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What's in this IFS workbook?

This IFS workbook is a free, printable set of eight Internal Family Systems worksheets in one PDF: a parts map, protectors and exiles, the 6 Fs, unblending, meeting a firefighter, a parts dialogue, the 8 Cs of Self and a Self journal. The chapters are in the order most people find helpful when starting parts work.

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IFS · Parts Work

IFS Workbook

Eight chapters of parts work in one printable PDF

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How to use this workbook

Eight chapters, in the order most people find helpful. Work through one chapter at a time, ideally alongside a therapist. You don't need to finish them all. If a chapter brings up more than you can handle, pause and come back to grounding.

  1. Map your parts
  2. Protectors and exiles
  3. The 6 Fs
  4. Unblending
  5. Meeting a firefighter
  6. Parts dialogue
  7. The 8 Cs of Self
  8. Self journal
Chapter 1

Map your parts

Meet the inner crowd on one page.

In IFS, the mind is naturally plural. You are not your parts — you have them. At the center is Self: calm, curious, and undamaged. Around Self sit the exiles the system holds close. Around them, the protectors — managers who run the day, and firefighters who rush in when pain breaks through.

MANAGERSFIREFIGHTERSEXILES · HELD CLOSESelfCALM · CURIOUS
Managers

Plan, perfect, please, achieve. Keep us functioning.

Firefighters

Numb, distract, react. Step in when pain breaks through.

Exiles

Carry the young pain. Held close — longing to be seen.

A part I've noticed lately

A nickname, its job, what it fears would happen if it stopped.

"All parts are welcome." — Richard Schwartz

Chapter 2

Protectors and exiles

Who is guarding whom.

Three roles, one system. No part is bad. Each one took its job at a moment the system needed help. Understanding what each part is for is the beginning of unburdening it.

Managers
Proactive protectors

Run the day. Plan, perfect, anticipate, please. They try to keep exiles from ever being touched.

The inner criticThe over-plannerThe people-pleaserThe perfectionistThe intellectualizer
Firefighters
Reactive protectors

Step in when pain breaks through anyway. Their job is to put out the flare — fast. They don't care about long-term cost.

Binge / restrictSubstance useRageCompulsive scrollingDissociationSelf-harm urges
Exiles
Burdened young parts

Hold the original pain — shame, terror, loneliness, not-enoughness. Usually young. Usually hidden by the protectors above.

The little one who was aloneThe one who was told they were too muchThe one who learned love was conditional

Mapping my own system

Name one part you know well in each role. A nickname is fine — and kinder than a label.

A manager I know
A firefighter I know
An exile I am beginning to know

"The protectors are not the problem. They are guarding the wound."

Chapter 3

The 6 Fs

Get to know one protector, step by step.

The 6 Fs are the steps for getting to know a protector part in Internal Family Systems. The first three help you unblend (step back). The last three help you build a relationship with the part. Go slowly. Stop whenever you feel overwhelmed and come back to it with your therapist.

The part I'm getting to know

A working name, e.g. "the planner" or "the part that scrolls".

1FindUnblend

Where do you notice this part — in your body, around your body, or in your mind?

A tight jaw, a voice, an image, an urge. Just locate it.

2FocusUnblend

Turn your attention toward it. What do you notice as you stay with it?

Shift from being it to looking at it.

3Flesh it outUnblend

What does it look, sound or feel like? How old does it seem? What does it say?

Shape, colour, age, posture, words.

4Feel towardBefriend

How do you feel toward this part right now?

If the answer isn't curious, calm or open, another part has stepped in. Ask that part to give some space.

5BeFriendBefriend

Let it know you're here. What is its job? How long has it done it? What does it want you to know?

Get to know it the way you would a new colleague.

6FearsBefriend

What is it afraid would happen if it stopped doing its job?

The fear usually points to what — or who — it is protecting.

Before and after

How blended I felt at the start
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How blended I feel now
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Curiosity toward the part now
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Something I want to say back to this part

Chapter 4

Unblending

Step back when a part has taken over.

Blending is when a part is so close it speaks as you — "I am furious," "I am worthless." Unblending puts a little space between you and it, just enough for Self to be present too. The 6 F's, in order.

The part I'm working with

A nickname is fine. "The critic." "The young one." "The fixer."

1F

Find

Where is the part in or around the body? Chest, throat, behind you, far away?

2F

Focus

Turn attention toward it. Let everything else soften into the background.

3F

Flesh out

What does it look like? Age, posture, expression, color, texture?

4F

Feel toward

How do you feel toward it? If anything but openness — meet that part first.

5F

beFriend

Get to know it. How long has it been doing this job? What does it want you to know?

6F

Fear

What does it fear would happen if it stopped doing its job?

How blended before
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How blended now
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Note to Self — the goal isn't to get rid of the part. It's to be with it. The part has been working hard. It deserves to be heard.
Chapter 5

Meeting a firefighter

Understand the part that puts out emotional fires.

Firefighters put out emotional fires fast — sometimes with fire. Don't try to talk them out of their job. Sit with them. Find what they're protecting.

The behavior or pull
When it tends to show up
1
Locate

Where do you notice this part in (or around) the body?

2
Name

Give it a name. Plain English — 'the Shut-Down One,' 'the Numb-Out.'

