Joey Stoops LPC

My role is to be an agent for change in your life. I'm not the one making the changes. You are. We work together to dive into the internal and external barriers to change. I trust that each part of you that is resistant to change is there for a reason.

"Parts" of you may be leading the charge for change, or throwing up the caution flag. Real change isn't aligning ourselves with the parts that want change, and getting rid of the parts that don't. My role in this process is to help each client slow down and simply listen. Each part has its reasons for why it's doing what it does. Each part is essential. The parts of us that get us stuck, addicted or depressed are longing to be seen.

The process feels counterintuitive to everything we've been taught. Moving towards shame? "Why would I want to do that?" No thank you, amirite? Let's get one thing straight. IFS therapy moves at the speed of trust. The parts of you that have organized your life around avoiding shame are not bypassed in the name of healing. They are coopted into the healing process. They have been the gatekeepers of our trauma. And they will continue to be until we are fully healed.

Instead of pushing past these protective parts, we listen carefully. We their concerns seriously. We support them in their efforts to keep us alive. We earn their trust. And, we let them know, if they choose, there is another way to do things. With great care, and slowness, we get to know the parts of us they have vigilantly protected for so long.

If you are ready to do this work, please reach out.