Episode 14 - Queering Internal Family Systems (IFS) - Decolonising Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Episode: Decolonising IFS

In this episode, Jude and Alessio explore what it might mean to decolonise therapy, with a particular focus on Internal Family Systems (IFS). They reflect on how Western psychotherapy has been shaped by white, Eurocentric frameworks that influence what is considered knowledge, health and healing.

Positioning themselves as white European therapists working within these systems, they discuss how therapy models often locate distress within the individual while overlooking the wider social, political and economic systems that shape people’s lives. The conversation explores how structures such as capitalism, hierarchy and individualism can contribute to distress, while therapy sometimes focuses on helping people adapt to those same systems.

Drawing on their experiences in clinical practice and professional training, Jude and Alessio consider how these dynamics appear in real therapy spaces. They also reflect on how ideas like professional authority, certification and confidentiality reflect particular cultural assumptions that are not universal across cultures.

The episode also explores how IFS both challenges and sits within Western psychology. While IFS introduced the concept of a multiplicity of mind into mainstream psychotherapy, many cultures have long held understandings of multiple selves, spirits or relational identities that Western psychiatry historically dismissed or pathologised.

Rather than offering solutions, this conversation invites curiosity and reflection. What assumptions sit beneath the therapeutic models we use? Whose knowledge has been centred, and whose has been overlooked? And how might therapists begin to recognise the wider cultural and systemic waters that both they and their clients are swimming in?

Disclaimer

This podcast is hosted by qualified therapists who share personal reflections and professional insights into therapy and mental health. The views expressed are those of the individual speakers or guests and are personal to them.

While we talk about therapy, this podcast is not therapy. It’s for information, reflection, and conversation only, and should never be considered a substitute for professional mental health support, diagnosis, or treatment. Listening to this podcast does not create a therapist-client relationship.

Some episodes may touch on sensitive topics, so please take care while listening. If you're struggling, we encourage you to reach out to a qualified therapist or mental health professional in your area.

Guest opinions are their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of the hosts.

Contacts

Alessio Rizzo (He/They) is a Certified IFS psychotherapist, IFS Trainer with the IFS Institute, and Approved Clinical Consultant (ACC) – www.therapywithalessio.com

Jude Carn (She/They) is a Certified IFS psychotherapist and Approved Clinical Consultant (ACC) with the IFS Institute – www.anchoredinself.co.uk

Sound editing by Forbes Coleman