Books / Systemic & family
Internal Family Systems Therapy
Richard C. Schwartz and Martha Sweezy’s second edition presents internal family systems (IFS) therapy, a clinical approach that uses a model of parts and Self.
Book details
Author of listed edition: Richard C. Schwartz and Martha Sweezy
Edition: 2nd edition (2019)
Publisher: Guilford Press
Edition year: 2019
First published: 1995
Language and origin: English (United States)
ISBN: 9781462541461
Form and genre: Treatment Manual & Clinical Guide
Level: Intermediate
Historical era: 1980–2009 · Evidence-Based, Trauma & Integrative Era
Covers: The IFS model of parts and Self; The authors’ descriptions of managers, firefighters and exiles; A clinical approach to working with internal experiences
APA 7th reference: Schwartz, R. C., & Sweezy, M. (2019). Internal family systems therapy (2nd ed.). Guilford Press. (Original work published 1995).
What it is
First published by Richard C. Schwartz in 1995, Internal Family Systems Therapy presents a clinical approach informed by systems thinking. The second edition, published in 2019, was written by Schwartz and Martha Sweezy.
What it covers
The authors describe a model of internal experiences using the terms parts and Self. In that framework, managers, firefighters and exiles describe proposed roles. These are concepts within IFS, not established structures that apply to every person or a universal explanation of trauma.
Approach and related research
The book describes ways a therapist may help a person attend to internal experiences. A 2013 proof-of-concept trial compared an IFS-based intervention with an education control for 79 people with rheumatoid arthritis and reported differences on some outcomes. Its findings are specific to that study and do not establish an effect of reading the book or a universal treatment mechanism.
Reading level and limits
This is an intermediate clinical guide. This entry draws on publisher and catalogue records and the study abstract; the full book was not reviewed. It offers educational context, not an individual treatment recommendation.
Paired academic and clinical scholarship
Paired work: A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Internal Family Systems-Based Psychotherapeutic Intervention on Outcomes in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Proof-of-Concept Study (Nancy A. Shadick, Nancy F. Sowell, Michelle L. Frits, Suzanne M. Hoffman, Shelley A. Hartz, Fran D. Booth and colleagues, 2013)
Reference: Shadick, N. A., Sowell, N. F., Frits, M. L., Hoffman, S. M., Hartz, S. A., Booth, F. D., Sweezy, M., Rogers, P. R., Dubin, R. L., Atkinson, J. C., Friedman, A. L., Augusto, F., Iannaccone, C. K., Fossel, A. H., Quinn, G., Cui, J., Losina, E., & Schwartz, R. C. (2013). A randomized controlled trial of an internal family systems-based psychotherapeutic intervention on outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis: A proof-of-concept study. The Journal of Rheumatology, 40(11), 1831–1841.
A proof-of-concept randomised study assigned 79 adults with rheumatoid arthritis to an IFS-based intervention or an education control. It reported differences on some measures; the study does not establish the book’s effectiveness or a universal mechanism.
Source-mapped claims and evidence notes
Claim 1: The authors describe a model of parts and Self as a framework for IFS therapy. (This describes the authors’ approach, not a proven structure of every person’s mind.) [Source 1: Schwartz, R. C., & Sweezy, M. (2019). Internal family systems therapy (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.]
Claim 2: A small randomised study evaluated an IFS-based intervention for people with rheumatoid arthritis. (The abstract reports 79 randomised participants and a comparison with an education control. It does not test this book alone or establish results for other populations.) [Source 2: Shadick, N. A., Sowell, N. F., Frits, M. L., Hoffman, S. M., Hartz, S. A., Booth, F. D., Sweezy, M., Rogers, P. R., Dubin, R. L., Atkinson, J. C., Friedman, A. L., Augusto, F., Iannaccone, C. K., Fossel, A. H., Quinn, G., Cui, J., Losina, E., & Schwartz, R. C. (2013). A randomized controlled trial of an internal family systems-based psychotherapeutic intervention on outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis: A proof-of-concept study. The Journal of Rheumatology, 40(11), 1831–1841.]
Sources and inspection notes
Schwartz, R. C., & Sweezy, M. (2019). Internal family systems therapy (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
Supports: Publisher record identifies the authors, 2019 second edition, ISBN and general approach; the full book was not reviewed.
Supports: Abstract of a proof-of-concept randomised study of 79 adults with rheumatoid arthritis. It reports some outcome differences but does not test the book alone or establish a universal mechanism.
WorldCat. Internal family systems therapy: catalogue record.
Supports: Library record identifies Schwartz as author of the 1995 first edition.
Open Library. Internal Family Systems Therapy, Second Edition.
Supports: Catalogue record identifies the 2019 second edition, both authors, publisher and ISBN.