Parts Work Therapy: What it Is, Effectiveness, & What to Expect

What Is Parts Work?

Parts work is based on the concept that within each person, there are multiple personalities or subpersonalities (i.e., ‘parts’) that interact with one another. When the tendencies, needs, and drives of these different parts clash, these inner conflicts can create psychological problems.⁴ Parts work aims to help people resolve these inner conflicts and help people develop a healthier relationship with themself.^1,5

Most people associate parts work with the internal family systems (IFS) model. According to IFS, we all have a Self that is best able to lead and direct the course of our lives, but we also have different ‘subpersonalities’ that develop, often in response to hardship or trauma we experience. These subpersonalities are called ‘parts’ because each has its own feelings and needs and also develops certain habits and roles over time. Parts work is a therapy method that attempts to create more positive and supportive interactions between these parts.^3,4,6

History of Parts Work

The concept of the “plural self,” which is so central to parts therapy, can be traced back to the work of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Freud believed that the parts of the self included the ego, superego, and id. His colleague Jung believed that the individual psyche was not self-contained and instead was connected to the “collective unconscious,” which was influenced by archetypal personalities seen in myths and legends. Both Freudian and Jungian psychology were, therefore, central in creating the basic framework which later parts of theories like IFS were built upon.^1,2,4,7

Therapeutic Modalities That Use Parts Work

Internal family systems (IFS) is one of the most well-known types of parts work therapy. In IFS, the internal parts are often depicted as an “internal family” (i.e., an inner child and inner critic that mimics a critical parent). In IFS, it’s believed that the roles, goals, and tendencies of these internal parts can create inner conflicts that lead to psychological problems and disorders.^3,4,6,7

Ego state therapy uses parts work in a similar way as IFS to help people heal their inner child. Gestalt therapy also uses parts work, including having people act out inner conflicts through role plays to start a dialogue and work towards a resolution. You can even find parts of work theories in modern Jungian, Transactional Analysis, psychodynamic therapy, and popular concepts like the “wise mind” in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).^1,2,5

What Can Parts Therapy Help With?

Parts work has been used to help people heal from trauma, improve self-esteem, and build better relationships, but it can also help with a wide range of other issues and problems as well.^2,6

The main objectives of parts therapy are to increase self-awareness, self-love, and self-care to build a healthier and more nurturing relationship with ourselves. When successful, this can help improve a person’s mood, boost their self-esteem, reduce stress, motivate positive changes in behavior, and even improve interpersonal relationships.

Some examples of issues that parts work can help with include:^3,5,6

• Addictions to substances or behaviors
• Mood disorders like depression or bipolar
• Unresolved childhood trauma or complex PTSD
• Anxiety disorders or specific phobias
• Insecure attachment styles and relationship conflicts
• Making healthy lifestyle choices and improving self-care
• Addressing issues related to low self-esteem or self-worth
• Combating toxic stress or professional burnout
• Healing from a traumatic experience or loss
• Dissociation or dissociative disorders

Signs of Inner Conflict

Inner conflicts can occur when we have conflicting feelings about something, when we act in ways that contradict our values, or when we’re not willing to face an uncomfortable truth. The most common sign of an inner conflict is discomfort, but this can look different, depending on the individual. For example, inner conflicts can show up as negative thoughts, distressing feelings, or even impulsive choices.^2,5,7

Inner conflict can manifest in the following ways:^1,2,7

• Anxiety, doubt, or dread about something that might occur
• Guilt, shame, and remorse for a past action or mistake
• Increase in negative self-talk
• Strong urges, increased impulsivity, or self-sabotage
• Increased reassurance seeking
• Restlessness, insomnia, or feeling unrested after sleep
• Nightmares, bad dreams, or fantasies and daydreams
• Increased urges to drink, smoke, or abuse substances
• Feeling more easily stressed, triggered, upset, or overwhelmed
• Becoming more rigid, Type A, or perfectionistic
• Having sudden or extreme shifts in mood or energy
• Inability to focus, concentrate, or complete tasks

Benefits of Parts Work

The benefits of parts work will vary based on the individual and the problems they are seeking to resolve in therapy. Benefits include improvements in self-awareness, self-acceptance, self-compassion, and self-care. Some people feel like parts work also helped them to heal trauma wounds, grow more confident in themselves, and learn to identify and meet their own needs.³

Parts work can also help people identify and use their strengths in a more intentional way. For example, the inner critic can learn to delegate the right kinds of tasks to this part instead of wasting time and energy replaying each past mistake. In this way, parts work can help unconscious processes become conscious ones, which gives people the chance to feel more in control of themselves and their lives.⁶

Is Parts Work Therapy Effective?

