Parts Work

Parts work is the practice of noticing the different "parts" of your mind, like an inner critic, a people pleaser, or a scared younger self, and relating to them with curiosity instead of treating your mind as one single voice. Internal Family Systems (IFS), developed by Richard Schwartz, is the best-known parts work model, but the practice appears in many therapy approaches.

In plain words: noticing the different voices in you and actually talking with them instead of being bossed around by them.

What it looks like in real life

It's Sunday night. You told yourself you wouldn't look at their profile. Then you watched your own thumb open the app anyway, like someone else was driving.

That "someone else" is what parts work is about. Instead of "why am I like this," you ask "which part of me is doing this, and what is it trying to get?" Maybe the part checking their profile is trying to stop the not-knowing feeling. That's a different conversation than calling yourself weak, and honestly a more useful one.

I get that talking to parts of yourself can sound a bit woo. It did to me too. But you already do it every time you say "part of me knew better." Parts work just stops treating that as a figure of speech.

What parts work is not

It's not pretending to have multiple personalities, and it's not an excuse ("sorry, my angry part did that"). You're still one person and still responsible. The parts frame is a tool for understanding your reactions, not for disowning them.

It's also not only IFS. IFS, Dick Schwartz's model, is the most complete map of the territory, with named roles and a core Self. But inner child work, shadow work, and chair work in Gestalt therapy are all cousins of the same practice.

Why it works

When you're fused with a feeling, there's no room to choose. "I am furious" gives you nothing to work with. "A part of me is furious" opens a tiny gap, and in that gap you can ask the part questions instead of obeying it. Therapists call that step unblending.

Most parts soften surprisingly fast once someone finally asks what they're afraid of. If you want to try, write to one part tonight in a guided journal entry. Pick the part you like least. It usually has the most to say. And if a part leads you to something old and heavy, that's a good thing to bring to a therapist rather than dig through alone.

The Attached App Makes This Easier

Parts talk when they're asked good questions, and most of us sit down to journal with no idea what to ask.

  • Shadow journaling for the parts you'd rather not admit are yours
  • CBT journaling for the thoughts your most insistent parts hand you as facts
  • Forward-looking journaling for learning secure attachment, growth, and new behavior

Because changing doesn't come from writing the same wound forever. Changing starts when the page asks a better question.

Common questions about parts work

What is parts work in therapy?

Parts work is any therapeutic practice where you identify distinct parts of yourself, like a critic, a protector, or a hurt younger part, and build a relationship with them. Instead of saying "I'm anxious," you notice "a part of me is anxious" and get curious about what that part needs. IFS is the most developed version, but Gestalt therapy, schema therapy, and inner child work all use parts in some form.

Is parts work the same as IFS?

Not exactly. Parts work is the umbrella practice; Internal Family Systems is one specific model of it, created by Richard Schwartz, with its own map of managers, firefighters, exiles, and the Self. If you do IFS, you're doing parts work. But you can do parts work through journaling, inner child work, or other therapies without following the full IFS model.

How do I start doing parts work on my own?

Start by noticing when a strong reaction takes you over, then name it as a part: "a part of me wants to check their phone." Ask that part simple questions in a journal: what are you afraid of, what's your job, how long have you been doing it? Go slowly and stay curious. For heavy material, especially trauma, do the deeper work with a therapist and use self-guided practice as support between sessions.

Related terms

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS): the idea that your mind is a family of parts, and there's a calm you underneath running none of the drama.
  • Inner Child: the younger you who still takes over when something feels like back then.
  • Shadow Work: getting honest about the parts of you that you'd rather not have.
  • Unblending (IFS): stepping back far enough from a feeling that you can look at it instead of looking out from inside it.

Not sure which patterns are yours? Take the attachment style quiz.