A large, twisted tree with thick, sprawling roots and a lush green canopy, sunlight filtering through the leaves. It is part of the tree, just as individuals are made up of parts
Sunshine filters through tree branches and leaves, creating a bright and vibrant scene of green foliage and sunlight, it is part of a photo of a tree, indicating it is part of a whole.

Parts-Based Therapy

View of the upper part of a tree with green leaves and branches, sunlight shining through, and a blue sky visible in the background. It is part of a tree, indicating it is part of a whole.
Large, sprawling tree with thick, twisting branches and a solid trunk, sunny day with sunlight filtering through leaves, visible ground below. It is part of a tree, just as people are made up of many parts.
Sun shining through large tree with multiple trunks and exposed roots

What is parts-based work?

None of us respond to hard moments in just one way. When life gets overwhelming — especially in childhood, or again and again as we grow — we develop different ways of coping: a part shuts down, a part gets angry, a part pushes through, a part can't decide, a part works to please others.

This is why one experience can trigger multiple reactions at once. A part of me is sad, another mad, another terrified.

In Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST), developed by Janina Fisher, Ph.D., we think of these as parts of you — each shaped by an old survival response: fight, flight, freeze, or reaching out for safety.

There are no broken parts or bad parts. Every part showed up to help you survive something. Some keep you moving and capable day to day. Others jump in to protect you the moment pain gets close. Each part is smart and adaptive. It's gotten you through hard things.

Instead of asking what's wrong with you, this work asks how is this part trying to help you? This shift changes everything. The self-sabotage, the anger that shows up out of nowhere, or the urge to disappear — these stop looking like flaws and start looking like protection.

The goal isn't to get rid of any part of you. It's to get curious, build trust with each one, and help them lay down burdens they've been carrying for a long time.

Parts Work Can Help With:

Parts work using TIST can be especially helpful if you have experienced trauma, or multiple traumas in your life. It reframes things you thought were “wrong” with you as things that helped you survive. TIST helps us learn how to build a relationship with the part so it doesn’t have to work as hard to protect you.  TIST can also help with the following:

  • Reducing shame around "out of character" reactions

  • Interrupting cycles of self-sabotage

  • Healing old attachment wounds- experiences of invalidation and betrayal

  • Calming anxiety and overwhelm

  • Easing the harshness of your inner critic

  • Improving work/life balance

  • Deepening trust in relationships

  • Feeling more grounded and present in everyday life, instead of detached.

We all have parts. None of them are bad, all of them help.

You are not your worst moments, your hardest habits, or your most confusing reactions. You're a whole system of parts, each one — even the most frustrating — trying to help in the only way it knows how.

Parts work doesn't ask you to fix yourself. It invites you to get to know yourself, one part at a time.

If you’re interested in parts based therapy using Trauma Informed Stabilization Treatment, call or email us for a free consultation to see if we are a good fit for your needs. We are conveniently located to Vienna, Oakton, Fairfax, Tysons, Great Falls, and the surrounding areas. We also provide telehealth for anyone living in Virginia. We look forward to connecting with you! 

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