Cultivating hope, compassion, connection and healing for over 20 years
Welcome to opportunities for befriending your unique internal system of thoughts, feelings, reactions and behaviors. Each of these parts wants to help you and has a positive intent for you–whether that makes sense yet or not. All aspects of ourselves are truly welcome.
Internal Family Systems Therapy teaches you how to find a little space from your parts, so you can be curious and open-hearted towards them. You will learn to build relationships with your parts from the wise, kind, calm source present within every person. This transformational process gives you more choices and freedom in your response to life’s stressors.
I “accidentally” discovered IFS in 2008, ten years into my career as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I was struggling with clinical burnout, discouragement and isolation. My IFS Foundation was built working with IFS Founder, Dr. Richard Schwartz, for a year as his client. I have maintained regular IFS individual therapy and supervision since then.
IFS kept me in the field and transformed my life and my relationships. Internal Family Systems is a life-giving practice built on inclusion, compassion and curiosity. I am passionate about helping others experience and integrate this respectful and powerful framework into their lives.
I am available for: short-term individual IFS Consultation, Process and Consultation Groups for IFS Clinicians (count towards IFS Certification if needed), Workshops and Speaking Engagements. Please look under my Offerings page for more details.
Since I am NOT available for ongoing individual therapy, please visit the IFS-Institute website for other Certified IFS Therapists. Here are numerous IFS Resources as well. I look forward to connecting soon!
Being led by Laura in her IFS Consultation was like a nurturing reprieve from the day. I felt safe immediately with her and the group space because she fosters a welcoming and warm environment. Laura is a gentle leader and obvious expert in IFS and I appreciated the way she grounded the space with meditation, and made sure that everyone’s voice was heard if they needed that. Laura holds the consultative space openly but with reliability and clarity. Would strongly recommend Laura to anyone looking for an IFS teacher and leader. Being in the IFS consultative space with Laura was incredibly helpful in a short amount of time. Grateful for the experience and the learning.
-Dr. Rachel Greenberg, Clinical Psychologist – Berkeley, CA
I highly recommend Laura! She both knows IFS extremely well and is a great presenter. Dr. Richard Schwartz, IFS Founder
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As a Parts Process facilitator in my Alchemizing Uncertain Times Through Writing class, Laura offered such a genuine, compassionate, respectful, trauma-informed presence to our community, adding the level of safety my scared parts were concerned might be hard to achieve on Zoom. Even with so little time to tend to so many people, what a gift to see people’s triggered parts soften, relax, express, and heal right before our very eyes.
When Laura reiterated, “We just can’t love on our protectors enough!” I could feel the whole group shift, open, and soften, like a much-needed group hug for all the parts in our inner world and all the parts in each other. Laura’s IFS facilitation is a treasure to parts that are just desperate to be loved. She is a hope merchant for hopeless parts indeed.
Laura Schmidt is money–very skilled and connected! You are lucky to have her on your team!
