Meet the Parts You Silenced to Survive: How IFS for Trauma in Falls Church, VA Supports Childhood Healing
Self-Sacrifice and Self-Abandonment Were the Themes of Your Childhood
In order to keep the peace throughout your childhood, you silenced anger, sadness, and grief. But the thing no one else tells you is that when you silence these parts of you, you also silence joy and delight. You are probably self-aware, so self-aware that you can explain anyone’s feelings and fix anyone’s problems, including your own. But when you explain away your problems, you don’t actually get to sit in your emotions and experience them. You actually succeed in avoiding them. This is where Internal Family Systems (IFS) for trauma comes in. Being able to be present with your emotions, how they take up space in your body, and how you move through them, navigate them, and handle them is a totally different experience from analyzing from the outside in. It is different to experience your inner world from the inside out and to know “you got this."
Can IFS Therapy Help Me Move from Silence to Recovery in Adulthood?
In Internal Family Systems (IFS) trauma therapy, we map out your inner world in order to expand your emotional vocabulary and build your nervous system’s capacity to hold the information that comes your way. One of the techniques we use to accomplish this is by building something called your window of tolerance. Everyone has a window of tolerance, which is a range in which you remain connected to yourself as you navigate the world. It does not mean you are just calm. It means that you can experience other emotions while also noticing them and working through them (Ex, oh, I am feeling sad right now, and when I am sad I need to take some breaths, sit down, talk to my friend, or pet my cat, etc). When we leave our window of tolerance, we can become extremely distressed, which is what can happen when you become flooded by feelings of anger, anxiety, or hurt—emotions that you have long been suppressing.
How Do I Heal My Childhood Trauma with IFS?
Together with me, your trauma therapist, we work on experiencing and sitting in anger, anxiety, and sadness in your body. This is so that when these emotions arise, your body is less overwhelmed and incapacitated by them. IFS therapy further supports this process by helping you tune into what parts of you have been blocking these emotions (helping you to survive) and what parts of you need help unburdening, or relieving some pain, so that you can be present with your emotions and fullest self. We also practice self-soothing skills so that you are able to offer yourself the ability to identify when something big and scary is happening. In this way, you become your own internal parent. Through this journey at Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy, you gain more capability, providing yourself with guidance and gradually finding paths to experience and express the full range of your emotions and your full, authentic self.
Begin Healing with IFS for Trauma at Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy in Falls Church, VA
Alice Zic, MPH, LCSW | Founder and Licensed Trauma Therapist at Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy
At Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy, we provide warm, trauma-informed care to help you feel safe again, reconnect with your inner resilience, and rediscover your authentic self.
Here’s how to begin your healing journey:
Click below to schedule your complimentary 15-minute consultation.
Complete the short pre-consultation form to share a bit about your goals.
Meet with compassionate trauma therapist Alice Zic to explore what support may fit best.
Take your first step toward healing with IFS therapy and childhood trauma therapy designed to meet you where you are.
Find Comfort and Connection with Online Therapy in Virginia
Beginning childhood trauma therapy online can be a meaningful and convenient first step toward healing. As a licensed Virginia therapist, I offer secure, virtual sessions for clients living anywhere in the state. With a private space, a stable internet connection, and your preferred device, you can access therapy from the comfort of your own home—no traffic, no rush, just support.
Getting started is simple. Schedule your free consultation call below and take the first step toward gentle, effective online therapy for childhood trauma.
In-Person Therapy in New Orleans, Louisiana
Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy offers in-person therapy sessions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in New Orleans, Louisiana. If you’re in the Greater New Orleans area and seeking support for childhood trauma, healing from the pain of an emotionally immature mother, or anxiety therapy for your teen, our Mid-City office provides a welcoming, accessible space to begin your healing journey.
Virtual Therapy That Meets You Wherever You Are
In addition to our work with childhood trauma, Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy provides online therapy for teen anxiety in Connecticut, Virginia, and Louisiana, as well as in-person sessions in New Orleans. Whether you’re healing from parentification, supporting a teen navigating emotional overwhelm, or recovering from childhood neglect, we offer a compassionate, nonjudgmental space for growth and connection—no matter where you are in CT, VA, or LA.
About Alice Zic, Licensed Childhood Trauma Therapist in Virginia
Alice Zic is a licensed clinical social worker based in New Orleans, Louisiana, offering online therapy across Louisiana, Connecticut, and Virginia, as well as in-person sessions in New Orleans. As a childhood trauma therapist, Alice specializes in helping perfectionistic and mother-wounded women heal from early emotional pain and step into a more confident, grounded version of themselves.
Drawing from an attachment-based approach, Alice is trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy—a trauma-informed, evidence-based method that fosters healing of both mind and body. Through IFS, she guides clients in gently reparenting the inner parts that carry pain, criticism, or fear, helping them cultivate deeper self-trust and emotional freedom.
If you’d like to learn more about Alice, click here. To begin your healing journey, schedule your free consultation call today.