In this episode, I’m joined again by Mel Galbraith of IFSCA, a seasoned IFS therapist and teacher, to dive into what it means to be self-led in the therapy room. We talk about the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways our therapist parts show up during sessions, and how being human—and having parts—doesn’t make us bad therapists. In fact, when we tend to those parts with care, we actually expand our ability to hold space for clients. We explore how therapist agendas can interrupt attunement, why love and curiosity are key to working with any system, and how the work we do on ourselves is just as important as what we do with clients. If you’re a practitioner trying to deepen your self-leadership and your IFS skills, this one’s for you.

🌿 Key takeaways:

1. Therapists must attend to their own parts in real time to maintain attunement with clients.
2. Effective IFS work relies equally on knowing the model and staying grounded in self-energy.
3. Clients feel safer and go deeper when therapists release the agenda and trust the process.

Learn more about Mel Galbraith below:

https://www.youtube.com/@IFSCA

www.youtube.com/@mel.galbraith

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61568170237483

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 Resources & Offerings:

➡️ Free IFS Training for Therapists: From Burnout to Balance: https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/ifs-webinar-podcast

🧠 1-Month Grace Period with Jane – Use code JOHN or visit: https://meet.jane.app/john-clarke-ambassador

🌱 10% Off at Grounding Well – Use code GWJOHNCLARKE or visit: https://www.groundingwell.com/GWJOHNCLARKE

🧠 10% Off at Dharma Dr. – Use code JOHN or visit: https://dharmadr.com/JOHN

Connect with me:

https://www.johnclarketherapy.com/

https://www.instagram.com/johnclarketherapy/

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https://www.youtube.com/@johnclarketherapy

Grab Your Seat for the Free IFS Webinar Here: https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/ifs-webinar-podcast

➡️ Free Training - Learn how to integrate the principles of IFS into your therapy practice: https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/ifs-webinar-podcast