. 199.

No Bad Parts: Healing trauma and restoring wholeness with the internal family systems model By R. C.Schwartz, Boulder, CO: Sounds True. 2021. pp. 199.

Self-Qualities and Self-Leadership as Pathways Linking Childhood Maltreatment to Depression and Relationship Quality

Among adults, childhood maltreatment is widely known to increase depressive symptoms and reduce quality of adult’s intimate relationships. Considering the association between childhood maltreatment and adult depression and relationship quality from systemic theories may help clinicians conceptualize and intervene with their clients. Internal Family Systems is an evidenced based psychotherapy and is a trauma-informed model. Self is one of the core concepts of the Internal Family Systems model and it is theorized to reduce mental health problems such as depression and strengthen adult romantic relationships. Despite this theoretical proposition there is no supporting empirical research. To address this gap, the current study examined Self, specifically the qualities of Self (e.g., compassion) and Self-Leadership (e.g., staying calm in face of distress) as pathways linking childhood maltreatment to depression and relationship quality. Using a sample of adults in a romantic relationship, the current study examined Self-Qualities and Self-Leadership as mediators linking retrospective reports of child maltreatment to current depressive symptoms and relationship quality. Results indicate that the indirect (mediating) effects from childhood maltreatment to depressive symptoms and relationship quality were significant through Self-Qualities, but not Self-Leadership. Findings suggest that childhood maltreatment is associated with less frequent access to the qualities of Self, such as compassion and confidence which, in turn, were associated with fewer depressive symptoms and higher levels of relationship quality. For clinicians, the use of IFS and specifically helping clients increase the Self-Qualities may reduce depressive symptoms and strengthen romantic relationships.

Know Thy Selves: Learning to Understand Oneself Increases the Ability to Understand Others

Understanding others’ feelings, intentions, and beliefs is a crucial social skill both for our personal lives and for meeting the challenges of a globalized world. Recent evidence suggests that the ability to represent and infer others’ mental states (Theory of Mind, ToM) can be enhanced by mental training in healthy adults. The present study investigated the role of training-induced understanding of oneself for the enhanced understanding of others. In a large-scale longitudinal study, two independent participant samples (N = 80 and N = 81) received a 3-month contemplative training. This training focused on perspective taking and was inspired by the Internal Family Systems model that conceives the self as being composed of a complex system of inner personality aspects. Specifically, participants practiced perspective taking on their own inner states by learning to identify and classify different inner personality parts. Results revealed that the degree to which participants improved their understanding of themselves—reflected in the number of different inner parts they could identify—predicted their improvements in high-level ToM performance over training. Especially the number of identified parts that were negatively valenced showed a strong relation with enhanced ToM capacities. This finding suggests a close link between getting better in understanding oneself and improvement in social intelligence.

Mones, A.G. (2014). Transforming troubled children, teens, and their families: An internal family systems model for healing. New York, NY: Routledge, 154 pp., $34.99.

Mones, A.G. (2014). Transforming troubled children, teens, and their families: An internal family systems model for healing. New York, NY: Routledge, 154 pp., $34.99.

What the #@!* are they Fighting About?!?: Reflections on Fairness, Identity, Social Capital, and Peacemaking in Family Conflicts

Peacemaking is particularly challenging in family conflicts. Deeply held feelings about identity, fair treatment, moral issues, and protecting social capital often cause people in conflict to make self‐defeating decisions. There are, however, techniques that enable mediators, Collaborative Practice professionals, and other peacemakers to overcome the settlement barriers created by these strongly held views. These techniques include those pioneered by psychotherapists using the Internal Family Systems model, which enables parties to see that their strongly held views comprise only part of the constellation of feelings that they have about the conflict. Key Points for the Family Court Community: Parents who feel that their role as father or mother is in danger often find it difficult to focus on the children's best interests. The “rule of reciprocity” causes people who feel wronged to exact even harsher punishment on those who harmed them. The concept of “social capital” explains why people care so passionately about whether they are treated fairly and about their reputation for fairness. The Internal Family Systems model helps peacemakers to understand how to work with the parties’ ambivalence about settlement versus courtroom vindication.

