Publications
Internal Family Systems Therapy for Addictions
NEW RELEASE // #1 BESTSELLER IN ITS CATEGORY
So often, addiction is viewed as a disease or an uncontrollable habit that signals a lack of willpower. In Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy for Addictions, the authors suggest a paradigm shift. Rather than viewing addiction as a pathology, they propose that it reflects the efforts of deeply entrenched protective parts with outmoded strategies, trapped in a desperate struggle to manage underlying emotional pain.
Therapists will learn how to avoid clinical power struggles and to access their core, compassionate Self to collaborate with clients in befriending protective parts who engage in addictive processes; healing the vulnerable, wounded parts they protect; and restoring balance to their system.
Included inside:
Experiential exercises to help clients (and therapists) get to know their own parts
Guidelines for conducting assessments in an engaging, collaborative way
Clear strategies for negotiating internal conflict and navigating polarizations between opposing parts
Case examples annotated with step-by-step explanations
Downloadable worksheets, handouts, and meditations
Review
"Therapists of all persuasions and levels of experience will find this manual useful. The construct of addictions is normalized, and the framework for dealing with them is neatly outlined. Placed in the hands of IFS therapists (new or experienced), the techniques are likely to be well-received by clients. The book is a welcome addition to IFS treatment, in general, and to the nexus between IFS and therapy for addictions, specifically.”
—Philip D. Armour, Editor, Parts & Self
IFS and Addictive Processes: Bridging the Gap Between Psychotherapy and Recovery
by Cece Sykes, Martha Sweezy, and Richard Schwartz
IFS offers a novel way of working with addiction, one that links the inner focus of trauma treatment with the behavioral focus of addiction treatment.
As a special gift, Cece’s subscribers are offered a FREE 60-day subscription to the magazine, which includes unlimited access to Psychotherapy Networker’s entire archives of stories and case studies.
Altogether Us: Compassion for Addictive Process
Sykes, C.C., Kruger, M. (2025 )“Compassion for Addictive Process” in Riemersma, J., IFS Integration; PESI Publications. (Formerly Altogether Us; Pivotal Press; 2023)
In this skillfully curated collection, author and clinical editor Jenna Riemersma invites 30 leading IFS experts to discuss how to apply the transformative insights of the IFS model with a wide range of clients, communities and modalities. Cece is the co-author of the chapter “IFS and Addiction: Compassion for the Addictive Process.”
IFS Collected Wisdom: Conversations with Experienced Voices in Internal Family Systems
Drawn from the IFS Talks podcast, IFS Collected Wisdom: Conversations with Experienced Voices in Internal Family Systems features conversations with Richard Schwartz, developer of IFS, along with senior lead trainers and seasoned therapists and practitioners, including Cece Sykes, Einat Bronstein, Martha Sweezy, Deb Dana, Susan McConnell, Nancy Sowell, Paul Neustadt, Robert Falconer, Joanne Twombly, and many others.
Cece is part of 3 chapters in this publication.
Innovations and Elaborations in Internal Family Systems Therapy
In the second chapter of Innovations and Elaborations in Internal Family Systems Therapy, Cece shares her view of working with addictive processes.
Sykes, C. C., (2016) "An IFS Lens on Addiction: Compassion for Extreme Parts," in Sweezy, M. and Zizkind, E.L., Innovations and Elaborations, New York, NY, Routledge, 2016.
A self-guided workbook to lead yourself through the IFS process and create inner harmony and peace, as endorsed by Dr. Richard C. Schwartz, founder of Internal Family Systems
Transform the way you relate to yourself and your mental health struggles with this clear and structured guide to Internal Family Systems (IFS), an evidence-based approach to parts work therapy. The IFS model views every person as having an “internal family” of parts or subpersonalities, each with their own set of thoughts, feelings, and roles. Some parts hold pain from the past, while others work to prevent that pain from surfacing. When parts are understood and accepted, they can release this pain and heal.
The Self-Led Internal Family Systems Workbook: Learn IFS Skills to Understand and Love All Your Parts
by Tanis Allen LMSW ACSW(Author),Cece Sykes LCSW ACSW (Foreword)
Clients with addiction issues too often feel cast adrift from general therapy. What can non-specialist psychotherapists do to better support such individuals? Cece Sykes is an IFS senior trainer and consultant specialising in recovery from trauma and addiction.
Ahead of a PESI UK training in Autumn 2023, she explains how a parts-based perspective on addictive processes can offer empowerment and hope to both clients and therapists – and outlines an understanding of the addictive cycle as a battle between inner teams of protectors rather than a self-destructive pathology.
“Working with Addictive Processes in Therapy: How IFS
Offers Hope” – PESI UK Blog
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