Because parts work describes a broad category of therapy approaches, there is no research proving that it works for any specific issue or disorder.² Still, there are many anecdotal reports from therapists and clients who claim that parts work can be highly effective for some people.

Examples of Parts Work

Parts work is an umbrella term for therapy approaches that aim to identify and resolve conflicts between different parts of the self. The most common and well-known form of parts work therapy is IFS, which helps people identify, understand, and embrace the various parts of themselves. IFS parts work may also ask people to enact a role-play or story to demonstrate the way that different parts interact with one another.^1,2,7

Here are a few examples of what IFS parts work might look like:

Parts Work for Childhood Abuse

Someone who was emotionally abused in childhood might be asked to identify their inner child and lend their voice to this child so it can speak to the therapist. The therapist might ask questions to better understand the child’s experience and reactions to the abuse. Next, they might ask a nurturing part to step forward and volunteer to help care for and protect the inner child. The therapist might use psychodrama and role plays to have the client act these parts out in the session to initiate the healing.

Parts Work for Depression

Someone who is experiencing depression may be asked to describe the difference between the depressed and nondepressed parts of them to help identify different internal parts. Next, they may be prompted to engage in a role-play activity where they imagine talking to the depressed part. In this role play, they might ask their depression why it’s sad, what it wants and needs to heal, and specific things that the person can do to help. In some cases, a person might also be asked to consider whether the depressed part had a specific role or function, like providing an excuse to withdraw or opt-out.

Parts Work for Addiction

Parts work for addiction may be used to help people identify conflicting feelings about getting clean and sober. For example, a therapist might ask the client to speak from the place inside of them that wants to keep using and then to speak to the part that wants to change. By allowing room for both parts, the therapist can help normalize the ambivalence the person is feeling. Sometimes, they can also use these approaches to help the person identify and address underlying fears and doubts that are contributing to their hesitation.

What to Expect During Parts Work Therapy

Parts therapy involves a variety of different techniques and can look different depending on the specific approach being used. In many cases, parts work is a component of therapy but is used in combination with other techniques. Because of this, there is no specific or universal method used in parts therapy.

A parts work therapy session may involve:

• Accessing a part: Models like Internal Family Systems therapy may ask people to ‘access’ different parts of themselves by locating the part in their body or describing the sensations and feelings associated with that part to become more aware of it.
• Role plays: Role plays may be used in parts therapy to help people initiate a conversation with a part or between multiple parts of the self. For example, a person may be asked to role play a conversation between their inner child and inner critic. Roles plays can help identify and resolve inner conflicts between parts.
• Enactments: An enactment is an experiential technique that involves acting out a relationship or interaction between people or between parts. For example, a person may be asked to enact a pose that represents a specific part of themselves. This can be a powerful way to help people access and even heal certain wounded parts.
• Visualization: Visualization may be used in parts work to help people imagine and create a different kind of internal dynamic. For example, someone might be asked to visualize their inner child, describe it, and then visualize specific actions or activities that could help it heal and grow.
• Externalization: Some parts therapists have clients externalize specific parts by using an object (like a puppet or pillow) to represent it. This might be used in a role play or enactment with the part, like placing it in an empty chair and role playing a conversation with this part.

Is Parts Work Therapy Right for You?

While there’s no way to guarantee whether it would work for you, it’s more likely to benefit people who agree with some of the basic principles of the internal parts model. Parts work therapies can help people heal from childhood trauma, attachment issues, and problems with shame and self-criticism. IFS parts work has also been used to help people in couples counseling or premarital counseling.^3,7

How to Find a Parts Work Therapist

Many therapists utilize parts work in their practice to some degree, but if you want to find a therapist who exclusively uses parts work, it can take a bit of time. For many people, the best place to begin their search is using this online therapist directory that allows them to filter by specialty. During a consultation, you can also ask questions about the approach and style of counseling the therapist uses to determine if they specialize in the approach you’re looking for.

Some of the questions you can ask to find a therapist who specializes in parts work include:

• What kind of therapeutic approach do you use?
• Have you received training in IFS?
• How do you utilize parts work for someone with my issue?

In My Experience

In my experience, parts work is an incredibly versatile and helpful therapeutic approach. While I am unsure whether there are actually distinct “subpersonalities” within us, this is a helpful metaphor that can help people better understand and accept themselves. It also is one of the few theories of the self that captures the complexity of the human psyche.

I have successfully used parts work in therapy with clients struggling with a variety of issues, including anxiety, depression, addiction, trauma, and OCD. Because it is a broad and well-known theory, parts work is something that most therapists are able to integrate upon request.