Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy in
NYC
Healing the parts of you that learned to survive.
Move beyond insight and begin experiencing lasting emotional change.
Healing from Within: Internal Family System (IFS) at Ally Counseling in New York City
Heal inner conflict, attachment trauma, and emotional patterns through parts work therapy
Have you ever felt like different parts of you are in conflict? One part wants to rest, while another calls you lazy. Maybe a part of you wants to speak up in relationships, but another is terrified of confrontation. Many clients seek IFS therapy in NYC when they feel stuck in anxiety, overthinking, relationship patterns, or emotional disconnection, even after years of self-awareness or talk therapy.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy helps make sense of these inner tensions. Developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, IFS is a therapeutic approach that believes that the multiplicity of the mind is like a system. In this system, each Part has its own role, emotions, and purpose. Like members of a family, these parts can disagree or clash—but all of them are trying, in their own way, to protect and be there for the Self.
When these parts become extreme or disruptive, it’s often because they carry burdens such as trauma, internalized beliefs. IFS takes a non-pathologizing approach, viewing these parts not as problems but as protectors doing their best to help us cope.
Rather than trying to suppress or control these parts, IFS encourages us to turn toward them with compassion and curiosity. Through this process, we begin to understand their fears, release their burdens, and reconnect with our core Self, allowing healing to unfold from within.
Common Reasons People Seek
IFS Therapy at Ally Counseling
When you are constantly judging, overthinking, or pushing yourself to be “better”
When it’s hard to set boundaries, say no, or feel free in relationships
When you feel numb, disconnected, or like you “check out” emotionally
When it’s hard to feel at home in your body or accept yourself fully
When you understand yourself deeply—but still feel stuck in the same patterns
When you want to work with trauma in a gentle, non-overwhelming way
When you feel torn between cultures and identity
When you're carrying roles, values or responsibilities you didn't choose
Meet our IFS Specialists in NYC
Our therapists provide culturally responsive, trauma-informed care for Asian American, first- and second-generation immigrants, and third-culture (TCK) individuals navigating identity, belonging, and intergenerational or cross-cultural experiences. We also offer LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy in a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental space.
We integrate Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy with other evidence-based and experiential approaches when clinically appropriate, including Brainspotting, Somatic Therapy, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and Art Therapy to support deeper, embodied healing.
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Recommended for improving your relationship with your body: Rui Lin
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Recommended for highly sensitive individuals and high achievers: Mingyi He
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Recommended for emotional numbness, dissociation, and inner conflict: Avery Chao
Rui Lin
Rui is a queer, LGBTQIA+-affirming therapist who understands the complexities of living between cultures/countries and the experience of not fully belonging. Rui enjoys working with adults, exploring identity, third culture experiences, neurodivergence, addiction, intergenerational trauma, and the pressures of high-achieving parts. Integrating Parts Work, Certified Brainspotting, and Art Therapy, Rui offers a sex-positive, affirming space for clients to reconnect with themselves and live more authentically.
Location
Manhattan, Virtual (NY)
Languages
Mandarin Chinese, English, Korean 한국어 상담도 가능합니다
Mingyi He
Mingyi is a warm, culturally responsive therapist who believes healing begins through authentic connection and feeling truly understood. Mingyi enjoys working with adults navigating developmental and relational trauma, emotional numbness or dissociation, highly sensitive traits, body image concerns, and the pressures of high achievement. Trained in EMDR and AEDP, Mingyi integrates IFS-informed Parts Work, mindfulness, and neuroscience-informed approaches to help clients move beyond insight and create lasting emotional and relational change.
Location
Manhattan, Virtual (NY)
Languages
Mandarin Chinese, English
Avery Chao
Avery helps adults who feel talk therapy hasn’t been enough, including high achievers, people-pleasers, highly sensitive adults (HSPs), women with late-identified autistic traits, and those on the asexual spectrum. Work focuses on attachment, developmental, and cultural trauma, as well as patterns of avoidance, emotional disconnection, and dissociation. IFS Level 1 & 2 trained, Avery integrates somatic approaches, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and Art Therapy to support lasting, embodied healing.
Location
Manhattan, Long Island City, Virtual (NY)
Languages
Mandarin Chinese, English
IFS × Art Therapy
IFS Art Therapy helps you express what your nervous system remembers but words cannot yet explain.
Art therapy is more than just creative expression—it's an experiential approach that engages the brain, body, and nervous system. Through the process of creating, we activate multiple sensory and emotional pathways that support neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to adapt and form new connections. This can create opportunities for new emotional experiences and healing.
For example, a person may repeatedly hear, "I love you," while also experiencing physical violence, emotional neglect, or unpredictable caregiving. When words and lived experiences don't match, our protective parts often rely more on what the body remembers than on what was said. Art Therapy offers another way to explore these experiences, helping reconnect thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations with greater safety and compassion.
How Do IFS and Art Therapy Work Together?
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Externalize Your Inner Parts – Bring your inner parts into physical form, making them visible and easier to engage with.
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Unlock Your Self-Leadership – Use creative expression to access the leadership and wisdom of your core Self, fostering compassion and clarity.
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Visualize Preverbal Parts – Work with the preverbal parts that hold early childhood burdens, helping them feel seen and heard through art.
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Connect to Suppression & Dissociation – Ground your experiences in the body, helping you process and reconnect when parts are dissociated or disconnected.
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Stimulate Healing Through Sensory Movement and Somatic Awareness – Combining knowledge from neuroscience and biology, engage in sensory stimulation to help release and access deep parts of your inner system, promoting somatic healing.
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Witnessing – The act of creating and viewing your artwork is a powerful form of self-witnessing, honoring the parts of you that have long been overlooked or ignored.