Have a question or takeaway? Send us a message, we read every one.

➡️ Free IFS Training for Therapists: From Burnout to Balance: https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/ifs-webinar-podcast

In this live Q&A episode, John Clarke dives into one of the most common (and important) questions in Internal Family Systems (IFS): how to distinguish authentic parts communication from imagined responses. He explores what real connection feels like, why “waiting and listening” matters, and how to spot when a client is genuinely accessing parts versus performing or guessing.

We also unpack key challenges therapists face in session, including working with analytical clients, navigating multiple parts without shutting them down, and responding to dissociation with more care and curiosity.

Key Takeaways

1. The Difference Between Real vs. “Made Up” Parts. Most people think they’re connecting with parts… but they’re actually guessing. Here’s how to tell the difference.
2. Why You Shouldn’t Rush Parts to Step Aside.What if asking a part to “step back” is actually damaging your work? There’s a better way most therapists miss.
3. What Dissociation Is Really Telling You. Dissociation isn’t the problem—it’s a signal. The question is: what is it trying to protect your client from?

Resources & Offerings:

➡️ Free IFS Training for Therapists: From Burnout to Balance: https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/ifs-webinar-podcast
➡️ 1-Month Grace Period with Jane – Use code JOHN or visit: https://meet.jane.app/john-clarke-ambassador
➡️ 10% Off at Grounding Well – Use code GWJOHNCLARKE or visit: https://www.groundingwell.com/GWJOHNCLARKE
➡️ 10% Off at Dharma Dr. – Use code JOHN or visit: https://dharmadr.com/JOHN

Connect with me:

https://www.johnclarketherapy.com
https://www.instagram.com/johnclarketherapy/
https://www.tiktok.com/@johnclarketherapy
https://www.youtube.com/@johnclarketherapy

➡️ Free Training - Learn how to integrate the principles of IFS into your therapy practice: https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/ifs-webinar-podcast

Have a question or takeaway? Send us a message, we read every one.

In this episode of Going Inside, I sit down with Monica Cavalcante, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, to explore what Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy really looks like beyond the structure of formal training.

Monica shares her journey from self-study to completing Level 2 IFS training, and how her understanding of the model has evolved through real-world client work. Together, we unpack the gap between theory and practice, the importance of therapist self-awareness, and why IFS is far more complex—and powerful—than it first appears.

3 Key Takeaways

1. Why trying to “get IFS right” might actually get in the way of the work
2. The moment therapists realize the model isn’t as simple as it seemed
3. What most people miss when they try to “figure out” their inner world

Our Guest

Monica Cavalcante is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Virginia who specializes in trauma and OCD. She integrates Internal Family Systems (IFS), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to support clients in understanding themselves more deeply, reducing anxiety, and creating meaningful, lasting change.

Monica is passionate about helping people build a more compassionate relationship with themselves by exploring the different “parts” that show up in their inner world. Her work focuses on supporting clients in moving through trauma, navigating obsessive-compulsive patterns, and feeling more grounded, connected, and empowered in their lives.

She is the founder of Healing & Integration Therapy, where she offers both in-person and virtual sessions, bringing a thoughtful, down-to-earth, and integrative approach to her work.

Connect with Monica: https://healingintegrationtherapy.com/

Resources & Offerings:

➡️ Free IFS Training for Therapists: From Burnout to Balance: https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/ifs-webinar-podcast
➡️ 1-Month Grace Period with Jane – Use code JOHN or visit: https://meet.jane.app/john-clarke-ambassador
➡️ 10% Off at Grounding Well – Use code GWJOHNCLARKE or visit: https://www.groundingwell.com/GWJOHNCLARKE
➡️ 10% Off at Dharma Dr. – Use code JOHN or visit: https://dharmadr.com/JOHN

Connect with me:

https://www.johnclarketherapy.com/
https://www.instagram.com/johnclarketherapy/
https://www.tiktok.com/@johnclarketherapy
https://www.youtube.com/@johnclarketherapy

Grab Your Seat for the Free IFS Webinar Here: https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/ifs-webinar-podcast

➡️ Free Training - Learn how to integrate the principles of IFS into your therapy practice: https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/ifs-webinar-podcast

Have a question or takeaway? Send us a message, we read every one.

➡️ Free IFS Training for Therapists: From Burnout to Balance: https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/ifs-webinar-podcast

In this guided IFS meditation, John Clarke invites you to slow down and shift out of the habit of trying to fix yourself. Instead, you’ll practice simply being with what’s present—your thoughts, sensations, and parts—without judgment or urgency to change anything.

This is the same process you’re inviting your clients into.

Through gentle awareness, body-based attention, and pendulation between discomfort and ease, this meditation offers a direct experience of what it means to relate differently to your internal world—something you can begin to model and bring into your clinical work.

Whether you're a therapist or on your own healing journey, this short practice is a powerful reminder: transformation doesn’t come from fixing—it comes from being with.

3 Key Takeaways

• What happens when you stop trying to change anything at all? This meditation invites you into a different kind of awareness—where nothing needs to be fixed.
• You can learn to be with discomfort without getting overwhelmed by it. By gently noticing sensations and “pendulating” between ease and tension, something shifts.
• Not all parts of you will like slowing down—and that’s part of the work. You may notice judgment, resistance, or urgency… and you can be with those parts too.

Resources & Offerings:

➡️ Free IFS Training for Therapists: From Burnout to Balance: https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/ifs-webinar-podcast
➡️ 1-Month Grace Period with Jane – Use code JOHN or visit: https://meet.jane.app/john-clarke-ambassador
➡️ 10% Off at Grounding Well – Use code GWJOHNCLARKE or visit: https://www.groundingwell.com/GWJOHNCLARKE
➡️ 10% Off at Dharma Dr. – Use code JOHN or visit: https://dharmadr.com/JOHN

Connect with me:

https://www.johnclarketherapy.com/
https://www.instagram.com/johnclarketherapy/
https://www.tiktok.com/@johnclarketherapy
https://www.youtube.com/@johnclarketherapy

➡️ Free Training - Learn how to integrate the principles of IFS into your therapy practice: https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/ifs-webinar-podcast