Although art therapy began as a mental health profession in the 1940s, there is often little public awareness of it as a field, or it is over-simplified and misunderstood. So it is art? Or therapy? Elinor Ulman, another early art therapy pioneer, sought early on to define the field and concluded that it is both art and therapy, where the art is “the meeting ground of the inner and outer world.”

More than ever before, individuals seeking therapy are coming to the process well-informed, with clarity about their hopes for change and, increasingly, a sense of which approaches and modalities they believe might best support their needs. Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is one such approach that has gained significant attention in recent years. Is it right for me?

Are you a learner at heart? This post provides a big-picture primer on IFS and a starting list of related resources including books, podcasts, videos, and online communities.

Explore the externalizing approach of IFS with information grounded in the field of art therapy to extend beyond parts mapping into various practical exercises for IFS practitioners, therapists, and doing your own personal parts work.