Parts Map: A Parts Work Therapy Exercise Around the Self
A gentle parts work map. Self sits in the center; place your parts around it, show how they relate, and ask each one what it needs. Best used with a therapist.
Parts work can bring up trauma memories quickly.
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Use it with a therapist trained in parts work, approach hurt parts only after protectors agree, and keep within the window of tolerance. With a dissociative disorder, use it only within specialist trauma treatment.
Use this with a client in session. It is not a self-help tool.
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Lay out the images from a dream and tag how each one feels, then, with your therapist, thread them to your waking life, your past and parts of you. Only you decide what it means.How to play
How to play- Name a part (for example The critic) and tap what kind it seems to be.
- It appears around Self. Drag it closer or further away.
- Tap a part to write its job and its fear, and choose what it needs.
- Link parts that protect, work with or are in conflict with each other.
- See your parts map, then copy or print it.
About the technique
About the techniqueParts work starts from the idea that the mind is naturally made up of many sub-personalities, or parts, each with its own feelings, beliefs and intentions. The best-known model is Internal Family Systems (IFS), developed by Richard Schwartz from family systems therapy. IFS describes protective parts that manage daily life or react when pain surfaces, vulnerable parts that carry that pain, and a core Self marked by qualities such as curiosity, calm and compassion that can relate to the parts and help them (Schwartz & Sweezy, 2020). This independent tool is IFS-informed, not affiliated with or endorsed by the IFS Institute.
A map shows which parts protect which, where they conflict, and what each might need. Seeing a harsh critic or a numbing urge as a part with a purpose, rather than as the whole person, can soften shame. The evidence is early: a small randomized trial of an IFS-based intervention for rheumatoid arthritis found improvements in pain and physical function, with gains in self-compassion and depressive symptoms at one year (Shadick et al., 2013), and an uncontrolled pilot study of IFS for PTSD after multiple childhood traumas reported reduced symptoms (Hodgdon et al., 2022). Mapping itself has not been tested.
It suits adults and teens in ongoing therapy with a clinician trained in parts work. Parts work can bring trauma material up quickly, so map protectors first, approach vulnerable parts only when protectors agree, and stay within the client’s window of tolerance. With a dissociative disorder, use it only within specialist trauma treatment.
For therapists: how to run it
For therapists: how to run itGoal
Get to know the parts that show up, see how they relate to each other and to Self, and name what each one needs.
In session
- Share your screen or send the client link. Begin with a protector that's loud today, not with a hurt part.
- Ask the part's job and what it fears would happen if it stopped. Thank it.
- Ask 'what does this part need?' and let the client choose or write it.
- Pace to the client's window of tolerance. If a hurt part floods, return to Self and ground before going on. Copy the clinical-notes text.
As homework
Not given as self-guided homework. Use it together in session.
Plain words are the default (planning protector, emergency protector, hurt part); switch to parts-work terms (manager, firefighter, exile) if you use them. Parts are kept apart automatically so labels don't overlap. This is not IFS therapy.
Worksheets that pair with this tool
Letter of Self-Compassion Worksheet
Two pages taking clients through five writing steps, then a blank page for the letter itself.
Core Beliefs Worksheet
A three-column table pairing each belief with supporting and contradictory evidence, based on Beck's CBT.
ACT Values Worksheet
Six life domains from relationships to community, with questions that end by testing your daily actions.Sources & credibility
- Method
- Parts mapping (parts work)
- Developed by
- Richard C. Schwartz (Internal Family Systems model; this independent tool is IFS-informed, not affiliated with or endorsed by the IFS Institute)
- First described
- 1995; 2nd ed. 2020
- Approach
- Parts work, integrative
- Evidence
- Limited evidenceThe model behind parts work has early research only: a small randomized trial in rheumatoid arthritis and a pilot study in PTSD after childhood trauma showed promising results. Parts mapping is widely used in practice but hasn't been tested on its own.
References
- Schwartz R. C. & Sweezy M. (2020). Internal Family Systems Therapy (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
- Shadick N. A., Sowell N. F., Frits M. L., et al. (2013). A randomized controlled trial of an internal family systems-based psychotherapeutic intervention on outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis: a proof-of-concept study. Journal of Rheumatology, 40(11), 1831–1841. Source
- Hodgdon H. B., Anderson F. G., Southwell E., Hrubec W. & Schwartz R. (2022). Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among survivors of multiple childhood trauma: a pilot effectiveness study. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 31(1), 22–43. Source
How it was made
Built by the Mentalyc team from the original method and the published sources listed here. Nothing you enter is stored.
Questions people ask
Questions people askWhat is parts work in therapy?
Parts work is an approach that sees the mind as made of different parts, such as an inner critic, a worrier or a hurt younger part, each trying to help in its own way. Getting to know them with curiosity, from a calm center often called Self, can ease inner conflict.
What are protectors and hurt parts?
Protectors try to keep pain away, either by planning and controlling ahead of time (often called managers) or by jumping in fast to stop pain once it hits (often called firefighters). Hurt parts, sometimes called exiles, carry old pain, fear or shame.
How do you make a parts map?
Place the Self in the center, add the parts you notice around it, show which parts protect or clash with each other, and ask each part what its job is, what it fears and what it needs.
Can I do parts work on my own?
Gentle mapping can be useful, but parts work can bring up difficult memories quickly. It's best done with a therapist trained in parts work, especially if there's trauma.
Is parts work evidence-based?
Parts-based approaches have growing but still limited research: a small trial in rheumatoid arthritis and a pilot study in PTSD after childhood trauma show promise, but large controlled trials are scarce. This is not IFS therapy: use parts mapping as one tool within a broader, clinician-led treatment.
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Educational practice aid, not a medical device. Not a substitute for therapy, diagnosis or emergency care.