If one part of you wants something and another part fights it, or if you’re hard on yourself in ways you can’t seem to stop, there’s a gentle approach that helps make sense of the inner conflict. IFS helps you understand and heal the different parts of you, so they can finally work together.
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What IFS helps with
We all have different parts of us. The part that wants to rest and the part that pushes us to keep going. The part that craves closeness and the part that fears it. IFS works gently with all of them.
An inner conflict that pulls
you in two directions
One part of you wants something, another part blocks it. You're paralyzed between them, or you swing back and forth. The tug of war is exhausting, and you can't seem to resolve it.
A harsh inner critic
A part of you is relentlessly critical, picking apart everything you do. IFS offers a surprising perspective: that even this harsh part is, in its own way, trying to protect you. Understanding that changes everything.
Reactions that don't feel
like the "real" you
Sometimes you act or feel in ways that don't seem like you, then wonder what came over you. In IFS terms, a part of you took over. Learning to recognize these parts brings clarity and choice.
Old pain you carry but
keep at a distance
There are wounded parts of you holding old hurt, and other parts working hard to keep that pain out of sight. IFS gently helps you reach the wounded parts and offer them healing, when you're ready.
Patterns and behaviours you
can't seem to stop
The coping strategies that no longer serve you, the habits you keep returning to. IFS understands these as parts trying to help in the only way they know, and works with them rather than against them.
Wanting to feel more whole
and at peace inside
Underneath the conflict, you sense there's a calmer, wiser core to you. IFS helps you access that core and lead from it, so the different parts of you can finally find some peace.
Why IFS is different
IFS is built on a simple, compassionate idea: that the mind is naturally made up of different parts, and that there is no such thing as a bad part. The harsh critic, the anxious worrier, the part that numbs out, even the parts that cause us trouble, all of them are trying, in their own way, to help. They often took on those roles in response to past pain, and they’ve been stuck in them ever since.
At your core, beneath all the parts, IFS recognizes a calm, compassionate Self, the wise center of who you are. In therapy, we help you get to know your parts with curiosity instead of judgment, understand what they’ve been carrying and protecting, and lead them from that grounded Self. As the wounded parts receive the healing they’ve needed, the whole system relaxes. The inner conflict eases, and you feel more whole.
How IFS works
IFS is a respected, evidence-based approach with growing research support. It’s gentle, non-pathologizing, and led by your own pace. Your therapist guides the work with warmth and without judgment.
We get to know your parts
We start by helping you notice the different parts at work inside you, the critic, the protector, the worrier, whatever shows up. We approach each one with curiosity rather than trying to get rid of it.
We understand what they're protecting
Each part has a reason for what it does, usually rooted in old pain. We help you understand what your parts have been carrying and protecting, which often brings a surprising sense of compassion for them.
We lead from your core Self
We help you access the calm, compassionate Self at your center, and to relate to your parts from there. This grounded place is where real healing happens, and it’s always available to you.
We heal the wounded parts
When the time is right, and only then, we gently reach the parts holding old pain and help them release what they’ve carried. As they heal, the parts that worked so hard to protect them can finally relax.
Life during IFS Therapy
What surprises many people about IFS is how quickly the inner conflict starts to feel less like chaos and more like something understandable. When you realize that even your harshest parts are trying to help, the relationship with yourself begins to shift.
Within the first several sessions, people often start to recognize their parts in real time, noticing when the critic shows up or when a protective part takes over. Just creating that little bit of space between you and the part brings a sense of choice and calm that wasn’t there before.
The bigger changes build over time. The parts that were locked in conflict begin to relax as they feel understood. The harsh critic softens. And as the wounded parts heal, you start to feel a steadiness and self-compassion that reach all the way through your inner world.
Life after IFS Therapy
The inner conflict eases
The parts of you that were at war begin to work together. The exhausting tug of war quiets, and you feel more unified, more able to move in the direction you actually want to go.
You relate to yourself with compassion
Even your most difficult parts become understandable, and the harshness softens into something kinder. You stop being at war with yourself and start meeting your whole inner world with curiosity and care.
You lead from a grounded place
You find more access to the calm, wise Self at your center, and you learn to lead your life from there. When parts get activated, you can meet them from that steadier place rather than being swept up by them.
There are no bad parts of you. There's just pain waiting to be understood.
The team
At Inspire Wellness Therapy, IFS is delivered by experienced, fully credentialed practitioners who bring both clinical skill and genuine warmth to the work.
Alysha Dosanjh
Founder
Shaambhavi Sharma
Registered Social Worker
Jennifer Seniuk
Our space
You’re already doing the hard part by showing up. Our Calgary office is designed to do the rest, with quiet rooms, soft light, and a sense of privacy that lets you settle in before the session even begins.
Dorchester Square · 1333 8 Street SW, Calgary
Our services & fees
Individual Therapy
30 minutes
$125
50 minutes
$225
90 minutes
$300
Relationship Therapy
50 minutes
$225
90 minutes
$300
Family Therapy
50 minutes
$225
90 minutes
$300
A free 15-minute call is the easiest first step. We’ll listen first, then help you find the right support for what you’re going through.
What IFS helps with
IFS supports a wide range of experiences. Each page goes deeper into what we work on together.
Trauma
When the past keeps showing up in the present, uninvited.
Anxiety
When worry won't switch off, even when you want it to.
Relationships
When you love each other but keep missing each other.
Inner child
When old hurts still shape the way you move through today.
Self-worth
When the hardest voice to quiet is the one in your own head.
Depression
When everything feels heavier than it should, and lighter feels far away.
Good to know
Not at all. IFS sees having parts as completely normal and healthy. We all have them. The harsh critic, the anxious worrier, the part that wants to rest. IFS isn't about diagnosing you. It's about understanding your inner world and helping its different parts work together.
Yes. IFS is a respected, evidence-based approach with a growing body of research support. It's widely used and well-regarded, particularly for trauma, anxiety, and the kind of inner conflict many people struggle with.
It can sound unfamiliar at first, but in practice IFS tends to feel natural and surprisingly gentle. Most people already sense that they have different sides to them. IFS simply gives you a respectful, structured way to work with that, guided by your therapist.
IFS is known for being gentle. We never force our way into painful material. We work with the protective parts first and only approach the wounded parts when there's enough safety and you're ready. Your pace leads the work.
Yes. IFS works well in an online format, and many of our clients across Alberta and British Columbia meet with us virtually. In-person sessions are also available at our Calgary office.
Our sessions are covered by most extended health plans. Coverage depends on your specific plan, so it's worth checking what your provider includes for your therapist's designation. We also offer direct billing to 9 major insurers.
It's a free, no-pressure conversation where we learn a little about what you're going through and help you find the right therapist for it. There's no commitment and nothing to prepare. Just a chance to ask questions and see if it feels like a fit.
In a crisis, please call 911, or call or text 9-8-8 (Suicide Crisis Helpline), available 24/7. Inspire Wellness Therapy does not provide emergency services.
Begin when you're ready
Book a free discovery call, and we’ll help you find the right IFS therapist for what you’re working through. No commitment, no pressure. Just a conversation about where you are and what might be possible.
In person at our Calgary office · Online across Alberta and British Columbia · Direct billing is available to 9+ insurers
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Inspire Wellness Therapy respectfully acknowledges that what we call Alberta is the traditional and ancestral territory of many peoples, presently subject to Treaties 6, 7, and 8. We acknowledge the many First Nations, Métis and Inuit who have lived in and cared for these lands for generations.
We are all-inclusive, striving to create safe, affirming, and anti-oppressive spaces to welcome and provide equal care for all members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
