Parts Work Practice
Learn about your parts using IFS*
*Parts Work Practice is not affiliated with the IFS Institute and does not provide IFS training. If you wish to be trained in the IFS model, go to www.IFS-Institute.com.
Parts Work Practice is for those looking for a community to practice connecting with and learning about their parts.
Parts Work Practice Mission
Parts Work Practice exists to help people learn and practice the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model for their own personal growth.
We provide an educational, experiential, peer-learning environment where participants can build skills such as unblending and Self-leadership, while connecting with others who share an interest in the IFS model.
Our sessions are not therapy and do not replace professional care; instead, they empower participants to apply IFS tools on their own or with practice partners, while honoring the boundaries of what should be facilitated by a trained professional.
In the Internal Family Systems model (IFS), parts are subpersonalities that influence how we think, feel, and react.
By getting to know our parts and building relationships with them, we begin to create a pause or space between being triggered by circumstances and reacting to them. In this space, we recognize the influence of parts which is crucial to developing Self-leadership.
Introducing a new Sunday Evening Women’s* Practice Group.
Why a Women-Only Parts Work Practice Group?
This practice group is offered as a women-only space to support safety, regulation, and greater ease in parts work.
Certain environments naturally help the nervous system settle. For many women, this kind of setting helps the system soften, creating more room to notice what’s present and relate to parts from a more grounded, Self-led place.
The intention is simple: to offer a space with added safety, where women can arrive, settle, and practice relating inwardly with less strain and more ease.
What Will Be Different About This Group?
This group is an affinity-based extension of the original Parts Work Practice community.
It follows the same guidelines, framework, and practice principles established by Parts Work Practice and uses the same Parts Work Practice guidebook exercises. The intention, structure, and spirit of the practice remain consistent with the founding Parts Work Practice groups.
What’s different is the container.
This group is:
Women-only
Hosted and facilitated by Peggy Popielarz
Held on a separate day and time
The group offers women a dedicated practice space within the broader Parts Work Practice ecosystem, fully aligned with the approach, values, and boundaries of Parts Work Practice.
This offering is ideal for women who value the Parts Work Practice framework and are looking for a consistent, women-centered practice space facilitated within that structure.
Learn more at https://www.partsworkpractice.com/womens-group
Parts Work Practice Mission
Parts Work Practice exists to help people learn and practice the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model for their own personal growth.
We provide an educational, experiential, peer-learning environment where participants can build skills such as unblending and Self-leadership, while connecting with others who share an interest in the IFS model.
Our sessions are not therapy and do not replace professional care; instead, they empower participants to apply IFS tools on their own or with practice partners, while honoring the boundaries of what should be facilitated by a trained professional.
Core Values
1. Self-Leadership – Model and cultivate Self-led presence in ourselves and others.
2. Peer Learning & Empowerment – Support participants in learning and applying IFS skills for their own use, fostering confidence and independence.
3. Boundaries & Integrity – Honor the limits of what can be done in practice sessions and refer to trained professionals when deeper facilitation is needed.
4. Confidentiality & Respect – Maintain a safe container by protecting what is shared in sessions and treating all participants with respect.
5. Compassion & Curiosity – Approach all parts - our own and others’ - with openness, kindness, and a willingness to understand.
6. Collaboration & Community – Work together as leaders, volunteers, and participants to create an environment of mutual support and shared learning.
7. Commitment to Growth – Embrace ongoing practice, feedback, and self-reflection to deepen both personal and leadership skills.
What We Do and Don’t Do
Parts Work Practice is not therapy, we do not diagnose, nor do we facilitate therapy sessions
We facilitate practice sessions using exercises we have designed to help individuals learn how to apply the IFS model to their own lives.
We don’t give feedback without permission to each other or our participants.
We don’t promote professional services during sessions. The Professional Services Flyer is posted in chat. Your breakout room facilitation is great advertising for your services - but do not promote yourself.
We are trained IFS practitioners, not authorities or representatives of the IFS Institute.
We clearly distinguish personal opinions from official IFS teachings.
Parts Work Practice is not a substitute for professional mental health care or crisis support. We pause participants who attempt to use practice sessions for therapy and redirect them back to our purpose or refer them to appropriate care and support.
Helpful Links
In the IFS model, Self is who we are at our core. When the Self provides the lens through which we view circumstances, we are naturally resourced with wisdom, clarity, compassion, and curiosity.
As we develop Self-to-parts relationships, we increasingly find ourselves in the space between stimulus and response. For many, this space is at first foreign. But it is in this space we access choice.