Tapestry of a clinician: Blending Authentic Movement and the Internal Family Systems model

Abstract The intention in this article is to weave together the work of the Internal Family Systems model (IFS) and Authentic Movement (AM) for high functioning clients in clinical private practice. This article explores how IFS and AM with a dance/movement therapy foundation can compliment each other and offer a way for the body to participate in healing. This article also highlights how neuroscience supports the role and effectiveness of body-centred approaches on developing a sense of well being in mind and body.

A Systemic Approach to the Treatment of Dissociative Identity Disorder

Although dissociative identity disorder (DID) continues to be questioned by some clinicians, those who work with this population understand the complexity of this disorder. Most often DID clients undergo predominantly individual psychotherapy to help them integrate their fragmented parts or personalities usually taking an average of 5 to 7 years. Although there is limited literature on the use of systemic therapy with DID clients, family therapy approaches can be used to conceptualize the treatment of the DID client and their family members. This article discusses how individual psychotherapy from a systemic perspective can be applied to treat DID while family systems therapy can be used to help educate the client's family about DID, the process of treatment, as well as how to recognize and become prepared for any symptoms of recurrence. The internal family systems model of therapy with a DID client is discussed through a case example.

Using an IFS Informed Intervention to Treat African American Families Surviving Sexual Abuse

The author provides a case study of Internal Family Systems model when providing therapy for an African American single mother who is working to heal with a female child who has been sexually abused. The author presents a format to challenge issues of power, privilege and oppression through the incorporation of Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS). She explores both the historical context and cultural implications for African American families who are surviving sexual abuse. This study provides implications for future research concerning the use of IFS to challenge issues related to oppression, doi: 10.1300/J086vl9n03_03

The Relationships Between Self-Leadership and Enhanced Psychological, Health, and Work Outcomes

Two cross-sectional studies were conducted to examine the correlations between the concept of self-leadership (as described within the framework of the internal family systems model) and enhanced psychological, health, and work outcomes. In Study 1, self-leadership was significantly related to higher psychological functioning (e.g., effective coping style, greater optimism and hardiness, and less ineffectiveness and interpersonal distrust) and better health status (e.g., greater perceived wellness, less perceived stress, and fewer symptoms of illness) in a sample of university students (N = 270). In Study 2, in which a sample of corporate employees (N = 160) was examined, self-leadership was significantly related to greater perceptions of work satisfaction, enhanced communication, quality management, effective work relationships, and in terms of health outcomes, greater perceived wellness and less work stress. Implications of the relationships between self-leadership and psychological, health, and work outcomes are discussed.

Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods

Each chapter concludes with Readings and References. Foreword, by Salvador Minuchin, M.D. Preface. I.THE CONTEXT OF FAMILY THERAPY. 1.The Foundations of Family Therapy. The Myths of the Hero. Psychotherapeutic Sanctuary. Family versus Individual Therapy. Psychology and Social Context. The Power of Family Therapy. Contemporary Cultural Influences. Thinking in Lines: Thinking in Circles. 2.The Evolution of Family Therapy. The Undeclared War. Small Group Dynamics. The Child Guidance Movement. The Influence of Social Work. Research on Family Dynamics and the Etiology of Schizophrenia. Marriage Counseling. From Research to Treatment: The Pioneers of Family Therapy. The Golden Age of Family Therapy. Summary. 3.Early Models and Basic Techniques: Group Process and Communications Analysis. Sketches of Leading Figures. Theoretical Formulations. Normal Family Development. Development of Behavior Disorders. Goals of Therapy. Conditions for Behavior Change. Techniques. Lessons from the Early Models. System's Anxiety. The Stages of Family Therapy. Family Assessment. Working with Managed Care. 4.The Fundamental Concepts of Family Therapy. Systems Theory. Functionalism. Structuralism. The Legacy of Cybernetics and Structural-Functionalism. General Systems Theory. Satir's Humanizing Influence. Bowen and Differentiation of Self. The Road Not Taken. Enduring Concepts and Methods. Conclusions. II.THE CLASSIC SCHOOLS OF FAMILY THERAPY. 5.Bowen Family Systems Therapy. Sketches of Leading Figures. Theoretical Formulations. Normal Family Development. Development of Behavior Disorders. Goals of Therapy. Conditions of Behavior Change. Techniques. Evaluating Therapy Theory and Results. Summary. 6.Experiential Family Therapy. Sketches of Leading Figures. Theoretical Formulations. Normal Family Development. Development of Behavior Disorders. Goals of Therapy. Conditions of Behavior Change. Techniques. Evaluating Therapy Theory and Results. Summary. 7.Psychoanalytic Family Therapy. Sketches of Leading Figures. Theoretical Formulations. Normal Family Development. Development of Behavior Disorders. Goals of Therapy. Conditions of Behavior Change. Techniques. Evaluating Therapy Theory and Results. Summary. 8.Structural Family Therapy. Sketches of Leading Figures. Theoretical Formulations. Normal Family Development. Development of Behavior Disorders. Goals of Therapy. Conditions of Behavior Change. Techniques. Evaluating Therapy Theory and Results. Summary. 9.Cognitive-Behavioral Family Therapy. Sketches of Leading Figures. Theoretical Formulations. Normal Family Development. Development of Behavior Disorders. Goals of Therapy. Conditions of Behavior Change. Techniques. Evaluating Therapy Theory and Results. Summary. III.RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN FAMILY THERAPY. 10.Family Therapy Enters the Twenty-First Century. Erosion Boundaries. Postmodernism. Constructivism. Collaborative, Conversational Approaches. The Hermeneutic Tradition. Social Constructionism. The Narrative Revolution. Family Therapy's Answer to Managed Care: Solution-Focused Therapy. Feminism and Family Therapy. Family Violence. Multiculturalism. Race. Poverty and Social Class. Gay and Lesbian Issues. Spirituality. Tailoring Treatments to Populations and Problems. Empirically Based Treatment Programs. Medical Family Therapy and Psychoeducation. The Self in the System. Managed Care. Conclusions. 11.From Strategic to Solution-Focused: The Evolution of Brief Therapy. The MRI, Strategic, and Milan Systemic Models. Sketches of Leading Figures. Theoretical Formulations. Normal Family Development. Development of Behavior Disorders. Goals of Therapy. Conditions of Behavior Change. Techniques. Evaluating Therapy Theory and Results. Summary. 12.Narrative Therapy. Sketches of Leading Figures. Theoretical Formulations. Normal Family Development. Development of Behavior Disorders. Goals of Therapy. Conditions of Behavior Change. Techniques. Evaluating Therapy Theory and Results. Summary. 13.Integrative Models. Eclecticism. Selective Borrowing. Specially Designed Integrative Models. The Internal Family Systems Model. Summary. IV.THE EVALUATION OF FAMILY THERAPY. 14.Comparative Analysis. Theoretical Purity and Technical Eclecticism. Family Therapist - Artist or Scientist? Theoretical Formulations. Normal Family Development. Development of Behavior Disorders. Goals of Therapy. Conditions of Behavior Change. Techniques. Context and Applicability of the Schools of Family Therapy. Selection of a Theoretical Position: Rational and Irrational Factors. Summary. 15.Family Therapy Research: Science into Practice, Practice into Science. How Effective Is Family Therapy? What Makes Family Therapy Effective? Practice into Science. Appendix A: Recommended Readings. Appendix B: Glossary. Appendix C: Careers and Training. Name Index. Subject Index.

Spirituality in Systemic Practice: An Internal Family Systems Perspective

The emergence of spirituality as central to the improvement of a number of clients working in the Internal Family Systems model lead me to explore this issue more deeply. In this article I share some of those experiences and discuss how Internal Family Systems therapy has provided a framework for integrating spirituality into the therapeutic process.