Queering Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Adapting IFS for Neuroqueer Clients In this episode, Jude and Alessio open up a conversation they've been circling for a while: what does it actually mean to adapt IFS for neurodivergent and queer clients? Not as a checklist of tweaks, but as something more fundamental. They talk about the difference between changing a slide background colour and genuinely redesigning how the model is taught a...

Queer Joy is an Act of Resistance In this episode, Jude and Alessio explore queer joy - what it is, where it lives, and why it matters. Starting from a poster on a friend's kitchen wall ("queer joy is an act of resistance"), they follow the thread through personal reflection, IFS parts work, and the politics of marginalised identity. They talk about the internal experience of joy as...

Not all discrimination announces itself. Sometimes it's the thing that didn't happen: the job that went to someone else, the room that went quiet, the invitation that never came. In this episode Jude and Alessio look at discrimination burnout, and specifically at how the weight of these non-events accumulates in neurodivergent and queer systems. They explore minority stress theory, the par...

IFS has a lot to say about the internal landscape. This episode asks what happens when you bring the external one in too. Jude and Alessio explore the relationship between IFS, ecotherapy, and ecopsychology: why mainstream psychotherapy has been slow to look outward toward nature, and what gets missed as a result. They talk about how the natural world can offer something distinct to parts work, no...

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...

In this episode, Jude and Alessio explore the concept of  access fatigue , the exhaustion that comes from repeatedly having to ask for, explain, or negotiate your needs in spaces that were not designed with you in mind. They discuss how access fatigue shows up across many lived experiences, including being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world, queer in heteronormative spaces, or disabled in able...

Queering IFS - Episode 12 - Bringing Compassion to the Complexity around Pronouns for Everybody with Phil de la Haye In the first episode of 2026, Jude and Alessio are joined by Phil for a thoughtful conversation about  pronouns, privilege, and complexity . Rather than treating pronouns as a simple checkbox, this episode explores how they operate across different layers: inside our systems, in rel...

This week, Alessio and Jude explore the intersection of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy and neurodivergence, as they ponder intriguing questions about the Self and neurodivergence. This is the third episode in their exploration of Self-energy, queerness and neurodivergence. With reference to Nick Walker's pioneering work on Neuroqueering, they navigate the shifting cultural and historica...

In this episode, Jude Carn and Alessio Rizzo explore the keys to neurodivergent-affirming practices in IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy, and psychotherapy and counselling more broadly, exploring how therapists can better accommodate clients’ diverse needs. Jude and Alessio share their experiences and offer practical advice on creating inclusive and supportive therapeutic spaces for neurodiver...

Ever wondered about the difference between the medical and social models of disability? 🤔 This episode dives deep! Join Jude, Alessio, and Isabelle, as they explore how society creates barriers, the impact of cultural backgrounds, and practical applications within IFS therapy. This is a fascinating conversation, uncovering the real-world challenges faced by those who are disabled in, and by socie...

In this podcast, Alessio Rizzo and Jude Carn discuss the complex process of shame, which we all have experienced. Queering how we might understand and see this through and IFS lens. Many books have been written about shame, but, perhaps, there is something that we have missed out about the various layers of shame. Listen up to find out what it is! Disclaimer This podcast is hosted by qualified IFS...

In this podcast Jude (She / They) and Alessio (He / They) discuss with their guest Anna Thomas (They / Them) about the importance of bringing awareness to the impact of "gender binary" on all our lives. Anna Thomas and Alessio present some of the ideas that have inspired them to offer an online retreat called "IFS Gender Journeys", which is an affinity space for queer and queer-adjacent IFS traine...

In this episode Jude (She/They) and Alessio (He/They) continue their conversation on the Self, which is such a central concept in IFS Therapy. Jude and Alessio dive further into questions of Self or Self-Energy in IFS through a queering lens. They ask, is the Self queer? Where is queerness in the system? And where does the question of the qualities of Self even come from? As Alessio and Jude grapp...

In this episode, Jude (she/they) and Alessio (he/they) with their guest speaker, Ali Bushell (he/him), talk about sexuality and reflect on how we speak about sexuality within the IFS and therapeutic communities. Ali Bushell, IFS Therapist, supervisor and author of the book "The Sex Party Handbook", shares with us his views and perspective on the impact of norms, and in particular heteronormativity...

Join Alessio Rizzo and Jude Carn as they kick off a multi-part journey into  Queering the Self  in Internal Family Systems (IFS). In this episode, they unpack the challenges of defining Self and Self-Energy in IFS, wrestling with the limits of language and why clear definitions matter to some parts of us. They explore self-energy within parts, the Self as energy, and its role as the system’s ancho...

Join Alessio and Jude this week as they talk about pronouns. Something they are both passionate about in supporting clients to have an inclusive and affirmative experience in their therapy. Not just the importance of checking out and using the client's pronouns, but also doing this with their parts. Jude (she/they) and Alessio (he/they) talk about their pronoun journeys, and that of their parts as...

Today, Jude Carn and Alessio Rizzo discuss neurodiversity. Join them in conversation. Neurodiversity does not originate in parts, through the IFS lens. It is natural and innate to humans and includes the mind and the body. We talk about some of the main neurodivergences under the umbrella and do a deeper dive into why we have to see neurodivergence as the hardware of the system, not a 'part' that...

In today's episode, we have an introduction to Jude and Alessio and why they wanted to start this IFS (internal family systems) podcast for the queer and neurodivergent IFS community. Alessio and Jude talk about why they are here, how they met, sharing pronouns. Why it matters that therapists understand their client's queerness, neurodivergence, gender sexual and relationship diversities. How we u...