What Is Parts Work Therapy?
‘Parts work’ refers to a collection of therapies with a similar underlying assumption: that there are distinct patterns or “parts” of an individual’s psyche, each having their own motivations, values, beliefs, and unique role to play in our lives. Together, these parts create the unique mosaic of your mind. Just as the human body has different parts that work together, our mind has various parts that cocreate our sense of self and shape our perception of the world.
The History Behind Parts Work
The idea that the human mind has “subpersonalities” with different motivations and functions has been woven into various therapeutic approaches in the last century. In 1934, Carl Jung outlined ‘archetypes’ or universal thoughts and patterns present in each person. Gestalt therapy, developed in the 1940s and 50s, included the recognition of subconscious motivations that influence our behavior. Voice Dialogue created by Hal and Sidra Stone in the 1970s included a focus on exploring different “selves” and their unique conflicts, values, and aims. Most recently, Richard Schwartz’s Internal Family Systems (IFS therapy) has inspired a surge of interest in parts work.
What Does Parts Work Therapy Look Like in Practice?
To illustrate parts work with clients, I often use the example of anxiety. Many clients can identify that their anxiety has a specific role (to avoid certain negative outcomes, reduce conflict, demand perfection, etc.) in their lives. When feeling anxious, clients may notice beliefs that are irrational yet powerful.
For example:
When you are not anxious you may know on some intellectual level that you are a capable, intelligent person. And yet, when feeling anxious your thoughts turn into self deprecating garble!
Or perhaps, when not feeling anxious, you enjoy taking small risks to get new experiences (like trying a new restaurant, meeting new friends, or buying different clothes). And yet, when you are feeling anxious, that openness to risk flies right out the window. Your mind is dominated by thoughts of reducing risk, keeping yourself from feeling worse, or making sure you don’t upset anyone else.
While this experience is usually unpleasant, it illustrates how anxious parts can have beliefs, values, and motivations that are different from those we identify with when feeling more calm.
Why Do We Have Different Parts?
As we go through life, our parts help us survive. Trouble usually arises when different parts of us disagree on the best course of action to take. Using the earlier example of anxiety, a client might struggle to do certain activities or initiate important conversations. Though they may truly value these things, their anxiety can make thinking about or acting on these options impossible.
In this way, the client’s ‘Self’ (oriented towards positive growth) is in conflict with the anxiety part (oriented toward safety and predictability). Though this is frustrating to experience, it is important to consider that even parts that seem hellbent on self sabotage have the core goal of keeping us safe from some thing, experience, or outcome. The core of parts work involves exploration to uncover the “goal” associated with each part’s role.
Connecting to the Self and Healing Through Parts Work
Through exploration, clients can cross the divide between parts that operate on ‘outdated information’ (values or motivations that don’t represent how you actually feel), and the Self (your core values when not in fear of rejection or harm).
I use a variety of methods to help clients do this, but I usually start by asking clients to identify how a particular symptom or dynamic serves a purpose. We can then explore when clients may have first needed to develop this part, and reflect on important experiences that have reinforced it.
Next, I often invite clients to notice what physical sensations show up when a specific part of them is active. This helps engage their felt sense, a kind of body-based wisdom that goes beyond thinking or analyzing.
I use this approach because many of my clients have strong “intellectualizing” parts that:
Are highly self-aware
Tend to avoid deeper emotional experiences
Prefer thinking through problems rather than feeling them
While insight is valuable, intellectual understanding alone, without connection to the body, can only go so far in creating real change.
This approach helps clients who:
Know why they feel the way they do
Understand what they want to change
Still feel stuck and unable to make the change they deeply desire
By tuning into the body and its signals, we begin to unlock a different kind of knowing, one that can actually lead to healing and lasting transformation.
Then, I facilitate a dialogue between the client’s Self and the part. This is usually done with a creative element such as puppets, guided imagery, or visual art. I find that engaging creativity promotes a connection to one’s body and emotional vulnerability better than talk therapy alone.
Through this dialogue clients can deepen their self knowledge, practice self compassion, and identify realistic changes they can make to their lives without subconscious parts interfering with their efforts.
Clients often report feeling less frustrated with themselves, greater clarity on their values, and increased ability to hold multiple perspectives on a certain issue after doing parts work. They’re also better able to utilize coping skills and make changes that actually work for them, rather than white knuckling through distress while shaming themselves for not “coping right.”
Who Benefits From Parts Work Therapy?
Parts work can be helpful for clients with a wide variety of concerns. I typically utilize this type of therapy for individual adult clients who are seeking help with:
Anxiety
Trauma
PTSD
Phobias
Low self image
Disordered eating
Dysfunctional relationships with family members
This work can also be valuable for anyone experiencing inner conflict, shame, emotional numbness, or a deep sense of being "stuck."
Ready to Start Parts Work Therapy?
If this sounds like it would be helpful to you, please contact me using the link below!
About the Author
I'm a licensed therapist at Cordial Counseling in Columbia, MD, where I work with adults who are untangling the lasting effects of family dynamics, trauma, and self-doubt. My approach is rooted in parts work, creativity, and trauma-informed care.
I believe that healing doesn’t come from fixing what's “wrong” with you, but from building a relationship with all the parts of you that have helped you survive. In my writing and in my work, I hope to offer a sense of clarity, compassion, and hope.
