Christian IFS

One of the defining factors of the past 20 years in this profession is a passion to learn and discover what really works and actually helps people. I've never been one to just go through the motions or settle for mediocre results. I got into this profession to help people. Through a series of events over many years I began to encounter Internal Family Systems but it was not until one of my clients had a profound experience that I began to take it more seriously. We were looking for a inpatient treatment for him because of the level of depression he was facing but I am not a fan of traditional hospital settings as they tend to focus primarily on medication. We found a week long program that looked promising and when he came back, he was a completely different person. The heaviness was gone and as I talked with him and the program, I discovered that they were utilizing IFS principles. That is when I decided to dive deeper, as I became more impressed I immediately went to the two places that I go to in order to determine whether I can use this model- neuroscience and Christian Theology. I was really happy to have found a theologian who had done this work and to discover that many of the really highly regarded trauma and neuroscience experts were also hailing this model. It was then that I began a deep dive and soaked up as much training in this area as I was able. 

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Christianity and Internal Family Systems

 The Christian community has wrestled with and embraced Internal Family Systems as a viable and effective form of therapy for the Christian community. The authors of Boundaries for Your Soul, Alison Cook and Kimberly Miller, have offered training workshops on Internal Family Systems at the American Association of Christian Counselor's Annual Confrence. I personally have had extensive conversations with Alison Cook (author of Boundaries for the Soul) and others prominent in both Internal Family Systems and the Christian Community as I explored this modality myself.

Theological Rationale for IFS

Probably the most thoughtful and theologically astute assessment of Internal Family Systems from a Christian perspective was done by Bill Richardson​. He presented at the American Association of Christian Counselors with the Founder of Internal Family Systems, Richard Schwartz, in 2007. Since that point there have been numorous publications on IFS from a Christian perspective.

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Christian IFS Resources

Dr. Alison Cook has an excellent website with various resources to help integrate Internal Family Systems with your walk with God.

Julie Honeycutt was an early pioneer in the integration of Christianity and Internal Family Systems.

Jenna Riemersma is the author of "Altogether You" another popular Christian book on Internal Family Systems. 
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​Molly Lacroix is another author and therapist who integrates her faith with the IFS model. She has published several books, some of which are highlighted below.
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Christian IFS Resources

You Are Enogh by Jonathan Puddle

Journey to Shalom by Molly LaCroix

Boundaries for your Soul by Alison Cook and Kimberly Miller

Helpful Videos Discussing Christianity and Internal Family Systems