Prior to the discovery of this space, we may think we are choosing. But if our parts haven’t been introduced to Self, they blend with us and influence how we interact with the world automatically and unconsciously.
Their influence is determined by the past they are burdened with. IFS unburdens parts so they can relax and permit the resources and qualities of Self to inform our responses to the world.
In Parts Work Practice, we support participants wherever they are on their IFS journey.
When you join us in Parts Work Practice sessions, please assess your own needs and expectations.
This group offers an educational, experiential introduction to the IFS model for personal growth.
Although we practice guided exercises from the forthcoming Parts Work Guidebook, we do not diagnose, treat, or manage mental health conditions.
Instead, we build everyday skills - like unblending and Self-leadership- in a peer-learning setting.
If you need clinical support, please consult a licensed therapist; our sessions complement, but never replace, professional care.
What you can expect
This group is appropriate for those new to IFS as well as those who are well-versed and practiced in the IFS model.
The practice group is designed to support individuals in a group setting who are using IFS for personal healing and development.
There is no cost or obligation for these live 75-minute Zoom video sessions.
In most sessions, we practice getting to know our parts, using an exercise from the forthcoming Parts Work Guidebook which is being written for use in this practice group.
We are committed to starting and ending on time. We open the room 2 minutes before the session starts. If you sign in a minute or two late, you are likely to join us during the meditation. Sessions are locked 10 minutes after they begin. Do all you can to ensure that you have a good internet connection. We open the session again for a few minutes after we go to breakout rooms, but If you lose your connection, you will may be able to get back into the session.
You can find what we will be discussing or practicing by joining our private Facebook group and checking the Events section. Join that group by clicking this link. Be sure to answer all the membership questions and agree to the group rules.
We send out an email the day before each session. If you would like to receive a notification email that includes a link to the exercise and information about how to join the session, click here.
Important Update: Both Alison and Bill have written personal messages about changes in their roles, and what this means for PWP moving forward. We invite you to take a few moments to read each message below.
Message from Alison:
I am writing to announce that I will be leaving PWP, with my last day being September 23rd. After over five meaningful years with this incredible group, this decision has not come lightly. My time here has been profoundly enriching, and I am deeply grateful for the connections I have made with the PAs and participants, which have contributed significantly to my personal growth.
I have learned so much by being both a witness and a participant in facing the pain and challenges that come with doing inner work. The power of the IFS model and the relationship-building that occurs when our parts experience Self-energy never fails to bring me such joy.
I want to extend a special thank you to Bill for being such an amazing partner on this journey. Your support and collaboration have been invaluable to me. As I step away, I feel the need to regroup after years of caregiving, especially following the recent loss of my mother and mother-in-law.
I have full confidence in the leadership team and the LITs to carry PWP forward. I believe they will bring their own ideas and unique perspectives, ensuring the continued success of our mission.
Please know that I am available for support and teaching during this transition. Thank you all for the wonderful experiences and memories. I will cherish them deeply.
Message from Bill
I want to share something with you all that feels both meaningful and a bit bittersweet.
After a lot of reflection, I’ve decided that I will no longer be involved in facilitating Parts Work Practice sessions.
This isn’t a decision that comes lightly. PWP has been a meaningful part of my life for years. What started as a small experiment has grown into a living, breathing community of people who are genuinely committed to showing up, getting to know their parts, and supporting one another in a deeply compassionate way.
I’ve had the privilege of witnessing so much here. The willingness to be vulnerable. The courage to turn toward what’s difficult. The care and respect people bring to one another in these spaces. It’s something I feel proud of and deeply grateful for.
At the same time, I’m in a season where my focus is shifting. There are other areas of my work and life that are asking for more of my attention, and I want to honor that fully. This also feels like a natural transition point for PWP to continue evolving.
I want to share a bit about what this means going forward.
PWP will continue. Alison, my cofounder, will be continuing to lead PWP operations, including leadership training and support. I’m deeply grateful for her partnership over the years and for the care, thoughtfulness, and leadership she brings to this community.
Behind the scenes, I will continue to provide administrative support while I train others to take over these responsibilities over the next six months. During this transition, we are also working out the details of what this next chapter will look like, with the intention that PWP continues to grow on the foundation we’ve built together.
I have a lot of trust in the leaders and volunteers who care deeply about this work and this community, and in what is continuing to unfold here.
I want to say thank you.
Thank you to everyone who has shown up to a session, shared a part of themselves, supported someone else, or simply been present. Thank you to the leaders and practice assistants who have given their time and care to make these sessions possible. And thank you for being part of something that has meant so much to me.
