Parts Work Therapy
What If the Problem Isn’t That You’re Broken, But That You’re Carrying Too Much?
You know the feeling… when part of you wants to speak up, but another part tells you to stay quiet. When you feel pulled in opposite directions, second-guessing your reactions or needs. Maybe it seems like you’re constantly battling with yourself, wondering, Why can’t I just get it together? Parts Work can help.
That tug-of-war inside can feel like a sign that something is wrong with you. But what if it’s not?
Parts work therapy invites you to meet your internal world with compassion. Instead of silencing or fixing what’s happening inside, we help you get curious. We explore the roles different parts of you have taken on — the perfectionist, the protector, the overfunctioner, the avoider — and gently uncover the stories, fears, and needs underneath.
At our Arvada practice, our Parts Work therapists are here to help you understand the different parts of yourself—each with its own strategy to protect you. Reach out today for a FREE consultation at (720)-580-3866.
What is Parts Work?
Parts work is a therapeutic approach that sees the mind as a system of “parts,” each with its own voice, emotion, and role. These parts often develop as protective strategies in response to life experiences, especially early or relational trauma.
At Rocky Mountain Relational Therapy, we use Parts Work Therapy to shift from self-criticism and dysfunction, to self-acceptance and understanding.
Instead of being signs of dysfunction, parts are seen as intelligent and adaptive, even if their methods create distress. At the heart of this model is the belief that all parts are welcome. Healing doesn’t happen by suppressing or overpowering them, but by building trusting internal relationships.
This approach is grounded in Internal Family Systems (IFS), developed in the 1980s by Richard Schwartz. IFS recognizes the natural multiplicity of the mind and the presence of a core Self that is a calm, compassionate inner leader. Research supports its effectiveness in treating trauma, depression, anxiety, and internalized shame.
How Parts Work Therapy Can Help
You don’t need to relive everything to begin healing. You just need a space where all parts of you are welcome and witnessed. Our work often begins with noticing: the critical voice, the shutdown response, or the flicker of shame after conflict. We slow things down and ask, with gentle curiosity, “Who’s showing up right now?”
From there we work to:
- Repair the relationship between your vulnerable parts and your internal caregiver
- Identify the key parts running your internal system
- Understand the protective strategies they’ve learned
- Learn how to listen, validate, and respond from a grounded place
This process isn’t about rewriting your past. It’s about becoming the one who can hold your story with clarity and compassion.
Is Parts Work Right for You?
Whether you identify as high-achieving, highly sensitive, spiritual but struggling, or just tired of managing your inner chaos alone, this work offers a place for all of you to be seen.
Parts work is especially helpful for people navigating:
- Trauma and PTSD, including childhood emotional wounds
- Anxiety, depression, or mood instability
- Perfectionism, people-pleasing, or overfunctioning
- Shame spirals and harsh inner criticism
- Identity confusion or internal conflict
- Attachment wounds and painful relational patterns
- The sense of being “too much” and “not enough” at the same time
We might use tools like guided visualization, somatic awareness, or journaling to help you connect with younger parts of yourself. You may find that your inner critic is actually a terrified part trying to help you succeed. Or that your numbness is protecting a younger version of you who once felt too much.
Our History With Parts Work Therapy
At Rocky Mountain Relational Therapy, we all bring different experiences to this work, but share a deep respect for the inner complexity and wisdom every person carries, whether here in Arvada or connecting with us online across Colorado.
Paige Sutula
brings a lens grounded in IFS-informed practice, trauma recovery, and her own lived experience using parts work to heal. She specializes in working with clients navigating relational trauma, perfectionism, and the ache of feeling both “too much” and “not enough.” Her work helps make sense of the protective parts shaped by early relationships, especially the ones that learned to perform, please, or disappear in order to feel safe.
Alison Shea
brings years of personal and professional experience in Inner Bonding, a parts work modality that prioritizes harmony between our feeling self (right brain), thinking self (left brain), and Higher Self – our deep intuition and/or spiritual guidance. When all of these parts are communicating and supporting each other, she has seen magic happen. Relational trauma and outdated survival strategies are replaced, allowing for true intimacy. Doubt and shame are transformed into self-trust and unconditional self-love.
Liz Delaney
brings a unique blend of personal insight and professional training to her work with parts. She helps clients attune to their Self energy so they can move through the world with greater authenticity and self-connection. Liz integrates parts work with narrative therapy, brainspotting, and nervous system regulation, offering a flexible and deeply personalized path toward healing and wholeness.
Begin Parts Work Therapy in Arvada or Online
At Rocky Mountain Relational Therapy we offer Parts Work therapy in Arvada and throughout Colorado via telehealth. If you’re curious about parts work, or just exhausted from trying to hold it all together, we’d love to meet you. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation and explore whether this approach feels like the right fit.
Therapists who Specialize in Parts Work Therapy:
Parts Work Related Blogs
How Perfectionism Damages Love
The Myth of Perfection in Relationships Ever catch yourself thinking, “If I just do everything right, everything will fall into place”?…
How We Protect Ourselves in Love (and Push It Away)
You know the moment… You’re mid-conversation with your partner, and suddenly everything shifts.They say something that hits a nerve, and before…
Getting to Know Your Inner Parts: How Internal Family Systems Can Help You Heal
Jenna Caldwell Have you ever felt like different parts of you are in conflict—one part wants to set boundaries, while another…
Learn More About Parts Work
If you’re curious to learn more about parts work therapy, these resources are a great place to start:
- Book: No Bad Parts by Dr. Richard Schwartz — A client-friendly introduction to Internal Family Systems (IFS) and the idea that all parts of us are welcome.
- Podcast Episode: IFS Talks Podcast — Conversations with therapists, clients, and the founder of IFS about how this approach supports healing.
- Video: Intro to IFS (YouTube) — A short, accessible explanation of IFS and the concept of inner parts.
References
- Anderson, R. A., Sweezy, M., & Schwartz, R. C. (2020). IFS and depression: Using internal relationships for healing. Psychotherapy Networker.
- Dorahy, M. J., et al. (2021). Trauma and dissociation: Neurobiological and clinical perspectives. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 22(3), 267–284.
- Mahrer, N. E., Gold, J. I., & Luu, K. (2021). Effectiveness of Internal Family Systems Therapy on youth anxiety: A pilot study. Journal of Child and Adolescent Counseling, 7(1), 47–63.
- Schwartz, R. C., & Sweezy, M. (2020). Internal Family Systems Therapy (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
- Tabares, D. J. (2022). Healing shame through Internal Family Systems. Clinical Social Work Journal, 50(2), 111–122.
Contact Us
If you’re ready to understand the different parts of you with more compassion, our Arvada Parts Work therapy team is here to support you.