Richard

Schwartz

The father of IFS (Inner Family System), a pioneering psychologist, celebrated author and compassionate visionary.

[English below]

The father of IFS (Inner Family System).

Dick (or Richard) Schwartz, is a pioneering psychologist, celebrated author, and compassionate visionary who has dedicated his life to trying to unravel the mysteries of the human psyche. Richard Schwartz is the man behind the IFS (Interior Family System) therapy model, which has breathed new life into the world of psychotherapy, offering an approach to personal development and emotional healing based in particular on self-love and non-judgment and on the principle of inner multiplicity.

A true pioneer in his field, Richard Schwartz fuses psychology with spirituality, creating a holistic approach to personal development that honors the entirety of the human experience. His deep understanding of our inner world (our parts) allows him to help people tap into the power of self-awareness, self-compassion, and harmony, without denying strong emotions.

With his background in family therapy, systems theory, and spiritual exploration, Dick Schwartz has a unique ability to see the interconnectedness of our parts and the essential role they play in our overall well-being. His IFS model has been adopted around the world and is increasingly resonating in French-speaking countries, offering valuable tools for addressing unresolved emotional pain, inner conflict, and difficult relationships.

In his book No Bad Parts, published by Éditions Quantum Way under the title Why we are essentially good, He invites us on a transformative journey to embrace the entirety of who we are. With compassionate wisdom and genuine warmth, Richard Schwartz reveals how every part of you—even the ones that may seem difficult or uncomfortable—has a role to play in your overall well-being.

The father of IFS (Internal Family Systems).

Dick Schwartz began his career as a family therapist and an academic at the University of Illinois at Chicago. There he discovered that family therapy alone did not achieve full symptom relief and in asking patients why, he learned that they were plagued by what they called “parts.” These patients became his teachers as they described how their parts formed networks of inner relationship that resembled the families he had been working with. He also found that as they focused on and, thereby, separated from their parts, they would shift into a state characterized by qualities like curiosity, calm, confidence and compassion. He called that inner essence the Self and was amazed to find it even in severely diagnosed and traumatized patients. From these explorations the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model was born in the early 1980s.

IFS is now evidence-based and has become a widely-used form of psychotherapy, particularly with trauma. It provides a non-pathologizing, optimistic, and empowering perspective and a practical and effective set of techniques for working with individuals, couples, families, and more recently, corporations and classrooms.

Dick lives with his wife Jeanne near Chicago, close to his three daughters and his growing number of grandchildren.

Richard Schwartz

Richard Schwartz is a pioneering psychologist, celebrated author, and compassionate visionary whose IFS therapy model has been adopted worldwide.

He is the creator of the IFS (Interior Family System) therapy model.
His holistic approach to personal development that honors the entirety of the human experience.
IFS is effective in healing trauma. It offers a non-pathologizing, optimistic and empowering perspective.