Feeling run by an inner critic, an anxious part, or a part that shuts down in conflict? IFS helps you understand these parts and lead from a calm, grounded place — in English or Farsi, individually or as a couple.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an evidence-based, non-pathologizing approach that helps you understand the different “parts” of yourself — the inner critic, the protector, the anxious part, the part that shuts down in conflict — and lead them from a place of calm, grounded Self. At Dr. Samuel’s downtown Vancouver practice, IFS is offered for individuals and couples, in English and Farsi.
What Is Internal Family Systems (IFS)?
Developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, IFS understands the mind as a system of sub-personalities, or “parts,” each carrying its own feelings, beliefs, and protective strategies. Rather than fighting these parts, IFS helps you build a trusting relationship with them. Research supports IFS for depression, trauma symptoms, and anxiety, and it was added to the U.S. National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices.
Parts and the Self
Protectors work hard to keep you safe — the perfectionist, the people-pleaser, the part that gets angry or goes numb. Exiles hold the younger, more vulnerable pain that protectors are trying to guard. Self is the calm, curious, compassionate core that is never damaged — and from which real healing happens. The goal of IFS is not to get rid of parts, but to help them relax and trust your Self to lead.
What IFS Helps With
Trauma and PTSD — IFS gently unburdens the parts that carry traumatic memories, without forcing you to relive them. Anxiety and the inner critic — Understand the protective intention behind self-criticism and chronic worry. Emotional reactivity — Recognize which part takes over in stressful moments so you can respond instead of react. Shame and low self-worth — Reach and heal the exiled parts that carry “I’m not enough.”
IFS for Couples and Families
Most painful arguments are not really between two people — they are between their protective parts. When your protector collides with your partner’s protector, the same fight repeats. IFS-informed couples work helps each partner notice which part is speaking, soften it, and speak from Self instead. Conversations slow down, defensiveness drops, and you can finally hear each other. This pairs naturally with Gottman Method couples therapy for couples who want both structure and depth.
IFS for the Iranian-Canadian Community
Many Iranian-Canadians carry parts shaped by migration, intergenerational expectation, and آبرو (face/honour) — a part that performs strength, a part that fears judgment, a part loyal to family duty. IFS offers a respectful, non-shaming way to honour these parts while freeing you from being run by them. Dr. Samuel works in both Farsi and English and understands this cultural context first-hand.
See also: Couples & Family Therapy | Farsi Therapist Vancouver | Trauma Therapy Vancouver
Book a Free IFS Consultation in Vancouver
Start with a free 20-minute consultation to talk through what you are struggling with and whether IFS is a good fit — individually or as a couple.
Call or text: (604) 721-0604
Email: info@drsamuel.ca
Location: Suite 1300, 1500 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC (downtown)
Further Reading
Related services: Gottman Method couples therapy, healing from a narcissistic or emotionally abusive relationship, and EMDR therapy.