Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy in Jacksonville and throughout Florida
If you've ever said, 'I know better, but I keep doing it anyway,' IFS has a compassionate explanation. A part of you is trying to protect you, and it won't let go of its strategy until it trusts that you're safe without it. Internal Family Systems therapy helps you meet that part with curiosity instead of shame.
I'm trained in IFS and work with adults in Jacksonville and across Florida through secure online sessions. IFS pairs well with EMDR, and I often weave the two together when it fits your goals.
- Free consultation
- Online in Colorado & Florida
- $200 per session
Licensed in Florida
Becky Romero, LMHC, LPC
Making room for every part of a busy life
Life on the First Coast can pull you in many directions: a long commute across the St. Johns, a demanding job, family obligations, and maybe the stress of a partner who deploys or travels. It's easy for one part of you to take over, the one that copes, plans, and stays strong, while other parts get pushed aside. Over time, those overlooked parts may show up as irritability, anxiety, or a sense of being disconnected from yourself.
IFS helps restore balance. We'll get to know the parts that have been working overtime and thank them for their effort. We'll also gently reach the parts that have been waiting for attention. Whether you're joining from the Beaches, Riverside, or out in Fleming Island, you can do this work in a space where you feel comfortable, as long as you're in Florida when we meet.
Therapy for Jacksonville residents, from home
Jacksonville covers more ground than almost any city in the country, and it feels like it. Getting from the Westside to the Beaches, or from Mandarin to Oceanway, can eat up most of an afternoon, especially when the bridges back up. A therapist who looks local on a map may still be forty minutes away. Online therapy removes that distance.
The First Coast is home to Navy families tied to NAS Jacksonville and Mayport, people working in logistics, banking, and healthcare, UNF students, and retirees who chose the river and the ocean. Moves, deployments, and long hours are part of the rhythm here for a lot of people.
I meet with Jacksonville adults over secure video, so you can keep a steady weekly session even when your schedule, or your household, keeps shifting.
- Licensed in Florida (LMHC #MH14720)
- EMDRIA Certified EMDR therapist
- Secure, HIPAA-compliant video sessions
- Free 15-minute consultation
Does this sound like you?
- "I've tried therapy before, but I still feel stuck in the same patterns."
- "No matter what I do, I can't seem to quiet my inner critic or ease my anxiety."
- "I feel torn between two parts of me. One wants change, but the other keeps holding me back."
- "I understand my problems logically, but I can't seem to break free emotionally."
- "Traditional talk therapy hasn't helped me get to the root of my pain."
- "I'm ready for a new, deeper approach to healing, one that truly works."
If any of these feel familiar, you're in the right place.
Change is possible, and it starts with understanding and compassion for every part of you.
How does IFS therapy work?
IFS therapy involves identifying and connecting with the various parts of your internal system. These parts may include:
Managers
Parts that try to keep you in control of your environment, often working hard to prevent emotional overwhelm. Perfectionism, people-pleasing, and over-planning are common manager strategies.
Firefighters
Parts that react impulsively or intensely to put out emotional pain once it surfaces, through things like numbing, distraction, bingeing, or rage.
Exiles
Parts that hold painful memories or emotions, often from childhood or trauma, that have been "buried" in an effort to protect you from pain.
Self
The core of who you are: compassionate, calm, and capable of healing and guiding your inner parts. Everyone has Self, even when it feels hidden.
Through a safe, compassionate process, IFS helps you access Self, heal your wounded parts, and restore balance in your internal system. The work emphasizes curiosity, understanding, and compassion toward every part, including the ones you'd rather get rid of.
Why I combine IFS with EMDR
My training in IFS (Level One), Ego State Therapy, and EMDR and Parts Work for Complex Trauma lets me blend these approaches. IFS helps us understand and befriend the protective parts that might otherwise block trauma processing. EMDR then helps the parts carrying old pain release it.
For many of my clients, this combination is what finally creates movement after years of feeling stuck. We'll go at the pace your system allows, and your protectors always get a say.
IFS therapy can help you…
Understand & heal trauma
Meet the parts that carry old pain with compassion, and help them heal.
Regulate your emotions
Increase emotional awareness and respond instead of react.
A more integrated self
Build a compassionate, whole sense of who you are.
Break old patterns
Free yourself from repetitive, self-defeating cycles.
Better relationships
Relate to others more clearly by first understanding your own internal world.
Grounded decisions
Make choices from a calm, wise place instead of from fear.
With IFS therapy, you can move beyond internal battles and find harmony within yourself. By healing wounded parts and embracing your authentic Self, you can experience lasting peace, clarity, and emotional freedom. Change is possible, and it starts with understanding and compassion for every part of you.
L.G. · Titusville, FL
More client stories“Since beginning therapy, I've noticed a greater sense of calm and resilience in myself. I'm more comfortable facing challenges and can better manage stressful situations without feeling overwhelmed. I also feel a deeper sense of self-acceptance and understanding, which has positively affected my relationships and overall outlook on life.”
IFS Therapy in Jacksonville: common questions
Have a question that isn't answered here? I'm happy to talk it through in a free consultation.
If you are an adult physically located in Florida, yes. Sessions are private pay, and I can provide a superbill if you'd like to check your plan's out-of-network benefits. If a PCS move takes you to Colorado, we can continue, since I'm licensed there too. A move to any other state would mean helping you transition to a new therapist.
There's no physical office. I work entirely by telehealth, which means a client in Ponte Vedra and a client in Orange Park have the same easy access. The one requirement is location: you need to be in Florida, or in Colorado, at the time of each session. A beach chair across the state line in Georgia, unfortunately, doesn't count.
A private room or parked car, a phone, tablet, or computer with a camera, and a reliable internet connection. Headphones help keep things confidential. Some people like to have water, a blanket, or something soothing nearby, since trauma work can bring up a lot in the body. I'll walk you through the video platform before our first session so the technology never feels like a barrier.
I'll guide you to explore your internal parts in a safe and supportive environment. You'll connect with these parts, understand their roles, and help them heal by accessing your compassionate, wise Self.
IFS can be helpful if you're struggling with emotional regulation or unprocessed trauma, feeling stuck in repetitive patterns, interested in a deep and transformative approach, or wanting more self-compassion and inner peace. It works for anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, and self-worth challenges.
Traditional therapy often focuses on external circumstances or behaviors. IFS explores your inner world and works directly with the parts of you that feel stuck, protective, or wounded, which allows for deeper emotional healing.
IFS is effective for trauma, anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues, relationship struggles, and more. It's also helpful if you feel stuck in repeating patterns or want a deeper understanding of yourself.
Not at all. I'll guide you through identifying and understanding your parts in a supportive, compassionate way. All you need is an open mind and a willingness to explore.
More therapy options in Jacksonville
IFS Therapy in other cities
Ready to start therapy from Jacksonville?
Book a free consultation. We'll talk about what's bringing you in and whether we're the right fit. Sessions are online, so you can join from anywhere in Florida.