Part of you wants to move forward. Another part keeps pulling you back. One part works hard to keep everything under control, while another goes numb or explodes when life gets to be too much. If that sounds familiar, nothing is wrong with you. You are experiencing what Internal Family Systems calls parts, and every one of them is trying to help in its own way.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a compassionate, evidence-informed approach to trauma therapy that helps you understand these inner parts, rather than fight them. Dr. Najmeh Hourmanesh, a Licensed Psychologist and Certified IFS Therapist (Level 3), offers IFS therapy for teens, children, adults, and couples at our Millcreek office and online for clients in Utah, in English and Farsi (فارسی).

Request an appointment  or call (801) 441-8943 for a free 15-minute phone consultation.

What is Internal Family Systems?

Internal Family Systems was developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz in the 1980s. It starts from a simple idea: the mind is naturally made up of many parts, a little like an inner family. Each part has its own feelings, beliefs, and job. After painful or overwhelming experiences, some parts take on extreme roles to protect us, and others carry the pain we could not process at the time.

IFS describes three broad kinds of parts:

• Managers try to keep you safe by staying in control. They may show up as perfectionism, worry, people-pleasing, or a harsh inner critic.
• Firefighters react when pain breaks through. They act fast to put out the emotional fire through things like shutting down, bingeing, rage, dissociating, or numbing.
• Exiles are younger, vulnerable parts that hold old hurt, fear, or shame. Protective parts work hard to keep them out of sight.

Beneath all of these parts is what IFS calls the Self: a calm, curious, compassionate core that every person has, even when it feels hard to reach. Trauma does not destroy the Self; it gets covered by parts that are doing their best to protect you. In IFS therapy, the Self becomes the leader of healing, and the therapist helps you reconnect with it.

Why IFS Works Well for Trauma

Trauma often leaves people feeling at war with themselves. IFS offers a different relationship with your inner world:

• No part is the enemy. Even the reactions you dislike most are understood as protectors that took on hard jobs for good reasons.
• You do not have to retell every detail. Healing happens through your relationship with your parts, so you can work with painful experiences without describing them in full.
• Your protectors set the pace. IFS asks permission from protective parts before approaching painful material, which builds safety and reduces the risk of feeling overwhelmed.
• It addresses shame directly. Seeing symptoms as parts with a purpose often softens self-blame and self-criticism.
• It fits with other trauma treatments. Dr. Hourmanesh can integrate IFS with EMDR and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy when that serves your goals.

What IFS Can Help With

IFS is used with a wide range of concerns. At Road to Healing Counseling, it is most often part of treatment for:

• PTSD, complex trauma, and childhood abuse or neglect
• Anxiety, panic, and chronic worry
• Depression, shame, and harsh self-criticism
• Dissociation, approached carefully and at a measured pace
• Perfectionism, people-pleasing, and burnout
• Grief and loss
• Relationship patterns that keep repeating
• Intergenerational and cultural trauma, including the effects of war, migration, and displacement

What to Expect in an IFS Session

IFS sessions feel different from traditional talk therapy. Much of the work happens by gently turning your attention inward, with Dr. Hourmanesh guiding the process. A typical course of IFS therapy moves through these stages:

1. Building safety. Getting to know you, your history, and your goals, and making sure you have tools to stay steady between sessions.
2. Finding a part. Noticing a feeling, thought, body sensation, or reaction that wants attention, often called a “trailhead.”
3. Getting curious. Learning about that part with openness rather than judgment: what it does, what it fears, and what it is protecting.
4. Befriending protectors. Appreciating the job a protective part has been doing and earning its trust, so it feels safe to step back.
5. Witnessing and healing. With protectors’ permission, the Self connects with exiled parts, witnesses what they carry, and helps them release burdens such as fear or shame.
6. Integration. Parts can take on new, less extreme roles, and you begin to experience more calm, clarity, and choice in daily life.

You stay in charge throughout. You can pause, slow down, or change direction at any time, and building safety and coping skills always comes first.

