IFS in Couples Therapy: When Your Parts Are in Relationship Too

IFS isn’t just for individual therapy—it’s incredibly powerful in couples work. That’s because in every conflict, it’s not just partner to partner. It’s part to part.

How IFS Supports Couples

In couples therapy, we explore:

• The protector parts that arise during arguments

• The wounded exiles behind emotional reactivity or shutdown

• The unspoken needs of inner parts that long for safety, connection, or validation

When partners learn to speak from their parts rather than as their parts, new conversations become possible.

Example

Instead of “You never listen to me!” a partner might say, “There’s a part of me that feels ignored when we talk, and it’s scared that my needs won’t matter.”

This shift builds empathy and repair.

North Sydney Couples Therapy Using IFS

We help couples slow down and understand what’s really being communicated—so that your relationship becomes a place of healing, not reenactment.