Understanding Internal Family Systems (IFS): A Powerful Approach to Healing From Within

By Pierre Begrand, Registered Professional Counsellor (RPC) – Supporting Clients in Saskatoon, Across Saskatchewan, and Throughout Canada

As a counsellor working in Saskatoon and supporting clients across Saskatchewan and Canada, one of the most transformative approaches I use in my practice is Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or disconnected from yourself, IFS offers a meaningful way to understand your inner world with clarity and compassion.

Over the years, I’ve seen this method help people make sense of their emotional patterns, soothe long-standing triggers, and reconnect with parts of themselves they didn’t even realize were carrying so much weight. What I appreciate most about IFS is that it doesn’t label you as “broken.” Instead, it helps you understand the intelligent design behind everything you feel.

If you’re seeking counselling in Saskatoon, anywhere in Saskatchewan, or from anywhere in Canada (including Canadians abroad), this guide will help you understand how IFS works and why so many clients find it life-changing.

What Is Internal Family Systems (IFS)?

IFS, developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, begins with a simple truth:

You are made up of different “parts,” each with its own emotions, beliefs, and intentions.
And every single part is trying to help you — even the ones that feel heavy, reactive, or confusing.

Instead of fighting your anxiety, shutting down your anger, or pushing away your sadness, IFS teaches you how to turn toward those parts with compassion. Healing happens when we understand the purpose behind each protective mechanism.

This approach is particularly meaningful for people in Saskatchewan — many of us were raised with values of independence, strength, and “pushing through.” Those strengths can become burdens when emotions have nowhere to go. IFS offers a safe way to explore what’s happening underneath.

The Three Types of Parts in IFS

Understanding the “parts” model is the foundation of Internal Family Systems. Here’s a simple breakdown I use with clients:

1. Managers – The Controllers and Planners

These parts try to organize, control, and prevent emotional injury.

They show up as:

• perfectionism

• self-criticism

• overthinking

• people-pleasing

• emotional suppression

• always being “the rock” for others

Their goal is simple: keep your life predictable and safe.

2. Firefighters – The Emergency Responders

Firefighters jump in when emotions or memories get too close to the surface.

Common firefighter behaviours include:

• drinking or emotional eating

• shutting down or withdrawing

• binge scrolling

• anger or impulsive reactions

• numbing behaviours

They’re not trying to sabotage you —
they’re trying to put out emotional fires as fast as possible.

3. Exiles – The Younger Emotional Parts

These parts carry the deepest wounds, often from childhood or past experiences.

Exiles hold:

• shame

• fear

• grief

• abandonment

• loneliness

• “not enoughness”

• core beliefs like “I don’t matter” or “I’m unlovable”

IFS helps you meet these parts gently, safely, and with compassion — something many of us were never taught.

The Most Important Element: The Self

IFS teaches that beneath all your parts is the Self — a calm, wise, grounded state that we all possess. The Self is naturally:

• compassionate

• curious

• courageous

• confident

• clear

• connected

When the Self leads the system, healing becomes natural and intuitive.

This is where IFS and my holistic approach fit beautifully with trauma work, somatic awareness, nervous system regulation, and Peter Crone’s perspective of conscious inquiry.

What an IFS Counselling Session Looks Like

Clients often ask what IFS “feels like.”
Here’s the flow I typically use in sessions with people in Saskatoon, throughout Saskatchewan, and across Canada:

1. We slow down.

Instead of pushing through, we create a calm space to observe your inner world.

2. We separate you from the part.

You learn to say things like:
“A part of me feels anxious,” instead of “I am anxious.”

This shift alone brings relief.

3. We get curious.

I guide you through gentle questions such as:

• “What is this part afraid would happen if it didn’t do its job?”

• “How long has it been carrying this role?”

• “What is it trying to protect you from?”

4. We build internal safety.

Your parts begin to trust your Self — your grounded, compassionate presence.

5. We unburden the wounded part.

When an exile feels safe enough, it releases the burdens it has carried for years.

Clients often describe feeling:

• lighter

• clearer

• less reactive

• more compassionate toward themselves

• less controlled by old patterns

Who IFS Counselling Can Help

People from all over Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and across Canada seek out IFS for:

• anxiety and chronic worrying

• depression and low mood

• trauma and emotional wounds

• relationship struggles

• people-pleasing

• perfectionism

• stress and burnout

• emotional dysregulation

• grief and loss

• addictions and coping behaviours

• shame and self-criticism

IFS is especially helpful for people who want to understand themselves deeply, not just learn coping strategies.

Why I Integrate IFS Into My Counselling Practice

As a Registered Professional Counsellor in Saskatoon, my approach is holistic, intuitive, and trauma-informed. IFS aligns perfectly with how I support clients because it:

• treats every part of you with respect

• removes shame and self-judgment

• creates long-term internal change

• helps you understand your nervous system

• improves emotional regulation

• integrates beautifully with somatic and spiritual work

IFS helps clients return to a place of internal safety — something many people in Saskatchewan and Canada were never taught growing up.

IFS & Peter Crone: A Complementary Lens

IFS says:
“Every part is trying to protect you.”

Peter Crone says:
“We’re never reacting to the world — we’re reacting to our unresolved past.”

Both perspectives help you understand the deeper “why” behind your patterns and behaviours.
Both lead you toward freedom.

Considering IFS Counselling in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, or Anywhere in Canada?

Whether you’re local to Saskatoon, living anywhere in Saskatchewan, or you’re a Canadian living elsewhere in the country or abroad, I offer both in-person and virtual sessions.

Clients appreciate how IFS helps them:

• feel more grounded

• understand their patterns

• soften long-standing triggers

• reconnect with themselves

• trust their emotional experience

• build internal resilience

If you’re looking for a counselling approach that brings deep insight and meaningful change, IFS may be exactly what you’ve been searching for.

Book a Counselling Session or a Free Discovery Call

You’re welcome to:

• Book a full counselling session

• Request a free 20-minute Discovery Call

• Attend virtually from anywhere in Saskatchewan or Canada

• Begin your healing journey in a grounded, non-judgmental space

IFS is not about fixing you —
It’s about helping you understand the parts of you that have been waiting to be seen.

When you meet those parts with compassion, everything begins to shift.