John Clarke Therapy

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04/16/2026

“Good IFS” doesn’t always lead to change.

Self energy is easy to talk about. Harder to recognize when it’s actually there.

Same with integration.

Inside the weekly Pathways to Self consultation group, we focus on how YOU get there, so your can effectively guide your clients there too.

Check the comments to learn more.

04/15/2026

When nothing is shifting in session, I look here first.

This is one way you can start to use IFS more effectively in session. You can explore more in the From Burnout to Balance training.

Check the comments to get access. 👇

04/13/2026

Most therapists don’t struggle with understanding what their clients are saying.

They struggle with tracking what’s happening underneath it, especially when things start shifting in real time.

One moment your client is calm and reflective. The next, something tightens. There’s urgency, or shutdown, or a completely different tone.

It’s that moment where you feel the shift, but you’re not quite sure which part just showed up.

In IFS, we understand these shifts as different “parts” of a person showing up. Different emotional states, protective responses, or ways of coping that take the lead at different times.

Parts mapping is a simple way to start tracking this.

Not as a formal technique, but as a way to stay oriented in the session.

When something shifts, you slow down and get curious. What’s here right now? How is this different from a moment ago?

You might ask your client what they’re noticing internally, or what feels different compared to a moment ago.

And then you jot something down. A word or two is enough. Just enough to mark, this is a distinct part showing up.

Over time, this helps you see patterns more clearly. Certain parts show up in response to specific triggers. Some take over quickly. Others stay more in the background.

It changes the feel of the work. There’s less pressure to jump in or fix something right away, and more space to understand what’s actually happening.

Whether you call them parts or not, learning to track these shifts is a core clinical skill.

If you want to go deeper into how to do this in real time without losing the thread or overcomplicating it:

Join me for Going Inside LIVE tomorrow, Tuesday, April 14th.

We’ll be walking through questions like this and applying it directly to your clinical work. Check the comments or bio to submit your question ahead of time or join us live. 👇

Bring what you’re noticing in your sessions and we'll give you the guidance to navigate it.

04/08/2026

Have a question about how IFS applies in your clinical work?

Bring it to Going Inside Live on Tuesday, April 14th.

Submit your question beforehand in the comments or join us live on YouTube at Going Inside with John Clarke @ 12pm PT on Tuesday.🔔

04/07/2026

Unblending isn’t just a technique. It’s a quintessential skill of IFS.

When your clients can recognize when they’re blended vs. in self-energy, everything shifts. That’s where real self-leadership begins.

Learn the foundations of IFS in my free webinar. Link in comments
to register.

04/03/2026

Dissociation isn’t something to eliminate. It’s something to track.

When clients start to go offline, it’s not resistance… it’s their system saying, this is too much.

One simple tool you can bring into the room: The “back-of-the-head” scale.

If you want more tools like this—and a deeper way to think about pacing, parts, and regulation—this is exactly the kind of work we do inside our weekly consultation group, Pathways to Self. Explore more in the comments.

In IFS, we learn something important: protectors escalate when they feel bypassed.They soften when they feel understood....
04/02/2026

In IFS, we learn something important: protectors escalate when they feel bypassed.

They soften when they feel understood.

What looks like resistance is often a part doing its job, trying to prevent something that once felt overwhelming.

So instead of trying to get around the critic, the invitation is to get curious about it.

What is this part afraid would happen if it stepped back? What burden is it carrying? How long has it been working this hard?

When therapists slow down enough to stay with the very part that seems obstructive, the system begins to relax.

It actually builds trust and the work can move forward in a way that feels much more sustainable for both the therapist AND the client.

It does require patience. And a willingness to move at the speed of the system rather than the speed of our own agenda.

That level of nuance - learning to work with protectors rather than pushing past them - is a big part of what we practice together inside Pathways to Self. Explore more in the comments.

There’s a quiet pressure in our field to land something by the end of the hour. An insight or a resolution.But therapy i...
04/01/2026

There’s a quiet pressure in our field to land something by the end of the hour. An insight or a resolution.

But therapy isn’t a presentation. It’s a relationship unfolding in real time.

Sometimes the most meaningful shift is internal and invisible.

Or... sometimes the client leaves unsettled because something real was touched.

When when equate “tidy” with “effective,” it can be exhausting.

It’s okay to trust that something meaningful is still happening, even when it doesn’t wrap up neatly.

03/31/2026

Dysregulation isn’t something to fix.

It’s something to follow.

We’re unpacking more questions like this live TODAY, Tuesday, March 31st @ 12pm Pacific.

Drop your question ahead of time or join us live and ask in the chat (or listen in). Details in the comments.

Not what training should you take.Not what certification would look good.What is actually limiting your work right now?A...
03/29/2026

Not what training should you take.

Not what certification would look good.

What is actually limiting your work right now?

Answer that honestly and your next step becomes clear.

I said this because it’s real.There’s often a part of us that wants clarity before the hour ends.That wants the session ...
03/26/2026

I said this because it’s real.

There’s often a part of us that wants clarity before the hour ends.
That wants the session to land cleanly.
A part that wants some signal that we helped.

Sometimes that impulse serves the client.

Sometimes it’s really about soothing our own discomfort with ambiguity.

Therapy is unusual work in that way.

You can offer a deeply meaningful hour and still leave without a clear resolution.

And that can be hard for the parts of us that want to feel effective.

Over time, though, constantly pushing for clarity, breakthroughs, or reassurance can quietly contribute to burnout.

Not because we’re doing something wrong, but because we’re trying to control something that isn’t ours to control.

A few small practices can help:

1. Notice the impulse before acting on it. If you feel the urge to wrap the session up with a neat insight or interpretation, pause for a moment. Ask yourself: Who is this for right now: the client, or the part of me that wants certainty?

2. Let some sessions end unfinished. Healing processes rarely resolve on the therapist’s timeline. Allowing a session to end mid-process often creates more room for the client’s system to keep working between sessions.

3. Track the moments you want reassurance. Wanting feedback that you did a good job is human. Simply noticing that desire, without needing the client to meet it, can bring more steadiness to the work.

4. Remember what actually creates change. It’s rarely the perfectly timed interpretation. More often, it’s the client experiencing someone who can stay present with them without rushing the process.

When therapists can notice these internal dynamics without judgment, something important happens.

They regain choice.

And having choice, rather than being driven by urgency or self-doubt, is one of the quiet ways therapists protect themselves from burnout.

This question isn’t just for clients.It’s for you.Your internal reaction shapes the room more than any intervention.
03/25/2026

This question isn’t just for clients.

It’s for you.

Your internal reaction shapes the room more than any intervention.

Address

4155 24th Street
San Francisco, CA
94114

Website

https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/ifs-webinar-social

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