Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy in Burlington, Ontario
Compassionate therapy for attachment wounds, relationship trauma, and deep emotional healing
If you’ve ever felt like part of you knows better, but another part keeps pulling you into the same painful patterns—there’s nothing wrong with you. From an Internal Family Systems (IFS) perspective, it means your nervous system learned creative ways to survive.
I’m Cierra DoCouto, a Burlington‑based attachment and relationship trauma therapist with specialized training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) through the IFSCA. I help adults understand their inner world, heal attachment wounds, and create safer, more fulfilling relationships, starting from the inside out.
What Is Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy?
Internal Family Systems therapy is a evidence‑based, trauma‑informed approach that understands the mind as made up of different parts, each with its own feelings, beliefs, and protective roles.
Rather than trying to “get rid of” anxiety, shame, anger, or people‑pleasing tendencies, IFS can help you:
Understand why these parts exist
Build a respectful relationship with them
Heal the underlying attachment and relational wounds they protect
At the core of IFS is the belief that everyone has a calm, compassionate inner Self, and that healing happens when we learn to lead our system from that place.
How IFS Can Help With Attachment & Relationship Trauma
IFS can be especially powerful for people who:
Feel stuck in anxious or avoidant attachment patterns
Struggle with emotional closeness or trust
Experience relationship triggers that feel overwhelming or confusing
Notice strong inner critics, shame responses, or emotional shutdown
Grew up needing to stay hyper‑aware of others to feel safe
In our work together, we can gently explore the parts of you that learned how to:
Stay alert to rejection
Shut down emotions to survive
Take responsibility for others’ feelings
Push people away before they can hurt you
These parts aren’t the problem—they’re protectors. IFS therapy can help them to soften without forcing change, so real, lasting transformation can happen.
What IFS Therapy Looks Like With Me
My approach to Internal Family Systems therapy is warm, relational, and deeply respectful of your pace.
Sessions may include:
Mapping and understanding your internal system
Working compassionately with protective parts (like anxiety, numbness, anger, or people‑pleasing)
Healing attachment wounds carried by younger parts
Learning how to access Self‑energy in daily life and relationships
Integrating insights in a practical, grounded way
You don’t need to have the “right words” or know how to do this work. We follow your system’s wisdom—together.