3
Ask

What's it trying to do for you right now?

4
Ask again

What is it afraid would happen if it stopped?

5
Thank

It's been doing this job for a long time. Acknowledge that.

6
Negotiate

Would it be willing to let you meet the one it's protecting?

Before you close

Let the firefighter know you'll come back. Parts that feel abandoned escalate. Make a real, kept appointment.

Chapter 6

Parts dialogue

A written conversation with one part.

A page to hold a conversation with one part at a time. Settle first — a few slow breaths, feel the chair. Find the part in or around the body. Then ask, listen, and write what comes — without editing it.

The part's name
Where I feel it
How I feel toward it right now

If anything but openness — that's another part. Greet that one first and ask it to step back a little.

01

What does this part look like / feel like?

02

How old does it feel?

03

What is its job? What is it trying to do for me?

04

How long has it been doing this job?

05

What does it want me to know?

06

What does it fear would happen if it stopped?

07

What does it need from me right now?

08

What did I say back? (from Self, with the 8 C's)

Before closing

  • Thank the part for showing up.
  • Let it know you'll be back.
  • Take a breath. Notice the room.
Chapter 7

The 8 Cs of Self

Notice when Self is leading.

Self isn't something you build — it's what's already there when no part is blending. These eight qualities are how you know Self is in the lead. You don't need all eight at once; even one is a signal that the system has eased.

C
Calm

A settled body. Slow breath. Nothing urgent in the chest.

C
Curious

Wanting to know more about a part rather than fix or silence it.

C
Compassionate

Warmth toward what's hard — including the parts that act out.

C
Connected

In contact with self, body, others, the moment.

C
Confident

Quiet trust that you can be with whatever shows up.

C
Courageous

Willing to turn toward pain instead of away.

C
Creative

Options come to mind. The path is not single-track.

C
Clear

Able to see the situation without a part's filter.

Today's Self-energy check

Calm
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Curious
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Compassionate
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Connected
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Confident
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Courageous
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Creative
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Clear
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When I am most in Self

Place, people, time of day, activity.

Chapter 8

Self journal

A weekly reflection to keep going.

A short daily page to keep the relationship with your parts alive. Five questions, ten minutes. Over weeks, the system learns that Self shows up reliably.

Self-energy today
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01

Which parts have been around today?

Just notice — no need to fix.

02

Which part is loudest right now?

Where do you feel it in the body?

03

What is that part trying to do for me?

It has a job. Even if the job is unpopular.

04

What does that part need from me?

Often: to be heard. Sometimes: a little space.

05

From Self, what would I say back?

Slow down. Speak with the 8 C's.

Closing

  • Thank the parts that showed up today.
  • Let them know you'll be back tomorrow.
  • One slow breath. Notice the room.

References & further reading

Conceptual background and further reading, not validation of this handout. Named instruments and methods belong to their original authors; custom prompts and trackers are not validated versions of those instruments.

  • Schwartz, R. C., & Sweezy, M. (2019). Internal Family Systems Therapy (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
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About this worksheet

Internal Family Systems (IFS) sees the mind as made up of parts, with a calm, curious Self at the centre. This workbook gathers the IFS worksheets therapists use most into one packet so a client can work through them over several weeks instead of collecting separate pages. It starts with mapping the system and noticing which parts protect and which carry pain. It then teaches the 6 Fs and unblending, the two skills that make the rest possible. Later chapters build a relationship with parts through written dialogue and track Self-energy using the 8 Cs. It ends with a weekly Self journal to keep the practice going. The workbook is a practice companion, not a replacement for therapy. Deeper work with exiles and unburdening should happen with a trained IFS therapist. The concepts are drawn from Richard Schwartz's IFS model; the worksheets themselves were written by TherapistAssist.

When to use it

  • Starting IFS with a new client who wants something to work through at home.
  • Group programmes or courses that introduce parts work over several weeks.
  • Clinicians learning IFS who want a structured sequence of exercises.
  • Pause and return to grounding if a chapter brings up more than the client can manage.

How to use it

  1. 1
    Go in order

    Mapping and unblending come first; dialogue and Self work build on them.

  2. 2
    One chapter per week

    Each chapter is one page. Doing one well is better than doing all eight fast.

  3. 3
    Bring it to session

    The written pages give you and your therapist something concrete to look at together.

  4. 4
    Revisit the map

    Update the parts map every few weeks. Seeing how it changes is part of the work.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free IFS workbook PDF?+

Yes. This eight-chapter IFS workbook is free to download as one PDF from this page.

Can I do IFS on my own with a workbook?+

A workbook can help you learn parts language and get to know protectors. Working with painful exiles or trauma memories is safer with a trained IFS therapist.

What order should IFS worksheets be done in?+

Most people start with a parts map, then learn to unblend (the 6 Fs), then build relationships with parts through dialogue, and track Self-energy with the 8 Cs. This workbook follows that order.

Is this the official IFS workbook?+

No. It's an independent workbook based on concepts from Richard Schwartz's Internal Family Systems model. It isn't produced or endorsed by the IFS Institute.

Worksheet — IFS Workbook — provided by TherapistAssist for clinical use. Not a substitute for assessment or treatment.