KINSHIP counseling COLLECTIVE
IFS AND PARTS WORK THERAPY
Virtual therapy for California residents statewide.
In-person available in the Bay Area & Sonoma County.
All of You Is Welcome Here.
Most of us learned early which parts of ourselves were acceptable — and which ones needed to be hidden, managed, or explained away. The part that's too much. The part that shuts down. The part that keeps you up at night running the same loop. The part that protects you so fiercely it sometimes gets in the way.
Internal Family Systems therapy — IFS, or Parts Work — starts from a different premise: there are no bad parts. Every part of you developed for a reason. Every part is trying to help, even the ones that feel like they're working against you.
At Kinship, IFS therapy in California is practiced with curiosity, care, and deep respect for everything you're carrying — including what was handed down to you before you had any say in it. We work with the parts that are loud and the parts that have been silent for years. With what's personal and what's ancestral. With all of it.
IFS therapy in California at Kinship draws people who sense that their struggles run deeper than surface-level coping strategies can reach — and who are ready to meet themselves with curiosity instead of judgment.
You might be someone who has tried other approaches and found them helpful but incomplete. You understand your patterns intellectually but can't seem to shift them. You know where things come from, but knowing hasn't been enough.
You might be carrying legacy burdens — the weight of what was passed down through your family, your culture, your ancestry. The pressure to be strong. The silence around pain. The survival strategies that kept your people safe no longer serve you.
You might be a BIPOC client who has had to educate therapists about your own experience — and you are done doing that. You want a space where your whole identity, history, and complexity are understood without explanation.
You might be queer, trans, or navigating identity in a world that has told you certain parts of yourself are wrong or too much. IFS is particularly powerful for reclaiming the parts that were exiled or silenced to keep you safe.
You might be neurodivergent and tired of therapy that asks you to mask or manage rather than understand. IFS meets you where you are — all of your parts, including the ones labeled as problems.
You might just be someone who wants to stop being at war with themselves. Who is tired of the inner critic, the perfectionism, the people-pleasing — and is ready to understand where those parts came from and what they actually need.
All of you is welcome here. That's not just a tagline — it's the foundation of how we work.
Who Comes to Us for IFS Therapy
What Is IFS Therapy?
IFS was developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz and is now one of the most widely researched and practiced approaches in trauma-informed therapy. The core idea is that the mind is made up of distinct parts — each with its own perspective, history, and protective role — and that beneath all of those parts is a Self that is naturally calm, curious, and capable of leading.
Parts aren't problems. They're responses. The inner critic developed because criticism felt safer than being caught off guard. The people-pleaser learned that keeping others comfortable kept them safe. The shutdown part found that going numb was the only way through something unbearable.
IFS therapy helps you get curious about those parts instead of fighting them. You learn to hear what they're carrying, understand why they do what they do, and gradually give them permission to rest — because you, the Self, can handle it from here.
This work is especially powerful for trauma, anxiety, perfectionism, self-criticism, identity exploration, and the kind of exhaustion that comes from being at war with yourself for a long time.
What Becomes Possible
IFS therapy creates the conditions for a different relationship with yourself. Not a fixed, finished version of yourself — but a more spacious one. One where the parts that have been working overtime get some relief. Where the ones that have been hiding feel safe enough to show up. Where you stop needing to manage yourself so carefully just to get through the day.
People come to IFS at Kinship and find that they can finally stop fighting the part that procrastinates — and understand what it's actually afraid of. That the inner critic softens when it feels heard rather than silenced. Those patterns they've carried for decades start to shift, not because they tried harder, but because they got curious instead.
This is slow work. It's also some of the most lasting work there is.
Healing the Burdens We Carry
For many of us, the struggles we face are not just our own. We carry the weight of those who came before us. These are known as legacy burdens—the emotions, beliefs, and survival strategies passed down through generations.
You may feel this in the pressure to always be strong, in the fear of taking up too much space, or in the silence around pain that was never fully acknowledged. These burdens are not just personal; they are woven into the fabric of families, cultures, and histories shaped by trauma, displacement, systemic oppression, and survival.
IFS therapy allows you to recognize, honor, and release these burdens in a way that respects where they came from—while also freeing you to live in a way that is truly your own. Healing yourself is also an act of healing your ancestors, your community, and the generations yet to come.
Why It Matters Who You Work With
The world has spent a lot of time telling certain people which parts of themselves are acceptable. Which stories deserve to be told. Which experiences count as real. For BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ clients, a lot of Parts Work involves reclaiming the parts that were exiled not because of personal wounds alone — but because of what the world required you to hide just to move through it safely.
Working with a therapist who understands that without needing it explained changes what's possible in the room. You don't spend session time educating your therapist about racism, or defending your relationship structure, or translating your cultural context. You start from being understood — and go from there.
At Kinship, that's not a specialty or an add-on. It's the foundation.
