When a deeply troubled client begins a first session by shifting erratically through different mood states and periodically going numb, many therapists recognize—with a certain sense of dread—that they may be working with a borderline client.
It doesn’t have to be dreadful, according to Dick Schwartz, originator of the Internal Family Systems model. In fact, Dick suggests that our effectiveness in working with borderline clients is less about them than the capacity to tolerate our own reactive inner “parts.”
In this video role-play with Rich Simon, Dick shows us how he introduces his “parts” approach to clients in the very first session. It’s a short video with a big impact, and it gives you a taste of a model that has proven to be highly effective with borderline and other challenging clients.
Rich Simon
Richard Simon, PhD, founded Psychotherapy Networker and served as the editor for more than 40 years. He received every major magazine industry honor, including the National Magazine Award. Rich passed away November 2020, and we honor his memory and contributions to the field every day.
Richard Schwartz
Richard C. Schwartz, PhD, began his career as a systemic family therapist and an academic. Grounded in systems thinking, Dr. Schwartz developed Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy in response to clients’ descriptions of various internal parts. He focused on the relationships among these parts and noticed systemic patterns across clients. When their parts felt safe and could relax, his clients would spontaneously feel confident, open, and compassionate. Dr. Schwartz dubbed this state the Self and discovered that clients knew how to heal their parts when they were in Self. Dr. Schwartz is often a featured speaker for national professional organizations. He has published over fifty articles and many books about IFS. Website: https://ifs-institute.com
