Parts Work in Psychotherapy
Parts work psychotherapy is one of several approaches I use in therapy when internal conflicts make it difficult to move forward with clarity or ease.
It can be particularly useful when different internal responses seem to be competing—one wanting to engage or change, while another pulls back, criticizes, or shuts down.
Whether parts work becomes central to our sessions or is used alongside other therapeutic approaches depends on what you're navigating and what becomes clear as we work together.
Understanding Parts
It's common to feel in conflict with yourself—you may want to engage, make a change, or move forward, and simultaneously talking yourself out of it, with self-criticism, hesitation, or a strong emotional reaction that can feel physical.
These contradictions often become more prominent during periods of anxiety, relationship strain, or significant life change.
Rather than viewing these reactions as something to overcome or manage, parts work approaches them as meaningful responses from different parts of you that developed at earlier points in life—particularly when situations felt uncertain, distressing, or out of your control. As an adult, these parts continue to protect, contain, or anticipate emotional experiences interpreted as being overwhelming, even if they are safe.
Parts work helps bring clarity to which internal responses are being activated in the present and why. By our work in approaching these parts with empathy and compassion rather than judgment, you can gain a more centered internal experience of life and greater capacity to stay present under stress.
What “Parts” Mean in Psychotherapy
In parts-based psychotherapy, “parts” refer to different aspects of your internal experience, that developed through your life, often in response to past or ongoing stressors. These parts are not signs that “something is wrong with you.” Everyone has them.
Some parts may work hard to keep you functioning, composed, or in control. Others may carry fear, self-judgment, or emotional reactions that can feel intense or hard to manage. Each part originally developed to protect you in some way, even if its strategies no longer apply to your life in the present.
Parts work therapy approaches these internal responses with respect, empathy and compassion, helping you understand what each part is trying to do rather than trying to eliminate or override it.
Why Parts Can Become More Noticeable During Anxiety or Midlife Transitions
Parts often become more noticeable during periods of increased emotional or physiological stress. Anxiety, perimenopause, shifts in identity, relationship strain, or major life transitions can place added demand on the nervous system, bringing emotions and bodily responses closer to the surface.
During midlife in particular, women may notice earlier internal patterns resurfacing—self-doubt, emotional reactivity, or a sense of internal conflict that once felt resolved.
Working with parts in psychotherapy helps place these responses in context, allowing for a clearer understanding of how earlier protective strategies are being reactivated in the present.
How Parts Work Is Used in Psychotherapy
In my practice, parts work is used as a psychotherapeutic approach rather than a standalone technique. The work is paced thoughtfully and guided by what emerges in the room, with attention to emotional readiness and nervous system capacity.
Parts work may be used on its own or alongside other depth-oriented approaches, such as Brainspotting, psychodynamic psychotherapy, or EMDR, depending on what is clinically appropriate at different points in the work.
The focus is on developing greater internal clarity and understanding, supporting emotional regulation, and allowing shifts to unfold without forcing insight or change before there is readiness.
What Parts Work Psychotherapy
Can Support
Parts-based psychotherapy is often helpful when emotional responses feel difficult to make sense of through insight alone, or when familiar patterns continue to re-emerge despite previous work.
This approach may be useful for people experiencing:
Anxiety that feels persistent or resistant to cognitive strategies
Ongoing self-criticism or internal conflict
Difficulty holding conflicting emotions or internal responses
Emotional reactions that feel disproportionate to the present situation
Patterns that repeat despite awareness or prior therapy
Rather than trying to eliminate or correct these responses, parts work psychotherapy focuses on developing a more coherent and compassionate relationship with internal experience, allowing reactions to be understood in context rather than overridden or judged.
What Parts Work is Not
Parts work psychotherapy is not about labeling or pathologizing your internal world. Instead, it is one way of understanding how past and present experiences interact within you—so you can respond with more flexibility and steadiness.
How Parts Work Fits Into My Work
Parts work is one of several depth-oriented approaches I use in psychotherapy. Whether it becomes a central focus or plays a supportive role depends on what emerges in the work and what is most helpful for you. The approach is always tailored to your needs and integrated into a thoughtful, collaborative therapeutic process.
Learn more about how I work.