IFS for Children, Teens, Couples, and Families

Children and teens

The language of parts comes naturally to many young people (“a part of me is mad, and a part of me is sad”). With younger clients, Dr. Hourmanesh can bring IFS ideas into play therapy and sand tray therapy, where miniature figures can represent different parts. As a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S) and Certified Sand Tray Therapist, she adapts the work to each child’s age and developmental stage, and parents stay involved in their child’s care.

Couples

Dr. Hourmanesh is trained in Intimacy from the Inside Out (IFIO), a couples model built on IFS. IFIO helps each partner recognize the protective parts that drive conflict and speak for those parts rather than from them. Learn more about couples trauma work.

Farsi-speaking individuals and families

Therapy is most effective when your therapist understands your language and culture. Dr. Hourmanesh was born and raised in Iran and offers IFS therapy in Farsi, English, or both. Learn more about our culturally responsive trauma care for the Persian/Iranian community.

Why Work With Dr. Hourmanesh

Dr. Najmeh Hourmanesh earned her doctorate in Psychology from the University of Utah in 2006 and has focused her career on trauma treatment for people of all ages. Her IFS work draws on extensive training across several trauma approaches:

• Licensed Psychologist in Utah (DOPL #6291992-2501)
• Certified IFS Therapist (Level 3)
• Trained in Intimacy from the Inside Out (IFIO) for couples
• EMDRIA Certified Therapist and EMDRIA Approved Consultant
• Certified Sensorimotor Psychotherapist
• Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S) and Certified Sand Tray Therapist
• Fluent in English and Farsi

Sessions, Fees, and Scheduling

Location	Heritage Square Building, 1345 E 3900 S, Suite 104, Millcreek, UT 84124. Convenient to Salt Lake City, Holladay, Murray, and Cottonwood Heights.
Online sessions	Secure, HIPAA-compliant video for clients located in Utah.
Hours	Monday–Thursday 10 AM–6:30 PM; Friday 10 AM–5:30 PM; Saturday 10 AM–5 PM.
Fees	Individual adult psychotherapy $200/hour; child/teen psychotherapy $175/hour. Couples rates are on the Fees & Policies page.
Insurance	Out-of-network provider. We provide an invoice you can submit to your insurer for possible reimbursement.
Reduced fees	A limited number of reduced-fee spots are available based on financial need. Please ask when you contact us.
First step	Free 15-minute phone consultation. We respond within two business days.

Frequently Asked Questions About IFS

Does having “parts” mean something is wrong with me?

No. In IFS, having parts is a normal part of being human. Everyone has them. Trauma can push parts into extreme roles, and therapy helps them relax into healthier ones.

Is IFS the same as dissociative identity disorder?

No. IFS uses “parts” as a way of describing ordinary inner experience. For people who do live with dissociative disorders, IFS can be used carefully and at a slower pace, and Dr. Hourmanesh has experience treating dissociation.

Do I have to talk about my trauma in detail?

No. IFS works through your relationship with your parts, so you can heal painful experiences without describing every detail. You set the pace.

Is IFS evidence-based?

IFS has a growing research base, including studies with people experiencing PTSD and depression, though it is newer than treatments like EMDR and TF-CBT. Dr. Hourmanesh will talk with you about which approach, or combination of approaches, best fits your needs.

Can IFS be combined with EMDR?

Yes. Many trauma therapists use IFS to build safety and work with protective parts before or during EMDR. Dr. Hourmanesh is certified in both and will tailor the plan to you.

How long does IFS therapy take?

It varies. Some people notice changes within a few months, while healing from long-term or childhood trauma usually takes longer. Progress is reviewed together regularly.

Can I do IFS therapy online?

Yes. IFS works well over secure video for clients located in Utah. In-person sessions are also available in Millcreek.

Do you offer IFS consultation for therapists?

Yes. Dr. Hourmanesh offers consultation in IFS for mental health professionals. See Consultation for Professionals.

Begin Getting to Know Your Inner World

Your parts have been working hard to protect you. IFS therapy offers them, and you, a chance to rest. Request an appointment or call (801) 441-8943 to schedule your free 15-minute consultation.