You may have heard Internal Family Systems (IFS) called “parts work”. IFS is a fairly new theoretical approach and involves clients uncovering and understanding all their parts. One goal of IFS is to tap into Self energy and learn how to access Self energy more often, and with that experience the 8Cs: confidence, calm, compassion, courage, creativity, clarity, curiosity, and connectedness. Another goal is to unburden parts from the roles they’re stuck in so that we can experience Self energy. We do this in session by feeling the energy of different parts, visualizing these parts, and “talking with” these parts to better understand them and feel more compassion toward the ways in which these parts believe they need to protect us. Parts work is not new and is based on a lot of humanistic models of therapy such as Gestalt therapy and Jungian therapy. Essential to all these models is a deeper understanding of Self and increased self-awareness.