Ready to Meet Your Parts?
"There are no bad parts. Every part of you is trying to help in some way." From Dr. Richard Schwartz (Founder of IFS Therapy)
There's no part of you that's too much, too broken, or too far gone for this work. IFS therapy at Kinship is a place to get curious about all of it — with a therapist who isn't going to flinch.
When you're ready, we're here.
"The wound is the place where the light enters you."
– Rumi
Healing yourself is an act of healing those who came before you and those who will come after you.
FAQs
-
Internal Family Systems therapy is an evidence-based approach developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz that views the mind as made up of distinct parts — each carrying its own emotions, memories, and protective roles. Rather than trying to eliminate or manage these parts, IFS helps you understand them, hear what they're carrying, and build a relationship with your whole self — including the parts you've been at war with. It's particularly effective for trauma, anxiety, self-criticism, perfectionism, and identity exploration.
-
Yes. IFS is particularly well-suited for neurodivergent clients because it doesn't pathologize or try to fix the way your brain works. Instead it helps you understand the parts of you that developed in response to a world that wasn't built for you — the masking parts, the overachieving parts, the shutdown parts, the parts that learned to manage other people's comfort at the expense of your own. IFS creates space to understand those parts with compassion rather than judgment, and to build a relationship with yourself that doesn't require you to be someone you're not.
-
IFS therapy helps you explore your inner world by:
Identifying different parts of yourself (e.g., an inner critic, a people-pleaser, a protective part).
Understanding their roles and why they react the way they do.
Listening with curiosity rather than judgment.
Healing wounded parts so they no longer have to carry old burdens.
Reconnecting with your true Self, the core part of you that is confident, calm, and compassionate.
Rather than trying to “fix” yourself, IFS allows you to build a trusting relationship with all parts of yourself.
-
IFS is helpful for a wide range of challenges, including:
Trauma & PTSD – Healing painful memories and responses without re-traumatization.
Anxiety & Depression – Understanding the parts of you that feel stuck or overwhelmed.
Self-Criticism & Perfectionism – Softening the inner critic and developing self-compassion.
Relationship Struggles – Understanding how past wounds impact connection and communication.
Life Transitions & Identity Exploration – Supporting BIPOC & LGBTQIA+ individuals in self-discovery and belonging.
Grief & Loss – Processing pain and honoring emotions without being overwhelmed by them.
IFS therapy is not about getting rid of parts of you—it’s about helping them find peace, trust, and a new way of being.
-
Legacy burdens are emotional, psychological, and systemic burdens that are passed down through generations. These can include:
Cultural and racial trauma
Family patterns of silence, survival, or hyper-independence
Unspoken grief, oppression, and intergenerational pain
IFS helps recognize, release, and transform these inherited burdens without disconnecting from your roots. Healing yourself is also an act of healing your ancestors and future generations.
-
As BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals, many of us have parts that have learned to stay silent, hide, or carry the weight of oppression and survival. Working with a therapist who understands these realities without needing explanation allows for deeper healing.
A culturally responsive therapist can help you:
Explore internalized oppression, cultural identity, and belonging
Heal generational wounds with care and respect
Create a therapy space where all of you—especially the parts that have been silenced—are seen and honored
Healing is not just about the past—it’s about reclaiming joy, liberation, and self-acceptance.
-
Every session is different and moves at your pace. Generally, we might start by noticing what's present — a feeling, a tension, a thought that keeps surfacing. From there, we get curious about which part is showing up and what it needs. Sometimes that looks like a conversation with a part. Sometimes it's quieter — more body-based, more internal. You won't be asked to relive trauma or perform insight you don't have yet. The work unfolds as you're ready for it.
-
Not at all! IFS is a great starting point whether you are new to therapy or have tried other approaches that didn’t fully address your needs. It offers a unique way to heal without feeling like you have to “fix” yourself.
-
Healing is a personal process, and the number of sessions depends on your goals and needs. Some people notice shifts in just a few sessions, while others prefer ongoing therapy for deeper healing and integration. Your therapist will work with you to create a plan that feels right for you.
-
Reach out for a free 20-minute consultation. It's a chance to ask questions, share what's bringing you in, and get a sense of whether IFS therapy at Kinship is the right fit. No pressure, no commitment. Just a conversation.
Email info@simplykinship.com
Accessible Online Therapy
We offer telehealth sessions to California residents statewide, so you can receive care from wherever feels right. In-person sessions are available in the Bay Area and Sebastopol, Sonoma County. Oregon telehealth is available with Raquel Wells only.
MEET OUR TEAM
About US
Ready to Begin?
Healing starts with connection. Whether you're seeking therapy, clinical supervision, or simply a space where you can feel seen and supported, we’re here to walk alongside you. You don’t have to do this alone. Reach out today, and let’s take the next step together.
