4 AMAZING BOOKS ABOUT INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS (IFS) THERAPY
As recommended by Lucy Orton, ifs therapist + coach
Top Internal Family Systems books by Richard Schwartz, Dr Becky Kennedy and Jay Earley.
As a therapist and coach (and avid reader of books in my field) I love nothing more than sharing resources and especially books or audiobooks that I feel are helpful to my clients. Often these resources touch on topics that we have worked on together and sometimes they can serve as a good way of clients getting deeper on certain between sessions.
In the case of Internal Family Systems Therapy, I have noticed two distinct styles of engaging in IFS Therapy. For some clients, they ask me for as many books, podcasts, resources, meditation apps and other ways to learn more about IFS that I can recommend. Like me, they have become hooked on the thinking and the ideas behind this modality, as well as participating in their own beautifully transformative and healing sessions.
For others, they are more invested in the experiential IFS practice than in the theory; often spending time checking in with their parts between sessions and coming to me the following week with amazing observations and interactions. These clients are perhaps not as keen to read around the modality or hunt out podcasts exploring IFS further but their engagement is equally high.
Either approach is completely valid and appropriate. However, I have created this blog post to use to direct clients, non-IFS colleagues and other contacts who may be interested in exploring the top 4 IFS books that I recommend above and beyond all others. If you’re the kind of person who loves this kind of content, read on! If you’re intrigued by IFS but prefer ‘doing’ rather than ‘reading about’ then feel free to book in for a free consult or you can go directly to book a paid taster session here.
Here is a little more detail on the books illustrated in the graphic above (including affiliate links on where to buy them):
The first (and my favourite) book on the list is actually not a standalone IFS book, but it’s such a brilliant work that I have to put it as my top pick. Dr Becky is a clinical psychologist and the leader of a parenting movement and community, also called ‘Good Inside’ which is extremely compatible with IFS. As well as referring directly to IFS throughout, Dr Becky’s book has huge resonance for those in IFS therapy; it touches on reparenting yourself, reminding yourself that you ARE good inside, and ultimately is a very moving exploration of what it is like to be a child, be a parent and be a human being.
10/10 Highly recommended to all!
No Bad Parts is perhaps the key text for anyone interested in the background, structure and evidence behind the Internal Family Systems Model. The title really sums up the compassionate approach to being human that lies at the heart of IFS: that we are made up of parts and none of them are inherently bad.
In the book, IFS’ founder, Richard Schwartz, explores how the model came to be and how he was able to develop the therapy alongside his clients, learning from their experience and their unique inner worlds.
A great book for anyone wanting to delve further into IFS that is written in a compelling and enjoyable way.
With its focus on couples and intimate relationships, through an IFS lens, this book is invaluable for thinking about how we interact with our loved ones and how we can improve outcomes by changing our perspective.
As well as being my go-to recommendation for anyone experiencing relationship issues or challenges (or perhaps merely wanting to know how to be a better partner), this book also includes a thorough exploration of the IFS model. It works equally as a first text in lieu of No Bad Parts as it is so thorough in its coverage of IFS as a whole.
This step-by-step guide is not a replacement for having your own, guided sessions with a trained IFS therapist, but it can be a useful bridge between reading about and understanding the IFS model and working internally.
One of the aspects of this book that I most enjoyed was the ‘parts’ in the case studies - illustrated graphically and with verbatim examples from therapy sessions. This can offer an insight into what an IFS session is like for someone who has either had no therapy before or who has only experienced more traditional talking therapies or CBT.
I hope this exploration of my top 4 IFS books has proven useful and perhaps intriguing to you.
Of course, I love and value the psycho-education and books which are now available on the subject of IFS, but I still maintain is a modality that needs to be experienced in order to understand its true power and potential.
If you’d like to arrange a free 20 minute consult with me to find out more, you can click here, or if you’d like to go straight to booking an appointment to see how IFS feels to your own unique system, you can go straight to my calendar here. I look forward to connecting with you soon!